New Larkin High School stadium gets nod from Elgin City Council
Larkin High School’s play for a new stadium is nearing the goal line after gaining approval from the Elgin City Council Wednesday.
The 2,250-seat stadium would allow Larkin’s football team to host Friday night games under lights on its own campus for the first time in the school’s 63-year history.
The Elgin Area School District U-46 school currently plays home football games at rival Elgin High School’s Memorial Field, located about four miles away.
Many council members, including Tish Powell, whose son played sports at South Elgin High School, said it’s long overdue.
“I can’t imagine being a parent of an athlete, knowing how hard those athletes work, not having a stadium there for them to compete in,” Powell said.
The new $11.8 million complex will be built in the same location as an existing field. It will feature a modern stadium with a turf field for football, soccer, and other sports, as well as a high-performance track.
New bleacher seating would be located on the north and south sides of the stadium, with a press box on the home team’s south side. A 7,600-square-foot building on the west side of the field would house the locker rooms, concessions and bathrooms.
Other changes include a 1,500-square-foot covered outdoor pavilion, a new scoreboard, a new lighting and sound system, two ticket booth buildings, landscaping, and an ornamental fence along South McLean Boulevard.
No changes are planned to other outdoor athletic fields, school parking lots or existing access driveways.
U-46 officials say the school’s 540 parking spaces would be enough for most football games, which are expected to average between 750 and 1,000 fans.
For games with higher expected attendance, such as the annual homecoming game or the rivalry game with Elgin High School, the district would provide remote parking with shuttles from Kimball Middle School and Highland and Creekside Elementary Schools.
Ann Williams, U-46 deputy superintendent of operations, said the athletic complex is expected to be substantially completed for the 2026-27 athletic season and in time for Larkin to host its homecoming game.