The Cincinnati Bengals and the NFL Foundation teamed up to contribute $150,000 to the La Salle High School athletic department, topping off a fundraising effort that raised $325,000 to install a new synthetic turf field at Lancer Stadium.
The new field allows for more football games and practices, as well as other sporting events, physical education classes and band usage. Summer camp attendees for soccer, lacrosse and football will be the first to use the new field when Lancer Stadium re-opens on June 12.
"The Bengals are extremely pleased to play a role in helping to make this project come to fruition," said Bengals Executive Vice President Katie Blackburn. "Having a quality playing surface is important, and we hope the La Salle community enjoys the new field for many years to come."
"We can't thank the Bengals enough for their generosity and continued support of local amateur athletics," said La Salle Athletic Director Keith Pantling. "Their major gift solidified this project. An upgrade like this impacts not only our student-athletes at La Salle, but so many other individuals and organizations in the community that use the field year-round."'
The grant is the latest in an ongoing program in which the Bengals and the NFL have coordinated to distribute $1.65 million to local schools for new fields. Other schools include Clinton-Massie High School, Covington Catholic High School, Deer Park Jr./Sr. High School, Lockland High School, Oak Hills High School, Taylor High School, Withrow University High School and Midway Elementary School.