Taking shape: Football-speaking, Rougher Village getting set for first practice, first home contest

Jul. 2—As Rougher Village moves toward completion, the scene for the Sept. 2 football season opener at Rougher Village will not be the finished version.

But kickoff that night against Putnam City will go as scheduled with all of the 7,500-capacity seats ready for takers.

Muskogee football will be able to first step onto the field on July 11, assistant superintendent Lance Crawley said in a walk-through of the facility with the Phoenix this week. The turf has been installed and at last, the real Rougher logo will adorn the playing field, as opposed to a generic "M" which lies at midfield at Indian Bowl.

But, at this point, fan amenities such as the permanent concessions and restrooms will not be ready. Portable or temporary arrangements will be set up, Crawley said, as all of the field house facility will remain off limits for now.

"As much as we'd like to, the fully completed new home won't be ready this season," he said. "We're prepared to make the necessary adjustments that will meet the needs for the time being."

While construction on the field house facility continues, some adjustments will be made related to parking.

A shuttle service will be established for the duration of the season from the public parking lot a block or two east of the stadium, where Ollie's and Mini-Max grocery, among other retail outlets, are located. Details on that service will be released on a week to week basis "due to the changing nature of the construction from game to game," athletic director Jason Parker said.

The planned visiting locker room, which is part of a renovated area of existing classrooms in the G-Unit building located just outside the bleachers on the east side of the stadium, will be in use for Muskogee players with other classroom space set up for offices and such. The visiting team will use a temporarily setup of classrooms and restrooms also in the G-unit. Eventually, the Roughers' locker room, office space and weight facilities will be in the new field house.

For underclass games, depending on logistics, Indian Bowl will be used — junior high games will remain there. JV games will depend on certain factors as the full move is made.

"That will really be a function related to who is scheduled where," Parker said. "It works better where we can hire one staff for multiple games, but anytime we can do those at Rougher Village it will work better in terms of logistics once they are fully moved in over there."

Reserved seats, like all the bleachers, have no seat-backs. Fans will be able to bring their own portable versions in the meantime. Parker said due to delivery logistics, an order of those for a user-fee won't be available until 2023.

"With the timing, everybody we reached out to was quite a bit out of being able to deliver exactly what we wanted, so we're not going to move forward with that at least this first year," he said.

The finished product, which includes a new gym, is racing toward a planned December/January finish.

The basic gym structure is in place. Seating and flooring remain to be done, but a walk-through gives a strong resemblance of what will be.

Crawley took that tour with the Phoenix and went further in his description.

"The square-footage is similar in size to Tulsa Rogers," he said, referring to the site where the boys basketball team's season ended last year in the area consolation finals. "We didn't design it off that but when I was there for the playoff game I thought, 'hmm, our upper level is a little higher. Theirs came down a little lower which I didn't like because the walkway interfered with the view. Here, the people in the front row will be above the walkway."

An additional 100 or so fans will have access to seating in the Varsity Club, located beyond the north end baseline. That room will extend to the football field, which will have a porch to walk out on. Crawley compared it that along Gallagher-Iba in the end zone of Boone Pickens Stadium at Oklahoma State.

The Varsity Club patio area for football will be used for special occasion seating, such as for those involved with Hall of Fame Night, Crawley said. But that, like other uses for the field house structure, will have to wait for occupation.

Ticket sales information will be forthcoming.