Wichita’s only college football team will soon be playing on a new $1 million field, with the city’s help.
The city has approved almost $5 million in educational revenue bond funding to assist Friends University in putting in new artificial turf at Adair-Austin Stadium, where the Falcons play their home games.
The small Christian university, originally started by Quakers, will also replace the boiler in the Davis Administration Building, Friends’ signature building that includes the campus’ historic clock tower.
The city’s action will allow Friends to refinance $4.95 million existing debt at lower interest, freeing up about $1 million for the football field and $50,000 for the boiler, said Tim Goodpasture, the city’s economic development analyst.
Current enrollment at the university is about 1,600 and its Falcons are the only college football team at any level based in Wichita.
They’re part of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics and compete with other small schools in the Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference.
In addition to football, the field is used by community youth football and soccer programs in the summer, said Amy Bragg Carey, president of the university.
Helping Friends get a new field was especially gratifying for council member Brandon Johnson, who was a star running back for the Falcons from 2004 to 2007 and running back coach from 2008 to 2012.
He said his first year, the turf was terrible, first-generation Astroturf that was more like playing on a green plastic carpet than grass.
“Everybody got those skin burns all over their arms and legs,” he said. “In 2005, we got new turf which was much better.”
Johnson said he was back on campus last year and noticed that turf now “was kind of at the end of its useful life.”
Council member Jeff Blubaugh is also a friend of Friends. He earned three degrees there, associate, bachelor’s and master’s.
Mayor Jeff Longwell said the city was happy to help.
“This is a great example of a university that continues to invest in their community,” he said.
