Construction on the new Lancaster General Health Penn Medicine Stadium at the Barney Ewell Sports Complex began two years ago, but the planning process started much earlier. Talks about renovating the stadium started about 15 years ago. The School District of Lancaster (SDoL) had looked at all schools and projects and split them into phases, the stadium being included in stage four. The budget for all of these phases was decided and set aside. In 2021, the design process started. SDoL and architects started to plan exactly what they wanted to change. Afterwards they went to the city to start moving along with construction.

First construction was set to happen over winter months so that no sports would be impacted. Due to permit delays, this goal was not accomplished. The construction got pushed back approximately 250 days, leaving McCaskey stadium-less for the ensuing football season.

Once construction started, it didn’t look like much progress was truly being made. Students walked past piles of dirt and big machines whirring around daily, and not much seemed to be changing. “I was worried, […] it didn’t seem like it was moving very fast,” McCaskey principal Dr. Reese shared. Then towards the end of the summer and beginning of the 2026-2027 school year, everything visually seemed to snap into place. The new turf was all laid out, the new track lanes were added and redone, and there was a big new scoreboard suspended over the field. Everything seemed to fit perfectly in place.

The new stadium is not just about football. As Dr. Reese puts it, “I want it to be a centerpiece.” It can be used for instruction, athletics, activities, and so much more. He hopes the stadium will become a gathering place where students can spend time with friends on football nights, attend future school events and track meets, and bring the broader community together. Dr. Reese hopes that younger students from neighboring Wickersham Elementary School and Lincoln Middle School, as well the Lancaster Rec’s Junior Tornado football team, will be able to use the stadium in the future. 

The stadium is already quickly being put to use as it will also be a part of the Homecoming as an extra space for students to hangout. With the field now having more opportunities for usage, Dr. Reese hopes to host future track events, as well as already having plans for the 2027 Activity Fair to be hosted at the stadium. 

McCaskey’s new stadium isn’t simply here for the games; it’s for the community. In Dr. Reese’s words, “It just is so much more than football.”