On Friday night, the remodeled Dozier Field opened for the Miners football team’s game against Salem Hills.
While Park City dropped that game 14-7, falling to 1-4, they were able to welcome fans to their home for the first time this season and showcase the field’s improvements.
Dozier Field is part of an ongoing, nearly $48 million athletic facilities facelift at Park City High School, also including new baseball, softball and mixed-use fields along Kearns Boulevard.
The Dozier Field upgrades that were completed in time for Friday’s game were a new entryway into the stadium, new bathrooms adjacent to the entry, the first level of new stands, a walkway from the entrance to the stands and a new speaker system. The school district said these improvements mark “around 80%” completion of the project, with “some degree of final detailed finishing” required.
What still awaits fans are the track, the completed walkway around the stadium, turf to sit on surrounding the sidewalks, the second level of the stands, press boxes, concession stands and locker rooms.
The school hopes to have some of the remaining features of the new stadium completed for their next home game and homecoming on Sept. 25, when the Miners welcome Uintah.
Despite the stadium not being fully completed, Park City High School Principal Caleb Fine and other fans were happy to be welcomed back and see what progress had been made.
“We’re incredibly excited to be able to host a home game on Dozier,” Fine said. “This facility has been closed for a long time, and even though it’s not done, I think people get a feel for how awesome it is.”
Fine thanked the school board for their support of the upgrade project.
The principal is excited for many exhilarating Friday night football and other games on the field yet to come.
“It’s a beautiful facility,” Fine said. “We can’t wait to have our girls soccer senior night out here in a week and a half.”
Fine hopes the stadium can accommodate about 3,000 people when the stands and sitting turf around the walkway are complete.
Parkites Alan and Kristina Hoeksema, who were in attendance at Friday’s game, said they are excited to watch their daughter, junior Finley Hoeksema, play lacrosse in the new stadium and on the other Kearns Boulevard fields. They also hope it can provide some stability for the school’s graduation ceremony, which was held at Deer Valley Resort this past school year.
“It was a great facility before,” Kristina said. “We feel overly indulged and lucky that it’ll be even more beautiful.”
Kristina said she believes high school memories are often forged at every school’s football stadium.
With Alan being a contractor, the Hoeksemas understand and aren’t disappointed in the delays to the project, which the school hoped to have ready for the Miners’ home opener on Aug. 28. Instead, the team had to play at South Summit High School.
“If you anticipate anything other than delays in construction, you’d be delusional,” Kristina said.
Alan continued, “I’m sure the contractor is really happy about holding the event here tonight. I was thinking about all the measures they had to take to secure the area. I appreciate that from the contractor standpoint.”
The delays also didn’t surprise Parkite and Park City High School alumnus David Wintzer. He brought his friend Jackson Lyons, who was visiting from Australia, out for Lyons’ first American football game.
“(This is Dozier Field’s) third revision since I was here,” Wintzer said. “It’s a complete trip to see it evolve. … I think it’s going to be something special.”
By the excited look in Lyons’ eyes, it was safe to say the new stadium meets the standards for an Australian’s expectations of the American high school football experience.
“It’s like a movie for me,” Lyons said. “The cheerleaders, the band. … I’m trying to wrap my head around what’s going on. Very cool. Very cool.”
After next week’s Uintah game, the only other Park City regular season home game will be against Deer Creek on Oct. 14.
For any additional information about the Miners, see the team’s MaxPreps page: maxpreps.com/ut/park-city/park-city-miners/football/schedule.