For years, the Lakeland High School soccer teams and spectators have been without bathrooms and have had to resort to porta-potties, but that all changes now.
With the long years of coaches, players and spectators complaining about the lack of bathrooms at the soccer field, Lakeland’s Athletic Director, Matt Neff, decided it was time for change and finally set the plan in motion.
“The soccer teams and the different community groups that use this field have had to use porta-potties in the past,” Neff said. “It has been a long project in the works, but we finally got all the commits we need and the projects on board.”
The bathrooms will be by the McDonald’s parking lot at the far end of the field. This is the most convenient spot for a bathroom, as it is a perfect distance away from the field but close enough to access.
It is also convenient to hold more than one toilet at a time, so lines are not as long because no one wants to miss the big game.
“It’s nice to have something like this on the fields. I think the parents are the most excited, so they do not have to use the porta-potties during the games anymore,” boys coach Nick Haynes said.
Both coaches Haynes and Kevin Rogge are beyond excited about the new installment. They feel it is a better resource than the one-person porta-potties.
It is tough when they are trying to use the bathroom between games and have to wait in long lines, potentially missing part of the games. It is exceptionally tough on players and coaches regarding scarce resources like they have been given.
“It is nice to even have a visitor team use a real bathroom,” Rogge said.
While most other fields or outdoor courts have had accessible bathrooms for years, the LHS soccer field has struggled with using a singular porta-potty, if available. Accessing a bathroom quickly and cutting down a little bit of traffic is an excellent option for improving the soccer field.
“I think it is much needed, and it is an exciting change for the community,” Cade Pittman said.
While this option is great for spectators and the team because of its quick access, it is also a more sanitary option. Porta-potties contain lots of germs and are less clean than stalled bathrooms nor as taken care of.
With vandalism and messes left behind, porta-potties are not as accessible a fix as stalled bathrooms. With a porta-potty, you have to take the whole toilet away, and it may not return for quite some time, which makes it easier to clean up a stalled bathroom.
“The porta-potties would get knocked over, and it is not as sanitary for our student-athletes,” Neff said.
This project has many excited for the upcoming season and is a more efficient option to improve the soccer program. After waiting and constantly asking, LHS’ new soccer field bathrooms should hopefully be up and running in the fall.
