Coach Kenny Deel Stadium – stadium description

How did the new stadium in Melissa come about?

Located in the northeastern suburbs of the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex, the town of Melissa was founded in the 19th century, but did not begin to experience rapid growth until the 21st century, especially after 2016, when new housing developments began to be built on a large scale.

As the population grew, so did the educational needs. The entity responsible for providing primary and secondary education services in the area is the Melissa Independent School District (Melissa ISD). In 2016, the first referendum was held among residents in favor of a bond issue to fund the expansion of educational facilities.

In the following years, Melissa ISD made a number of significant investments. One of these was the construction of the new Melissa High School campus in 2017–2018. In 2019, the westward expansion of this campus began.

The northern portion of the site was used first, with the completion of the Melissa Championship Center in 2021, a training complex consisting of an outdoor field with running track, as well as an indoor arena housing a full-size football field, along with additional facilities including a gym and rehabilitation clinic.

The southern portion of the site has been allocated for a main stadium to serve the needs of Melissa Schools, including the Melissa Cardinals football team, as well as the local community. A significant number of parking spaces were also planned around the stadium. The new facility was to take over the role of the old Cardinals Stadium with a capacity of 3,100 spectators, which is located on the Melissa Middle School campus.

When was the new stadium in Melissa built?

Construction of the facility began in early 2022, with Crossland as the main contractor and, as with the Melissa Championship Center, the design was done by Parkhill. The project cost $35 million to complete. The stadium was named after Kenny Deel, a long-time teacher and coach at Melissa Schools, who served as director of operations when the stadium opened.

The soft opening of the new facility took place on May 26, 2023, when a graduation ceremony for Melissa High School students was held at the stadium. The actual inauguration of the stadium took place on August 25, 2023, with the first game of the new football season (Melissa Cardinals – Argyle Eagles 50–14).

What are the features of Coach Kenny Deel Stadium?

The stadium features an AstroTurf branded artificial surface football pitch. It is located on a north-south axis and also has drawn lines for soccer. Two two-storey stands are located along the pitch. A small stand is also situated behind the southern endzone, with a large (approx. 60 × 30 ft) video screen behind.

The main stand is located on the west side and is larger than the one on the opposite side. The auditorium is mostly equipped with benches, only the central part of the upper floor of the main stand has seats. LED banners have been mounted along the edges of the tiers. Four tall floodlight masts stand in the corners. The capacity of the stadium is 10,000 spectators.

Adjacent to the main stand, in the central section, is a building on top of which there are two rows of glass rooms overlooking the pitch. In addition to the facilities necessary for the operation of the stadium and the organization of events, the building contains, among other things, classrooms. The entire stadium is decorated with Melissa Cardinals branding, and signs with the stadium's name have also been created.

The facility is surrounded by plenty of parking spaces. The stadium is located on the campus of Melissa High School, and adjacent to it (north of the stadium) is the Melissa Championship Center, a training complex consisting of two full-size football fields, one with a running track, located outdoors, and the other located indoors, to which other facilities, such as a gym and a rehabilitation clinic, are also attached.