The York Revolution are researching the possibility of bringing a high school football game to Sovereign Bank Stadium in the fall of 2010, according to general manager Matt O'Brien.

Sovereign Bank Stadium has never hosted a football game, but the team hosted a professional boxing event this summer that attracted more than 3,000 fans. The field has been measured by groundskeeper Brandon Putman, and the Revolution could configure a football field to run down the first-base line -- utilizing half of the stadium's seating bowl. The field's mound would have to be removed and grass would have to be rolled out in the infield cutouts, but the Barnstormers and Blue Crabs conducted similar alterations during the baseball season in order to host professional soccer matches featuring a club from Europe.

O'Brien hopes a local high school would be interested in the event, taking advantage of the stadium's facilities with the potential of not placing any money toward stadium costs.

"Because we know football games act as fundraisers for a number of schools," O'Brien said, "we have the potential for no up-front costs."

The team would like to attract a sponsor, allowing the school to keep gate proceeds and a portion of the concession profits.

"They're not going to make any less money by hosting a game here," O'Brien said.

During planning stages for a downtown baseball ballpark in York, having the ability to place a football field inside the baseball stadium had always been

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a concern. In part because team officials wanted to place the stadium at Small Field, the athletic fields for William Penn.

At the time, William Penn needed to upgrade its football facilities, and the thought was the Bearcats could play inside the minor league park. But when the stadium site shifted to the other side of the Codorus Creek, high school football games at the minor league park no longer became a big selling point. O'Brien said he would like to change that, in part because he feels local high school teams could benefit from playing in what will be a 3-year-old stadium in 2010.

"We have a large video board and four camera operators to help show the game," O'Brien said. "Being a football fan, I thought this could be a fantastic opportunity for a high school to host a big community event."
jseip@ydr.com; 771-2025

On the blogs

· Small Field missed a shining moment but could again claim a ray of York County's spotlight.

· Sovereign Bank Stadium could serve as community cornerstone.