First Wellesley football game under new lights Sept. 28; Halloween night on schedule, too
Wellesley Athletic Director John Brown emphasized last spring that there would be no night games under the new lights at the track and field until everything was just right, and indeed no games were held while related construction in the area took place. But now we can see that a handful of night games, all starting at 6pm, have been listed on the Wellesley High Football team schedule, with the first slated for Sept. 28 vs Walpole High School.
Other dates showing 6pm games are Oct. 4, Oct. 18, and—trick or treat?—Oct. 31. The Halloween night game at peak trick-or-treating time might be explained in part by the school system being closed the next day, Friday, Nov. 1, for the Diwali holiday. It’s possible additional games could be added to the night schedule depending how the post-season plays out.
The football team’s schedule shows the Raiders starting the season with three straight away games, beginning with a Friday night matchup vs. Framingham on Sept. 6. In fact, all the games on the schedule are listed as having nighttime starts except for the Thanksgiving morning matchup at Needham High School.
During the Aug. 9 Playing Field Task Force meeting (see Wellesley Media recording), the status of the lights and sound system at the field were discussed. Some work remains on the sound system, plus lighting on the paths to and from the field, said Town Engineer Dave Hickey. It sounded like things were largely under control though.
The Wellesley School Committee’s Linda Chow said that during discussions with Athletic Director Brown there has been talk of starting out with non-football games under the lights, figuring the crowds will be smaller. This would give all involved (the school system, facilities, public safety, etc.) a chance to make sure things run smoothly given all the “scrutiny and attention” that the night games will get, Chow said.
Brown wrote to us that “As far as Soccer and Field Hockey we expect those teams to each have a regular season game under the lights with potential home playoff games as well. The dates of those games have yet to be determined. We will know more once the testing of the lights takes place next week, further details are worked out and we get approval from our opponents.”
Having practices under the lights would be another way to test them out.
The football team used to have yearly night games by propping up temporary lights at the field, but it couldn’t do that after the new track (complete with warranty) was put in place in 2016.
Residents in recent years debated whether or not to install permanent lights, with those in favor arguing that night games would benefit student-athletes and the wider community, and those against airing environmental, neighborhood, and other concerns. The big moment came two years ago when the Wellesley Natural Resources Commission, which has oversight for the land, voted 3-2 in favor of the School Committee’s proposal for lights.
(Post updated on 8/13/24)