Tennessee school to replace decades-old bleachers, forgo home football games this fall

Football season will be here before we know it.

One Middle Tennessee school district is taking the game to new heights with brand new bleachers for students and fans, but it'll take about a year for the project to be fully completed, officials say.

That doesn't mean the work hasn't already gotten underway.

Cheatham County Central High School recently demolished its roughly 50-year-old concrete bleachers to make way for the new aluminum ones.

The project, including demolition, new bleachers and concrete work, is projected to cost about $1 million, Cheatham County School District Communications Director and Grant Writer Tim Adkins said.

The project timeline calls for the bleachers to be completely installed and ready for action by the start of the 2025 football season.

So, there will be no home football games at the high school for the 2024 season, officials said.

"Friday night football is important in the lives of our CCCHS students and community, and we want everyone to have the best game experience we can provide to create those lasting memories. However, we also want everyone to be as safe as possible while enjoying the games," school district officials said in a release.

"We deeply apologize for the inconvenience this project will cause the CCCHS football team this season, but we are committed to having the safest football facility on the CCCHS campus."

Five home games will be played away this fall.

The CCCHS football team will play at James Lawson on Aug. 23, at Harpeth on Aug. 30, at White House Heritage on Sept. 13 and at Sycamore on Oct. 11, the release said.

On Sept. 27, the CCCHS football team is scheduled to play Jo Byrns in its Homecoming game at Sycamore.

With the return of home games expected for the 2025 football season, visiting schools will have access to their own bleachers - a first for the school, officials noted.

The Cheatham County School Board and Cheatham County Commission partnered for the project, approving the funding after a regular structural inspection of the school's bleachers determined they needed to be replaced.

Katie Nixon can be reached at knixon@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Tennessee school to replace decades-old bleachers, forgo home football games this fall