ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — The football field at West Orange High School is off limits because inspectors have deemed it unstable to be played on.
The turf on the 8-year-old football field is worn out and is virtually unusable, but the school is trying to find money to fix it.
"It's very difficult to put 125 kids on an 80-yard field," head football coach Bob Head said.
The school said it needs $138,000 more to replace the field.
"We want to be able to take a championship home, and that's hard to do without a home field," senior Jeremy Samuels said.
The football team and three other sports that share the field had to find other venues this season.
"It's thinner than it should be. It should be thicker where it has more cushion," Head said. "The use on it has made it wear down."
The district said the turf field came from donors, who committed to the maintenance of it, but have since let it deteriorate.
West Orange High School is planning fundraising events to pay for the new field. The school's athletic director said a new field will have a 10-year warranty and a maintenance plan.