Liberty High School is gaining a new addition to the athletic programs. A new field house will be built, with construction starting in the summer of 2027.
Brent Sands, Athletic Director at Liberty High School, has been talking about building this field house for a while, which would offer many benefits for athletes and the school.
“There’s clearly a space and need for athletics. As you look around the state, there is a competition for facilities and people wanting to make sure they provide the best opportunities for their athletes. I think we definitely have recognized in a district this size, what some other people have, and that we need to take another step into our training areas,” Sands said.
Most sports at Liberty will be able to use this facility because of the plethora of resources the field house will offer to take training to the next level.
“The P.E. department is going to have more options for cardio equipment, and a place to go when the weather is bad. Hopefully, then, this will alleviate space issues for sports, since there is such a high demand for the gyms throughout the year. The field house will have wrestling mats for both teams to practice at the same time. There is a place for throwers to be, and lanes on a track for running, and also 60 yards of turf that can be used, along with batting cages,” Sands said.
Scott Chandler, Head Football Coach at Liberty, has to be outside almost every day, in season. This can be challenging when the weather changes coaches’ practice plans.
“I think there are days, whether it’s in the summer or fall, when there’s thunder and/or lightning outside and we can’t carry on practice. We usually have to come inside and try to find gym space, which is not ideal,” Chandler said.
The field house will be able to create a space for sports teams to practice in season and in the off-season. This is a massive gain for athletics, which Tashina Steggall, Head Girls Track coach at Liberty, appreciates.
“This facility will make things more consistent. Last year, I had to be especially creative and flexible—constantly finding ways to adapt our training plans when the weather kept us indoors. Weather has such a big impact on our ability to train effectively. When it’s too cold, it’s tough to sprint at full effort. Having access to a facility where we can run the same types of workouts we do outside will help our athletes reach their full potential. You can accomplish so much more on 40 meters of track surface than you ever could in the hallways,” Steggall said.
New additions to training can help Liberty teams create a gap between them and their competitors’ skill levels. Gaining new techniques and ways to train is one of the biggest ways to improve in a sport.
“Any improvement in facilities can help you continue to gain traction in the off-season…I think for football, specifically in the winter, we have guys that are going to the HRTC (Hawkeye Recreation and Tennis Complex) or going outside into freezing temperatures to throw and catch. This will just allow guys to stay fresher and more on top of their game in the off-season,” Chandler said.
Liberty is not the only high school in the area to have a facility like this being built. Some surrounding schools already have a facility like a field house.
“All three Iowa City Schools are basically going to have the exact same thing. They might be a little different, but basically, the inner workings of the facilities will be the same. Solon has a facility in the works, Linn Mar is building a very large one and Mid-Prairie has a smaller version of a facility. And then you have many Des Moines schools that already have facilities,” Sands said.
The field house could attract more students to play sports, with the amount of care that was put into the field house drawing more Liberty students to join an activity that uses this facility.
“Winning is attractive. Winning; that’s the most fun part of football is when the work that you put in pays off. And I do think that having a facility like this can give us a competitive edge and help us win more often,” Chandler said.
This initiative will help more athletes feel welcomed and have a greater desire to participate in sports at Liberty.
“This sends a message to athletes that they all matter, that we believe in them and are committed to their growth. It shows that their hard work and dedication matter, and that the program values providing the tools and environment needed to reach their full potential. For future athletes, it says they’re joining a program that’s forward-thinking and cares deeply about their development, both as competitors and as individuals,” Steggall said.
Many athletic projects are coming to Liberty in the upcoming years. The field house is the biggest and most promising one for athletes. Completion of the field house is expected by the summer or fall of 2028.
