A huge crane lowered a new scoreboard into place at Arlin Field shortly after noon on Thursday.
The 32 by 20-foot scoreboard, a project of Side Effects Sports Marketing, was acquired and installed at no cost to taxpayers of Mansfield City Schools.
Side Effects, of Franklin, Ohio, secured advertising sponsorships to pay for the scoreboard. Installation costs were paid by the Mansfield Student Athletic Council/Tyger Booster Club and a gift from the Senior High Class of 2012.
When the project was announced in November Chris Burke, project manager for Side Effects, told the Mansfield News Journal the scoreboard will feature an LED screen for messages and color animations.
Full-color synthetic turf was installed at Arlin Field in 2011.
Board of education president Chris Elswick said previously the old scoreboard was 12 to 15 years old and did not work properly.
“Arlin Field is one of the top high school facilities in the state,” he said, noting that the stadium has hosted state football playoff games the last two seasons.
The Richland County Visitors Bureau said those playoff games, which featured teams and fans from throughout northern Ohio, generated hundreds of thousands of dollars for the Mansfield economy.
Arlin Field is regarded as a particularly attractive venue for football because – unlike many other stadiums – there is no running track around the field. Spectators are close to the action.