A New Game Changer

Anderson’s revamped pressbox & concession stand opens for use

After being untouched for sixty years, Anderson High School’s pressbox and concession stand has been renovated for the years to come.

Due to a donation from a local couple, Anderson’s pressbox was able to receive an almost entire new look. The inside of the concessions stand was completely gutted and expanded, allowing for volunteers to move more freely, and for the additional equipment to make food sales run smoother. 

The pressbox was also gutted and expanded. This added multiple rooms for sports announcing, broadcasting, coaches, and scoreboard operators. All rooms are now air conditioned, something that the old pressbox lacked.

“Instead of four rooms, now there’s five rooms, and each room is bigger. There’s a lot more access on the [outdoor] walkway, now you can actually walk all the way around [the top floor], ” Chris Newton, Anderson Athletic Director, said. 

The new, two-story pressbox is now wheelchair accessible as well, due to a ramp leading to the second floor. Before, the only way to reach the top was to go up stairs, but now the pressbox is accessible to all. This ramp also allows fans in wheelchairs to easily access restrooms, which was a challenge due to the current restroom location which requires going up and down multiple flights of stairs.

Despite being proposed with countless challenges—such as ADA compliance and lack of room—throughout the renovation process, Newton and his crew of janitors and contractors were able to work around them to ensure the pressbox was open for the 2026-2027 fall sports season. 

“Twice a week, starting in May, there were conflicts we would have to work around. If it wasn’t for our guys, the maintenance department, assisting in a lot of other little things I don’t know what would’ve happened,” Newton said. 

In addition to the new pressbox, there was also an added ticketing room in which all fans must enter through. Prior, fans had to go through a small, narrow hallway to purchase tickets and enter the game. Now, there’s a designated window and slot for all fans to enter, eliminating confusion and congestion.

Even though there are a few minor finishing touches, the pressbox is now up and running for all fans to use. It can be seen in attendance of any sport played on the football field.