Looking for a home

Among the many questions Salem CC faces in its exploration of bringing a football program to campus is where to play its games; two local sites come to mind

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

Salem Community College officials already have a lot of positive data as they explore the possibility of starting a football program, but as president Mike Gorman has said, “there are a number of questions that have to be addressed.”

Among them is where would the Mighty Oaks play their home games if the team becomes a reality. There is no permanent stadium on campus – all of the school’s current outdoor teams play at off-campus venues – so in the beginning at least the football team would be a band of barnstormers.

There are options, among them playing at one or several high school stadiums in the county until more permanent digs can be secured.

The two closest possibilities are Penns Grove and Pennsville high schools. The Mighty Oaks’ two spring sports play their home games at recreation complexes nearby so they already have relationships in those communities.

Pennsville talked about it when Salem looked into starting a program several years ago. Lou D’Angelo Stadium does have permanent lights and the Eagles play their home games on Friday nights, so it wouldn’t be difficult to schedule Saturday games there.

“I think with the relationship we have with the college we would be very open to welcoming them onto our campus,” Pennsville athletics director Jamy Thomas said. “We have a lot of space back there for practices and storage of equipment. I am sure there would be some benefits to our program that we would welcome through the process.”

Penns Grove’s Jim Devonshire Field does not have permanent lights so the Mighty Oaks would have to work around the Red Devils’ Saturday afternoon home games.

Penns Grove AD Anwar Golden said the prospect of having a college team playing in his stadium is “appealing on a lot of levels,” but added the ultimate decision rests with the school board and superintendent.

Both high school stadiums have natural grass playing surfaces.