Free State High boys soccer coach Jason Pendleton doesn’t mean to brag, but he can’t help it.

When the Firebirds open their season at 5 p.m. today against Kansas City Washington, it also will be the debut of their revamped home field at the high school.

“It’ll be the best on-site facility in Kansas, outside of district fields,” Pendleton said.

He could be overstating it slightly, but not by much.

Free State’s field, located behind the tennis courts north of the school, has plush grass, covered team benches and netting behind the goals so errant shots don’t go too far. New additions include a press box, sound system, scoreboard, flag pole, 54 8-by-4 banners and a concrete walkway to the bleachers on the east side.

“The field’s great,” senior goalkeeper Justin Howell said. “We’re excited to start playing on it.”

Even better  at least to taxpayers  the improvements were funded almost entirely by team-raised funds.

“The district has to take care of things other than athletics, and we recognize that should be a priority,” Pendleton said. “We realized that for things to get better, we had to take care of some things on our own.”

With the budget crunch on, FSHS turned to its fund-raising guru, Bill Howell, Justin’s father. Howell is in charge of accounting with the Marine Corps Reserve, has volunteered with Kansas University’s marketing department and helped raise money for many other groups.

During last spring’s barbecue, Pendleton said he’d like the soccer field to be similar to Free State’s baseball field. That program’s support is reflected by 29 banners from area sponsors.

“Of course, I opened my mouth and said, ‘Let me give it a shot,'” Howell said.

He spent about three weeks making calls to area businesses and drummed up 25 additional sponsors. The money they raised went back into the program, helping build the press box and other team-related costs, while the school district paid for the walkway, and 500 square yards of sod.

The only things missing from the revamped field are lights. Adding that amenity would allow the Firebirds to play night games, giving more fans a chance to attend.

Pendleton said that’s a long way off. Not only would the costs be enormous  some estimates hover around $100,000  but he fears it would zap Free State of its psychological edge.

Now, the Firebirds play all their home varsity matches in the hot afternoon sun between 4:15 and 5 p.m., which means some teams must make adjustments depending on hydrating players and preparing for games that would normally start a few hours later.

Besides, being one of the few teams in the state with its own on-site facility and playing at its own times has a certain allure.

“We’re proud of our facility,” Pendleton said. “It’s kinda funny. If a divot comes up, the kids will go back and replace it. That’s the way they feel about it.”