GREAT FALLS — It’s a project that took over two years to complete.
Memorial Stadium in Great Falls has a new, $220,000 Daktronics scoreboard to bring visuals to the fans and athletes.
"It's actually been a project that's been going on two years. It involved a lot of different groups and a lot of different people," said Mike Henneburg, activities director of Great Falls Public Schools.
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But the new scoreboard isn’t just a visual upgrade for Friday Night Lights.
It opens the door for student involvement in a way the old board never could.
"It has the opportunity for kids to be involved and to work on content. Daktronics provides a curriculum that will teach our kids how to develop content and use the equipment," Henneburg said.
Students will have the opportunity to create the graphics, animations, and visuals that fans see during games — giving them hands-on experience with professional broadcast and production technology.
It’s more than just football. Girls flag football, soccer, and especially track and field will all benefit from the upgrade.
"It's in use every week during the track season. A big application will be track, because our timing system will sync to it and those in the stands will be able to get immediate results," Henneburg said.
Installation came with its own challenges, including making sure the structure could handle Great Falls' weather.
"The original scoreboard was installed in the '50s. Obviously this is a big piece of equipment, so making sure that it's anchored correctly and able to withstand Great Falls wind," Henneburg said.
Beyond the stadium itself, Henneburg says the upgrade is an investment in the entire community, one that could bring major events and visitors to Great Falls.
"It's really important that people understand that it allows us to bring big events in, and when we bring big events the whole community benefits. This is just another thing that's going to allow us to bid state track meets, that will get people coming to our community and seeing how great Great Falls is," he said.
