Seffner Christian Academy hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony and dedication of its new athletic field house on May 10, marking the completion of the second phase in the 25-year Ignite campaign.
“Just overall, it was really a great day in our school’s history of being able to open this athletic field house, … and it’s just the beginning,” said director of institutional advancement and CFO Mark Canterbury.
Canterbury said the opening of the field house was very significant for the school, as it is the academy’s first outdoor athletic field house.
The multipurpose sports facility will include a concession stand, restrooms, locker rooms and meeting rooms for the Crusaders’ outdoor sports. Seffner Christian athletes will also have a new training room and coaches’ offices within the 8,500-square-foot-building.
“We also wanted to take care of [the student athletes] from an athletic standpoint. So, we built a trainer room inside of it. The biggest reason [was] to take care of those kids because there was no place for them to go, and now we have it,” said Rodney Knox, head of school.
Construction began in August 2022 after the school received funding from private donations, parents and outside supporters. The field house is located next to an artificial turf field that will provide space for athletes to focus on speed and agility training.
“We prayed that — we thank the Lord for his provision over it and a dedication back to the students for their use. We just prayed that this would be a facility that God would honor and the word of God will be shared and students will enhance their walk with Christ,” said Canterbury.
The Ignite campaign is a five-phase, seven-project refurbishment and expansion plan at Seffner Christian to prepare the academy for its future students and families. The campaign will continue to focus on improving Seffner Christian Academy, including future construction of a new fine arts building, stadium, administrative offices and other buildings across campus.
For more information on Seffner Christian Academy’s Ignite plan, visit its website at www.scacrusaders.com/about/ignite.cfm.
