Worcester County

No more Friday night lights at Worcester’s Foley Stadium

WORCESTER, Mass. — No more Friday night lights at a high school football field in Worcester. School leaders there say fights between students are causing safety concerns. Instead of kicking off under the bright lights, games on Friday and Saturday nights will be starting a lot earlier. The Worcester Tech and Keefe Tech game will be kicking off at 4 p.m. Friday instead of 7 p.m.

Foley Stadium in Worcester is home to many Worcester Public School athletic teams. But an uptick in fights involving students, and even in some cases parents, have forced school leaders to implement changes. The safety director decided to push up games earlier so they can be played in daylight.

“We felt during the day there would be more of an opportunity to let people know, and let the real spectators know, that if you cause trouble, we’re going to be able to identify you,” said WPS Safety Director Rob Pezzella.

The district also increased the number of police officers at Foley Stadium. The WPS Safety Director says he doesn’t want to punish the athletes or spectators, but he wants everyone to stay safe.

“There’s a lot of would-be victims when you have this type of conflict, and a lot of people are worried that if they come to the games, in these circumstances, they could also be part of an event that they don’t want to be involved in. So we have to make sure that we have to protect the many at the expense of a few troublemakers,” said Pezzella.

PREVIOUS: Communities across MA dealing with increase in fighting at local high schools

There has been an uptick in fights across the state, including in Lawrence, where some students have been arrested for getting into serious altercations.

The increase in safety protocols in Worcester might not be limited to just football. No changes yet, but school officials are looking at limiting attendance for basketball games and having earlier start times.