New scoreboard to debut next football season

A new scoreboard will be installed for the upcoming football season at A&M-Commerce's Memorial Stadium.

The scoreboard will feature more advertising spots and a video screen. The cost of the board is estimated at $700,000. It will be constructed at no cost to students.

"It's all going to be paid through advertising," Athletic Director Carlton Cooper said. "That's the only way we got permission to do it [from President Dan Jones], which I thought was fair."

Two main contributors will be the Commerce City Council and the Commerce Independent School District (CISD). Additional advertising is coming from Alliance Bank, Holiday Inn and Open Imaging. The school district has not yet determined how much they will contribute toward the scoreboard.

"I believe very strongly that with the City of Commerce and CISD being displayed prominently, it will show the commitment that we are all working hard to complement each other and work together for the benefit of our community," CISD Superintendent Blake Cooper said. "Any possible way we can show this support of one another is important to the future of our community."

The City Council voted to donate $50,000 throughout five years.

"We hope it brings more competing teams and sports fans," Commerce mayor Quay Throgmorton said. "I think it is one of the steps we need to take to work together."

The city's contribution will come from tax revenue provided by the hotels and motels in town through the hotel-motel tax. Every city in the state of Texas has this tax.

"The hotel-motel tax revenue can only be spent on things that bring people to the city also known as putting ‘heads in beds,'" Throgmorton said. "We think this will be a good expenditure of the hotel-motel funds."

Superintendent Cooper listed several benefits of getting a new scoreboard.

"It will draw other games to the campus regular season and postseason," he said. "I believe that the more high school students you get on campus, the better chance you have to get them to consider A&M–Commerce, and it will also help with the recruitment of potential student-athletes. If Commerce wants to compete for student-athletes of a higher quality, then there needs to be commitment to better facilities."

The present scoreboard was installed in 2007 and will be moved to the soccer field, where it will be the largest soccer scoreboard in the area. Recently, there had been talk about purchasing a new scoreboard for the soccer field, but transferring the board from Memorial Stadium will be less expensive.