O'Hara will open its new stadium, complete with artificial turf and one-side seating for 1,200, with a non-league game against Ss. Neumann-Goretti.
La Salle was the last CL member to routinely play home games on campus. That stopped in 1960 when the school separated from the college, at 20th and Olney, and moved to Springfield Township in Montgomery County.
Roman Catholic, at Broad and Vine, long had its own "home" field, but it was located at 29th and Clearfield and the property belonged to the Water Department, which reclaimed it after the 1997 season. Roman had used it only infrequently for varsity games - mostly in the aftermath of postponements elsewhere - since early in the '81 season.
Though Monsignor Bonner also boasts a turf field on campus, it continues to play its home varsity games at nearby Upper Darby High.
Algeo said O'Hara's president, Dr. William McCusker, and director of institutional advancement, Jim Arnold, deserve major credit for getting the stadium built.
In '95, the school's then-president had said he expected a stadium, complete with seating for 3,000, to be finished by '97.
Following wet-grounds postponements, mostly involving its longtime home, Springfield Delco, O'Hara had played occasional campus home games, usually on Monday afternoons, on the spot where the stadium now stands.
Algeo said the stadium should have lights "ideally within the next year or 2" and that stands on the visiting side, along with a locker-room building, are also being discussed.
Mike Lomas, quarterback of O'Hara's 2000 title squad and now an assistant, said, "It has been great to see this vision come to fruition. I think every freshman class for the past 40 years was told they would be playing their home games 'out back.' Well, now it's finally going to happen. This is a huge deal."
He added, "This is a tremendous moment for the school and our program. Former players can come back with their own kids and say, 'Wow, I never had this. But when you come here, look where you'll be able to play.' "
