Galveston's Ball High School is widely credited with playing the first high school football game in Texas, in 1892. More than a century later, its home field has a surface worthy of that history.
In fall 2023, Galveston ISD opened a fully renovated Kermit Courville Stadium. The project was a $24.3 million transformation of a stadium originally built in 1948, completed in about nine months. At the center of it is Hellas Construction's Matrix Helix® synthetic turf system, installed over a Cushdrain® shock pad.
Stadium With a Name Worth Honoring
The stadium is named for Kermit Courville, Galveston ISD's first Black athletic director and a five-time state champion coach. When voters approved the district's bond in 2022 and dedicated $24.3 million to the stadium, they chose to make the venue match the stature of the name on it.
The renovation added new LED lighting, a video scoreboard, new concessions, restrooms, locker rooms, premium seating, and infrastructure upgrades. The playing surface was the piece that would take the most punishment, from both athletes and the island's weather.
Why Matrix Helix® Fits the Gulf Coast
Building on a barrier island brings challenges most turf installations never face. Salt air, hurricane-season storms, heavy rain, and constant humidity all test a synthetic turf field.
Matrix Helix® turf uses patented helix-shaped monofilament fibers. The twisted fiber structure helps hold infill in place, which keeps footing consistent and reduces infill migration during heavy rain.
The Cushdrain® shock pad under the turf serves two purposes. It absorbs impact for athlete safety, and it moves water off the field quickly. In Galveston, fast drainage often decides whether a game gets played or postponed.
The system is finished with Hellas's proprietary organic infill.
The Value of Vertical Integration
Hellas is a vertically integrated sports construction company. It manufactures its own turf, shock pads, track surfaces, and infill in-house. On a project with a firm deadline, the 2023 home opener, that control mattered. The turf system arrived from Hellas manufacturing and was installed by Hellas crews, with no outside supply chain to wait on.
Opening Night
The Galveston community filled the stadium for its first game in fall 2023, and the Golden Tornadoes won their first home game on the new surface. The renovated stadium now hosts football, track and field, soccer, and community events.
For student-athletes, the result is a consistent, high-performance surface for practice and competition. For Galveston, it is a gathering point for the whole island.
"This stadium is more than concrete and turf — it's a promise to every kid who walks through those gates." — Janinne Courville
Why It Matters
Kermit Courville Stadium is a statement about what a community values: honoring its past by investing in its future. Hellas is proud that Matrix Helix® is now part of the field where Texas high school football began.
Renovating a stadium in a tough climate? Learn how Matrix Helix® and Cushdrain® perform where conditions are hardest.
About Hellas Construction
Since 2003, Hellas has partnered with communities across the country to design and build world-class athletic facilities, including turf, tracks, courts, and sports lighting. As a fully integrated design-build firm, Hellas manufactures its own products and manages every phase of construction to deliver unmatched quality, performance, and reliability. From Friday night lights to professional stadiums, Hellas builds for sports from start to finish.
