A big change is coming to Thousand Oaks High School during the 2025-26 football season. An announcement was made on the TOHS Green Sheet that the home team bleachers for the past few years would be flipped over to the opposite side of the field. TOHS principal Eric Bergmann made this change out of consideration for students and visiting members of the community.

“It has been on our agenda for two or three years,” Bergmann said. “What brought it into light was the rise of what it cost to hold graduation.”

The school was spending about $10,000 to install and rent additional stands that the TOHS band could stand on to perform for the remainder of the football season and additional room for graduation. 

Since there was a significant drop in the number of graduating students compared to previous years, it was more efficient to move to the side that had plenty of room available rather than spend thousands of dollars for extra space.

Switching the home and visitors’ sides is more cost-effective for the school and could make sitting in the stands during football games more enjoyable for students and parents.

“If you look at the north side of the field, there is plenty of room over there,” Bergmann said. “Plenty of room for the green hole, the band and all parents who want to come.” 

Not only would there be more space for the people who come onto campus for football games, but the TOHS track team’s long jumpers will have the opportunity to practice during the fall, which has been an issue in the past.

Since the school will now have additional funds that are not being spent on renting bleachers, Bergmann is making plans for some upgrades to the home stands. 

The main motive for the switch was to get better use of the schools’ facilities and to be more cost-effective for future events.