Barnesville Goaliners Disband After 14 Years of Service
BARNESVILLE — The Barnesville Goaliners is a group formed to financially and physically support Barnesville High School’s football complex, Shamrock Stadium, at 512 Park St. This year, the group has decided to disband.
Formation of the group began in 2011, and key members included Dick Thomas and Richard Marmie. Both men are alumni of Barnesville High School.
The names of other members can be found in the “Barnesville Goaliner Legacy 2011-2025″. The book is available to read in its entirety at Barnesville Hutton Memorial Library.
“Luke Johnson came up to Richard and me and asked us about starting a boosters club,” Thomas said. “In 2011, I was in town for a Barnesville Chamber of Commerce luncheon, and that’s when the idea of doing more for the field came into play.”
For context, Johnson was a cornerstone of Barnesville’s football program, serving as head coach for several seasons. Today, he is an assistant coach for the team while working full-time as the high school’s art teacher.
Since 2011, the Goaliners have been dedicated to improving the conditions of Shamrock Stadium and its football field. In the span of 14 years, the group has been able to make much-needed changes to the stadium that have been beneficial for players, coaches and fans.
One of the biggest and most recent alterations was changing the field from grass to turf. Thomas described the football field in 2011 as “like rock” in terms of its surface and overall condition. “It was something that we all agreed needed to be done,” Marmie said. “The payoff has been incredible.
The stadium underwent a major $2 million renovation that included replacing grass with AstroTurf RootZone 3D3 and installing new LED lighting. The new turf field was finalized in 2023 before the start of that year’s football season
The turf field made its official debut on August 18, 2023, in front of hundreds of Shamrock fans. Barnesville defeated the visiting Buckeye Local Panthers 49-0 that night.
The bylaws and structure of the group were modeled after Woodsfield’s booster organization, the “Sideliners.” “They had a nice boosters club over there,” Thomas said. “That’s where we received their paperwork, and their name sort of inspired our club’s name.” Thomas and Marmie credit Jay Phillips as being responsible for the creation of the name, the Goaliners.
One of the groups’ initial ways of of raising money was the creation of a legacy wall located at the high school. Supporters paid $50 for each brick inscribed with a name and placed on the wall.
As time progressed, more financial support from local donors made it possible for the field to be completely renovated. With the suggestion of a friend, Thomas contacted Kenny Mac Triplett of the Operating Engineers Union (Local 18).
The union was responsible for bringing in heavy equipment, like bulldozers, as part of an apprentice program, eliminating massive labor costs as a result. “There are a lot of guys involved with that union that were a significant help,” Marmie said. “Kenny Mac Triplett was one of our biggest helpers for sure.”
Dirt was pulled from the high school parking lot to build a proper crown on the field for drainage while using advanced GPS tracking on the graders. A French drainage system was then put in place along with sprinklers and fresh sod.
The Goaliners received a multitude of outside support from the Barnesville community. Another example of this is Ralph Anderson, who often provided heavy equipment, fully fueled, and with a driver the next morning whenever asked.
The field itself was not the only project of the Goaliners. A brand new fieldhouse for its players and coaches and expanding the parking lot were prioritized as well.
“To put it simply, I can’t name all the people who have done so much for us,” Thomas said. “I wouldn’t want to disrespect someone by forgetting to list them.”
The reason for the Goaliners dissolving this year is, to put it plainly, due to the current age of most of the club’s founders.
“I’m 90 years old,” Thomas said. “The other guys…we’re getting old, and we told him (Blake Allen), ‘Coach, some of the players’ fathers, the parents, need to take this over.’”
Whether or not that will happen is uncertain at the given moment. However, the Goaliners’ legacy will always be remembered for many years to come.
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