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BLACKSBURG -- There are no locker rooms at the old Bill Brown Stadium. Parking is scarce. In the girls' bathroom, where there should be stall doors, there are only shower curtains.

But none of that stopped fans and players from gathering there for a district soccer match between the Blacksburg Bruins and the Salem Spartans last week.

Even Jonathan Howard and Jennifer Munson were there, greeting friends arriving for the game. The Blacksburg seniors recently asked Blacksburg Town Council to approve a special-use permit for a stadium county officials want to build at Prices Fork and Merrimac roads.

The teens also presented the council with a petition signed by nearly 100 students who support the plan for a new stadium.

Montgomery County Schools Facilities Director Dan Berenato has called the old stadium, built in the 1960s and named for a beloved former coach, an "embarrassment" because of its age and condition.

And some students feel that way too, including Howard, who pointed out that Salem schools have "incredible" facilities.

Howard's mother, Kay Howard, bemoaned the fact that the current stadium has no locker rooms or showers for the players because she said it's no fun to ride home with sweaty, stinky adolescent athletes.

Having a new stadium might also do a lot to boost school pride, Jonathan Howard said, because people are still sad about the loss of the old Indian mascot.

The Montgomery County School Board voted to retire the Indian in 2001 in response to complaints that it was disrespectful to American Indians. That decision caused much backlash among parents, alumni and students.

Some vehicles parked at the stadium last week still sported "Save the Indian" bumper stickers. Blacksburg High teams have been called Bruins since 2002.

Blacksburg officials recently postponed a decision on the new stadium in part because of possible implications for the future of the old Blacksburg Middle School at South Main Street. Council must approve any stadium plan.

Bill Brown Stadium sits behind the old school, which is used by nonprofit groups and a private Catholic school.

Many in town wish to see the property preserved, either as a school or as a civic or cultural center. But if Bill Brown Stadium is replaced, the school could easily be sold.

That doesn't please 15-year-old Blacksburg student Emily Cranwell.

Cranwell said she wished officials would preserve the old stadium and build the new high school on the site because downtown is a good central location.

Residents near the proposed new stadium held a special candidate forum to address these issues leading up to the May 2 town council election. All the candidates expressed either deep concerns about the stadium plan or outright opposition to it.

Montgomery County supervisors have earmarked about $2 million for stadium construction. They also hope to purchase 86 acres near Kipps Elementary School and the new Blacksburg Middle School to provide stadium parking and land for a new high school in 10 to 20 years.

The new stadium would be built directly behind the new middle school on land the county already owns. But not all students think the school needs a new stadium.

Eric Tyler, a Blacksburg junior, said that while "there is a percentage of the school that goes to the stadium and has a good time ... it wouldn't be the end of the world if we didn't have a new stadium," he said.

He recommended that officials put the $2 million into teacher salaries.

"It's not a very prestigious position, not highly paid. And it is important. If they got paid more, we could probably attract more better teachers," Tyler said.

Tyler and his parents live near the site of the proposed stadium. The same is true of Tyler's friend Kimberly Griffiths, a junior and former marching band member who lives in Hethwood.

She admits the old stadium needs work.

"The buildings around it are just a little rundown. The seats are a little crummy and crooked," she said.

But Griffiths opposes a new stadium in part because of the increased traffic and noise she said it would cause. Many adults oppose it for the same reasons.

But traffic and noise studies commissioned by the school system show marginal effects on the nearby neighborhoods, Berenato said.

Adjacent homeowners also worry that the school system will rent a new stadium as a business venture. All that use, they say, will degrade their quality of life and property values.

Berenato said officials expect to use the new stadium no more often than Bill Brown Stadium. The old field was used for school sports and public parks and recreation programs on 65 days in 2005, he said.

The school can rent out its stadiums and other sports facilities, but Bill Brown is rarely rented, Berenato said.

Griffiths opposes a new stadium and high school off Prices Fork for another reason, however.

She said she thinks high school students should not be mixed with elementary and middle school kids.

Blacksburg Middle School and Kipps Elementary sit adjacent to the proposed stadium site. Putting a new high school and stadium there would create a centralized school campus, much like the Auburn campus in Riner.

Berenato said that mixing all grade levels hasn't caused problems at Auburn.

But Griffiths said, "high school students speed everywhere. And a lot of them wouldn't be good influence on younger kids."

Griffiths said she would like to see the stadium money used to fix up the current high school, which she said needs more maintenance.

Stadium supporters Jonathan Howard and Jennifer Munson will not get to use any new stadium, should the plan go forward. They will graduate June 11.

Even juniors Eric Tyler and Kimberly Griffiths may not see a new stadium built before their graduation next year.

But a timeline may be forthcoming. County supervisors and school board members are scheduled to discuss the issue with council in mid-June.