October 2011 - Parks & Recreation - 97

bEnhaslam / shuttERstock, sostock / istock. RichaRD thomas / DREamstimE

While these ﬁelds remain satisfactory for play at a recreational level,
park managers must ascertain they are also safe for practical use.
This means making sure there are safe overrun areas outside
the sidelines and behind the goals.

the integrity of the complex and the turf,
and it's difficult sometimes. "
" We don't have the luxury of rotating
our fields, unfortunately, " says Kurt Schroeder, Parks Maintenance, Trails and Open
Spaces director for Colorado Springs, Colorado. " We have very little time to let our
fields come back. We have had to put field
sports into our baseball and softball outfields, which, of course, makes our baseball and softball people very unhappy, but
there's not much we can do. "

Synthetic Turf
Sy nthetic turf facilities don't need
mowing and fertilization, but are not
maintenance-free.
" Field managers should always have a
regimented maintenance schedule, " says
Chris Larbes of the Motz Group, Inc. in
Cincinnati, Ohio. " Not
only will the maintenance program
keep the turf within warranty; it can
prolong its life after
the warranty period.
The manager should
meet with the installer to discuss maintaining the field by means of
grooming, brushing, and
occasional deep cleans. "
Larbes recommends turf
managers brush or groom

the field " once a week during high use,
every other week during moderate use
and once a month during light use. Surface debris like leaves and papers can be
blown off with a traditional blower. Keep
the blower angle low so the infi ll is not
blown around. "
Follow manufacturers' recommendations regarding footwear for athletes
and others on the field. Vehicles with soft
pneumatic tires are the only type that
should be allowed on the field, and those
should not be driven quickly, or with
sharp turns or short stops, since damage
to the turf means expensive repairs.

lining the field
Multi-sport fields are generally marked
with an array of lines, which can be confusing to athletes and officials.
" If a field is going to be lined with permanent markings for three or more sports,
it is recommended to minimize or eliminate logos as this contributes to a field that
is too busy, " says Larbes. " We have successfully avoided that by using tick marks
in the turf so that the turf managers can
" connect the dots " with synthetic turf paint
without having to measure every time a
new painted line is required. "
Natural grass facilities are often
marked with white lines for the most
popular sport being played that season, with other sports delineated in less
bright colors.

equipment
Eq u ipment on a
mu l t i - pu r p o s e
field should allow for a variety of different
uses. Combination soccer/football goals are a good
example. So are moveable
corner flags and cones as well
as bases for flags. Many park
districts supply the large
equipment (goals, benches,
seating, etc.) but encourage
teams to bring their own
cones, flags and more.
Even when your " field
of dreams " hosts the
dreams of many athletes,
you can keep it in top shape
with good practices, regular
maintenance, and good multitasking equipment.
mary helen Sprecher is
a writer for the American Sports
Builders Association (ASBA), a
non-proﬁt association helping
designers, builders, owners,
operators, and users understand
quality sports facility
construction. Info: 866-501ASBA (2722) or www.
sportsbuilders.org.

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October 2011 - Parks & Recreation

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