Natural Grass Athletic Fields

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Natural Grass Athletic Fields

• (Name of High School)

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What are our goals?

• Maintain top quality athletic facilities for
  students and community.
• Ensure the highest level of safety for all
  participants and reduce sports related injuries.

Sherando High School, Stephens City, VA
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Presentation Goals

• Understand the benefits and limitations
  associated with natural turfgrass athletic fields
  
• Determine why a natural grass field is the most
  cost effective choice for high school field
• Understand the necessary practices and costs
  involved with maintaining a quality natural grass
  field
• Understand the importance of hiring or involving
  your qualified sports turf manager
• How to proceed with implementing or maintaining a
  natural grass athletic field

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Natural Turfgrass Fields

• Natural turfgrass fields are living organisms
  that require air, water and nutrients to survive.
  
• Quality natural turfgrass fields can be achieved
  with time dedicated to proper maintenance
  practices, limited inputs and a basic
  understanding of turfgrass care.
• The benefits that will be covered include
• Environmental benefits natural surfaces provide
• Human health benefits natural surfaces provide
• The limitations that will be covered include
• Field overuse
• Influence of inclement weather

Crumb Football Field, Lexington, MA
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Environmental Benefits

• Groundwater and Surface Water Sources
• Dense aboveground turf
• biomass traps water and
• reduces excess runoff which
• allows more water to infiltrate
• the soil.
• Extensive fibrous turfgrass root
• system filters water percolating
• through the soil to enhance groundwater
  recharge.
• Turfgrass ecosystems support earthworms, which
  contribute to better water infiltration and
  improved soil structure.

Photo from A.J. Turgeon, Ph.D. Penn State
University
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Environmental Benefits

• Fertilizer or Pesticide Concerns
• Proper fertilizer and pesticide applications keep
  water safe. Contamination of groundwater occurs
  with excessive overwatering, heavy rainfall
  events, or when turf is dormant.
• Turfgrass roots are highly efficient at uptake of
  applied nutrients. Therefore, there is a low
  potential for nutrient elements to pass through
  the rootzone into groundwater or be transported
  by runoff into surface water.
• Turfgrass leaves, crowns, stems, roots, thatch,
  soil, and soil microbes support large populations
  of microscopic decomposers. These decomposers
  break down pesticides and other noxious organic
  chemicals into harmless substances.

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Environmental Benefits

• Soil Erosion Control and Dust Stabilization
• The turfgrass rootzone and canopy are
• one of the most cost effective ways to control
• water and wind erosion of soil.
• High shoot density and root mass provides
• surface stabilization to help reduce water and
• wind erosion.
• Acts as a filter to reduce quantity of sediment
  entering surface streams and rivers.
• Acts as a trap for dust and other particulate
  matter to improve air quality.

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Environmental Benefits

• Atmospheric Pollution Control
• Turfgrass contributes to reductions in noise
  levels by absorbing, deflecting, reflecting, and
  refracting various sounds.
• Reduction in discomforting glare and light
  reflection.
• Reduces atmospheric carbon dioxide and releases
  oxygen.

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Environmental Benefits

• Restoration of Disturbed Soils
• Turfgrass improves soils through the addition of
  organic matter. As plant tissue dies, it is
  incorporated into the rootzone. This organic
  matter improves soil structure and provides
  nutrients to turfgrass systems.
• Planting turfgrass accelerates the restoration of
  environmentally damaged areas (i.e. burned-over
  land, garbage dumps, eroded rural landscapes,
  mining operations, and steep timber harvest
  areas).
• Cesar Chavez Park, Berkeley, CA This Bay-side
  park is built on top of one of the Bay Areas
  largest landfills.

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Environmental Benefits

• Urban Heat Dissipation
• Natural turf surfaces dissipate high levels of
  radiant heat through the cooling process of
  transpiration.
• High levels of heat on the playing surface can be
  dangerous for athletes and increase the potential
  for heat stroke, muscle cramping and overall
  fatigue.

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Temperature ComparisonNatural vs. Synthetic
In a 2002 study at Brigham Young University,
temperatures were recorded for the BYU practice
fields in June. Average air temperature was
81.42F.
C. Frank Williams and Gilbert E. Pulley
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Human Health Benefits

• Closely mown areas of turfgrass
• reduce the number of nuisance
• pests that reside in taller grasses,
• such as ticks, which can carry Lyme
• disease or Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever (RMSF).
• Well maintained turf areas are less likely to
  have weeds that are responsible for
  allergy-related pollens.

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Human Health Benefits

• Aesthetics and recreational opportunities enhance
  physical and mental health of participants.
  Research shows that natural turf relieves stress
  and contributes to the enjoyment of life.
• Well maintained natural turfgrass athletic fields
  provide low cost, safe playing surfaces for
  athletes.
• Fields with good quality turfgrass cover have
  higher traction, cushioning, and resiliency, and
  lower surface hardness, reducing the probability
  of injury in contact sports.

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Injury

• The most frequent injuries sustained on sports
  fields are those to the ankles and knees from
  rotating and changing directions on the field
  surface.
• A recent study at Michigan State University
  compared the effects of different infill
  materials to natural grass fields to measure
  rotational resistance of cleated shoes.
• Results Torque was significantly affected by
  field surface components. Native soil fields
  reported the lowest torque overall.

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Player Preference

• In 2008, a survey was conducted to evaluate the
  preferred playing surface among NFL players.
• Out of 1565 players from all 32 teams
• 71 preferred to play on natural grass fields.
• 15 preferred to play on artificial infill.
• 11 had no preference.

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Player Preference

• On that same survey, players were asked how they
  thought synthetic and natural grass surfaces
  affected their physical health

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Natural Turfgrass Field Limitations What
should we expect?

• Overuse
• Scheduling too many events leads to overuse of
  fields.
• The overuse of many community sports facilities
  can push the limits of turf to recover.
  Excessive traffic leads to compaction and bare
  areas, which can cause a surface to be unsafe and
  unplayable.
• Solutions rotate fields limit field use to only
  necessary events change daily location of
  practices on field use portable goals to

move around field have players do individual
warm-ups off of the field execute team drills
outside of painted numbers spread seed in wear
areas before games and practices
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Natural Turfgrass Field Limitations What should
we expect?

• Standing water
• Inclement weather can lead to standing water and
  muddy conditions if the drainage system is not
  effective. This causes surfaces to be unsafe and
  unplayable.
• Solution make sure there is a sufficient crown
  to move water off the field effectively check
  that the drainage systems operate efficiently
  utilize rain tarps

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Natural Turfgrass Athletic Field Costs

• Why is a natural turfgrass field the most cost
  effective solution for our facility?

Natural turfgrass football field at
Philipsburg-Osceola High School in Philipsburg, PA
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Construction Cost Comparison

• Natural with On-site Native Soil (no added top
  soil or sod) - 0.90 - 1.50 per sq. ft.
• Cost for one football field (57,600 sq. ft.) -
  51,840 - 86,400
• Natural Turfgrass with Native Soils - 2.25 -
  5.25 per sq. ft.
• Cost for one football field (57,600 sq. ft.) -
  129,600 - 302,400
• Natural with 4-6 inch Sand Cap - 4.00 - 6.50
  per sq. ft.
• Cost for one football field (57,600 sq. ft.) -
  230,400 - 374,400
• Natural with Sand and Drainage - 7.00 10.00
  per sq. ft.
• Cost for one football field (57,600 sq. ft.) -
  403,200 - 576,000
• Synthetic Infill - 6.50 - 11.00 per square foot
• Cost for one football field (57,600 sq. ft.) -
  374,400 - 633,600

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Annual Maintenance Comparison

• Natural Turf Fields

• Synthetic Turf Fields

• Mowing
• Fertilization
• Irrigation
• Aerification
• Topdressing
• Seeding
• Pesticides (herbicides, insecticides, fungicides)
• Line painting
• Drainage repair and maintenance

• Additional Infill
• Irrigation
• Chemical Disinfectants
• Products to reduce static activity and odors
• Drainage repair and maintenance
• Erasing and repainting temporary lines
• Removing organic matter accumulation
• Grooming

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Long Term Maintenance Comparison

• Natural Turf Fields

• Synthetic Turf Fields

• Renovation
• Field Repairs

• Repairs (seams)
• Replacement every 8-10 years
• Disposal cost upon replacement Infill systems
  filled and topdressed with crumb rubber material
  that is typically made from ground automobile
  tires may require special disposal. Disposal
  costs are estimated to be 130,000 plus
  transportation and landfill charges.

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Case Study North Scott Community School District

• North Scott Community School District is located
  in Eldridge, Iowa.
• The District maintains a native soil baseball
  field, softball field, and 214,000 square feet of
  native soil practice fields. The school also has
  a football stadium field with a 4 inch sand cap
  and a new, sand based soccer field. School
  grounds and sports turf requiring maintenance
  totals 115 acres.
• All of the grounds maintenance is done in house
  by three full time and three summer seasonal
  staff members.
• Information provided by John Netwal, CGCS,
  Director of Operations for North Scott Community
  School District.
• Disclaimer Maintenance, material and labor
  costs are highly variable depending on region of
  the country and type of facility. The following
  costs are based off of North Scott Community
  School District, and are meant to provide a
  realistic representation for costs involved with
  building and maintaining athletic fields.

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Case Study North Scott Community School District

• 2009 Field Maintenance Cost Estimates
• Native Soil Practice Fields
• Area 214,000 square feet
• Total Maintenance Cost (including labor and
  materials) 23,254.58
• Cost per square foot .11

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Case Study North Scott Community School District

• Mow
• Irrigate
• Aerate
• Fertilizer Applications
• Add Soil Amendments
• Herbicide Applications
• Football and Soccer Field Preparation (painting,
  etc.)
• Overseed
• Growth Regulator Applications

2009 Maintenance Activities for Native Soil
Fields
Total Labor Cost 5,245.52 Total Supply Cost
18,009.06 Total 2009 Maintenance Cost Estimate
23,254.58 Cost per Square Foot .11 Cost per
Football Field 6,336
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Case Study North Scott Community School District

• 2009 Field Maintenance Cost Estimates
• 4 inch Sand Cap Football Stadium Field
• Area 70,000 square feet
• Total Maintenance Cost (including labor and
  materials) 13,997.77
• Cost per square foot .20

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Case Study North Scott Community School District
2009 Maintenance Activities for Sand Cap Football
Field

• Mow
• Irrigation
• Aerate
• Overseed
• Sod Replacement on Sidelines
• Fertilizer Applications
• Add Soil Amendments
• Herbicide Applications
• Growth Regulator Applications
• Game Field Preparation (paint, etc.)
• Insecticide Applications

Total Labor Cost 4,920.36 Total Supply Cost
9,077.77 Total 2009 Maintenance Cost Estimate
13,997.77 Cost per Square Foot .20
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Case Study North Scott Community School District

• 2009 Field Maintenance Cost Estimates
• Sand Based Soccer Field
• Area 114,000 square feet
• Total Maintenance Cost (including labor and
  materials) 20,378.49
• Cost per square foot .18

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Case Study North Scott Community School District
2009 Maintenance Activities for Sand Based Soccer
Field

• Mow
• Irrigation
• Fertilizer Applications
• Paint
• Aerate
• Overseed
• Growth Regulator Applications
• Topdressing
• Fungicide Applications
• Herbicide Applications

Total Labor Cost 6,113.20 Total Supply Cost
14,265.29 Total 2009 Maintenance Cost Estimate
20,378.49 Cost per Square Foot .18
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Involving Your STMA Sports Turf Manager

• If you do not already have a sports turf manager
  for your facility, it is important to have a
  qualified professional who can be involved in
  decisions and gathering of information and costs.
• If constructing a field, your sports turf manager
  can serve as a grow-in consultant to work with
  the architect and contractors to oversee the
  entire construction process.
• On a daily basis, your sports turf manager can
  oversee the care of the athletic fields, maintain
  the budget, manage staff, and communicate with
  users.
• Investing in your sports turf manager is
  important in keeping them current on industry
  trends and research. Make sure your sports field
  manager is involved with STMA for networking and
  continuing education opportunities. STMA also
  provides the opportunity to become certified.
  Certified Sports Field Managers (CSFMs) are
  recognized in the industry for continuing to
  improve professionally.

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Why a natural grass field is the best decision
for our high school

• Beneficial to the environment
• Benefits health of users
• Depending on field type, construction costs are
  reasonable
• Annual maintenance for natural surfaces are cost
  effective
• The majority of athletes prefer playing on a
  natural grass surface

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What are the next steps?

• Involve or hire an STMA Sports Turf Manager to
  help with decisions and the gathering of
  information and costs.
• Organize a meeting to educate community, coaches,
  administration, athletes, and parents about the
  benefits of a natural turfgrass athletic field.
• Define resources needed to maintain a quality
  surface for your facility.
• Develop a budget.
• If constructing a field, meet and/or hire
  architects or contractors that have expertise in
  athletic field construction.
• Schedule meetings to keep those involved updated
  on progress.
• Form committees to assist in logistics and
  fundraising.