Hayes McMullen( sports turf specialist) has done a fantastic job of managing our pitch for our student athletes.
SFM: Please tell us about your crew, and anything else you would like us to know about your organization and the fields / facilities that you manage? Hardin: Hayes manages our soccer pitch daily, and has three to four students at his discretion when needed. He coordinates directly with the soccer staff every day to make sure everything is ready to go for our student athletes.
SFM: Can you share a bit of insight into what the Field of the Year application process was like for you, as well as any tips you might have for other sports field managers? Hardin: The process can be a bit tedious and time consuming with providing the overall information, but that’ s just part of it. Start to finish you have to be able to tell the story of your field. I hear all the time from people who apply but only include the“ glamor shots” in the package. Tell the story— the struggles, the good, the bad and the ugly. There’ s plenty of time for the glamour shots. Our soccer field is the oldest field on campus. We renovated the field in 2010 with a sand pea gravel sand cap root one. Budget constraints were a real challenge back then. The sand cap is still performing flawlessly. For the first three years we struggled with drainage due to having to use a heavy clay cheaper sod. Over three years with very aggressive core aeration and sand topdressing we got the field to drain properly, and it has done so ever since. I am proud of the work we’ ve accomplished on our soccer field over the years.
sportsfieldmanagementonline. com August 2025 | SportsField Management
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