SportsField Management August 2025 | Page 19

THE RESEARCH PLAYBOOK

natural field receives regular maintenance and is reserved for varsity athletics who use it a limited number of times per week on a scheduled basis. In contrast, the low-usage synthetic field, high-usage synthetic field, and high-usage natural field receive less frequent maintenance, and are accessible year-round to both the public and club sports teams. The low-usage synthetic field was approximately one year old at the time of this study, which is why it was still classified as low-usage.

PRELIMINARY DATA COLLECTION Prior to the introduction of live athletes, surface hardness was assessed on all four fields using a Clegg hammer, with 100 measurements collected per field. Surface hardness data were subjected to analysis of variance, and means were separated using Fisher’ s protected least significant difference( LSD) test at = 0.05 to evaluate statistical differences between locations. The data were then analyzed using Arc- GIS Pro to generate surface hardness heatmaps, highlighting variability between and within each field. These maps allowed us to identify specific locations for the athletes to perform drills, where one selected area within each field was harder than the rest of the field, and the other being softer( Figure 2). Additionally, 20 measurements of rotational resistance( using Deltec’ s rotational resistance tester), thatch depth( by extracting a soil plug with a profile sampler and

using a tape measure to record thatch thickness), soil moisture( using a TDR 350 soil moisture meter) and infill depth( using a Turf-Tec Professional Model infill depth gauge) were taken in both the softer and harder areas to further characterize each field and understand the relationship between surface conditions and athlete performance.

DATA COLLECTION DURING ATHLETE INVOLVEMENT Fourteen female athletes participated in the study, and were equipped with STATSports GPS( STATSports, 2025) devices to measure running speed, as well as Vicon Blue Trident( IMeasureU, 2022) ankle IMUs to measure lower limb impact intensity( See photo on page 18). Both devices were used to quantify athlete movement during drills. The athletes were each given new Nike cleats prior to participation to eliminate variation based on cleat configuration. They completed three drills, including a drop landing or drop jump drill, a T- drill, and a modified acceleration-deceleration drill, which were designed to replicate common athletic movements. Each drill was performed three times in both the softer and harder areas identified within each field as shown in Figure 2. Additionally, each athlete completed pre- and postperformance surveys designed to capture their perceptions of field quality before and after completing the drills. This provided insight into how different surfaces may have influenced their performance. sportsfieldmanagementonline. com August 2025 | SportsField Management

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