ACCESSING THE ARCHIVES
April 1986
In this retrospective , we examine historic issues of SportsTurf magazine , predecessor to SportsField Management magazine . In this edition of “ Accessing the Archives ,” we look back at the April 1986 issue of SportsTurf .
The cover of the April 1986 issue featured a goalkeeper attempting a save on a soccer pitch . The cover image was tied to an article about Emory University and the construction of the George Woodruff Physical Education Center and soccer stadium . The article detailed how the university , located near Atlanta , had used $ 20 million worth of donations to upgrade its facilities .
According to the article , “ As colleges and universities compete for students , athletic facilities are being recognized as an increasingly important part of the campus physical plant . Colleges are responding with impressive new physical education centers . Such investments can spill over into athletic fields .”
The project resulted in an all-season field and state-of-the-art track for Emory , which allowed it to host an invitational NCAA soccer tournament and many regional soccer championships . The article goes on to detail the construction and composition of the field and facility , including drainage , soil , irrigation , turfgrass ( Tifway 419 ) and more . Also highlighted are Emory ’ s maintenance practices , as well as additional renovation plans for other campus soccer fields , softball fields , touch football fields and a rugby / lacrosse field .
The April 1986 issue also featured an article titled “ Sports Turf Drainage : A Battle of Two Forces ,” by John W . Moreland , president of Cambridge Soil Services of America , Inc . “ When sports turf managers experience problems with insects , diseases , drought or winterkill , they may not realize these are often visible manifestations of poor drainage . The full impact of poor drainage on turf is not well documented , but few would argue that poor drainage is the number one problem of sports turf .”
34 SportsField Management | December 2023 sportsfieldmanagementonline . com