FIELD CONSTRUCTION

By Mary Helen Sprecher

Photos provided by the American Sports Builders Association

Whether you ’ re planning to build a field or improve upon an existing facility , the picture you probably have in your mind is the finished product . It ’ s lush , it ’ s green and it ’ s providing a great game for your athletes .

But those who design and build sports facilities have some advice : try rewinding your expectations . Spend some time on your version of a blueprint by making a list of the following items :

What is your budget for the field ? Does that figure take into consideration ancillary expenses , such as lighting , fencing and spectator seating ? If not , is there the potential for these to be added later ?

What is your budget for maintenance ? Will you have an onsite crew . Will any maintenance be outsourced ?

What sports do you want to host ? Will the field be strictly for one sport , or will it host a number of different sports ? Will it include a track ?

Have you decided whether the field surface is natural or synthetic ? ( If synthetic , have you decided which type of infill to use ?)

Will the field be used just by one user group ( such as school students ) or will it be hosting multiple events , such as commercial tournaments and community functions ?

What season ( s ) will the field be in use ?

While nobody likes to backtrack , particularly when there ’ s a field waiting to be built ( or rebuilt ), sitting down and defining exactly what you want and need can create a better flow for the project as a whole .

“ The expectations for the field are key when planning a construction

16 SportsField Management | July 2021 sportsfieldmanagementonline . com