DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION
realize that you cannot please everyone . Decisions have to be made based on your expectations , use and maintenance capabilities and especially based on expert advice regarding what can and cannot be done .”
If you have previously worked with a design professional and / or a skilled sports field builder , reach out to those individuals or their companies . If you do not have any current records of such personnel , it is best to avoid doing a random web search ( which could have equally random results in terms of the quality of companies found ). A better option is to use the “ Find
a Member ” feature on the website of the American Sports Builders Association ( www . sportsbuilders . org ). The feature is available at no cost and allows the user to select by state or to use keywords ( such as soccer field or baseball field ) when narrowing down the search .
According to Mike Munie of Perfect Play Fields & Links , having knowledgeable professionals is key to the success of the project .
“ A significant percentage of new fields are not properly thought through during the design and construction phase ,” Munie said . “ A great field starts with a good framework . If possible , select a site that will accommodate the field , required parking , and any other amenities that could be desired or needed in the future .”
Parking , though not a direct part of field construction , is critical to the user-friendliness of a facility , and contributes greatly to users ’ decisions on whether to return . It is necessary to have adequate parking ; and , with a new field being added , thought will have to be given to the fact that larger events will be possible , which means more people coming in for games and tournaments .
Perform a parking audit of your current facility . What is parking like on its busiest days ? If lots are already full at those times or if people are parking in areas such as adjacent neighborhoods or on streets because there ’ s no space , you ’ ll need to take that into consideration and plan for extra parking . Otherwise , you ’ ll hear complaints .
20 SportsField Management | June 2023 sportsfieldmanagementonline . com