INDUSTRY NEWS
Maryland SoccerPlex completes upgrades on natural grass fields
Maryland SoccerPlex recently completed a $ 2.1 million upgrade and drainage project for its 20 native soil natural fields . The project was supported by GreenOne Industries ( Parker , Colorado ), Landscapes Unlimited ( Lincoln , Nebraska ) and Hummer Turfgrass Systems ( Manheim , Pennsylvania ), and was completed by Hummer Turfgrass Systems during the offseason in December 2023 after more than 10 years of work . Maryland SoccerPlex boasts high-quality natural grass fields , cutting-edge technology and environmentally sound practices to maintain the more than 50 acres of high-level , high-use turf . This most recent improvement to drainage aimed to decrease the number of cancellations due to the weather .
“ We have more than 12,000 games scheduled on our fields each year . When we have to cancel , that trickledown affects hundreds of players and guests to our facility . This effort allows us to provide safe playing surfaces for our athletes in a way that also protects our investment in our fields ,” said Matt Libber , executive director for the Maryland SoccerPlex .
Prior to this project , the SoccerPlex Stadium was the only natural grass field with drainage and sand soil vs . the native soil of the other 20 natural grass fields . The project added drainage and 6 inches of sand soil to two fields , then moved to install a sand-slit drainage system to the other 18 native soil fields . Only disturbing three percent of the field surface , sand slit drainage greatly increases infiltration and eliminates standing water . To fill the sand-slits , 35 miles of drainage pipe and 5,000 tons of sand were installed across the park . The fields then periodically have sand added to the surface via topdressing .
Sand-slit drainage is part of a Facility Improvement Plan adopted by the Maryland Soccer Foundation ( MSF ) Board of Directors in 2013 . The board ’ s goal was to increase field use and decrease or eliminate rain cancellations while being efficient and impactful with each dollar . The SoccerPlex sports turf team worked to reach those goals field by field between SoccerPlex ’ s major events , which require all 24 fields to be available . At no point was a field able to be out of play for more than eight weeks and at no point could more than two fields be offline at the same time during spring or fall . Ultimately the average time offline for fraze mowing , drainage work and re-growing the grass was six weeks . During this 10-plus-year period , three directors of sports turf and grounds pushed the initiative forward . Jerad Minnick both started and ended the project . Ryan Bjorn , now field superintendent at Gillette Stadium , and Mitch Litz , now director of sports turf for FC Cincinnati , both carried it forward and worked through what many would consider near impossible timetables and expectations .
“ Ultimately we could not reach the goals of this project without the support from some terrific contractors and partners ” said Minnick , SoccerPlex director of sports turf and grounds . “ When we started this in 2013 , GreenOne Industries was the only contractor with the specialized equipment for the unique approach we wanted to utilize . We are so thankful that Leroy Butler and his GreenOne team were willing to come to the East Coast to help get us started .”
Landscapes Unlimited also supported the work off and on throughout . In 2016 , SoccerPlex formed an alliance with Hummer Turfgrass Systems that supercharged the progress of the project .
“ The SoccerPlex project is an excellent example of creative collaboration , industry expertise and the power of sharing an aligned mission to deliver top-notch solutions that stand the test of time ,” said Matt Wimer , president of Hummer Turfgrass Systems .
The Maryland SoccerPlex is expected to host 1.3 million visitors this year for an array of different sports including youth , college and professional soccer ; lacrosse ; flag football ; and college and professional rugby .
42 SportsField Management | June 2024 sportsfieldmanagementonline . com