FIELD OF THE YEAR SCHOOLS AND PARKS SOCCER
SportsField Management( SFM): Congratulations on the Field of the Year win. What are you most proud of with this win? Steve Hamilton, CSFM: I’ m most proud of our team— from top to bottom. We haven’ t built a new park here in Surprise, Arizona, in nearly 20 years; so to see that old gravel lot transform into a vibrant green field was truly a dream come true. This project brought our team closer together, building trust along the way, as we worked handin-hand to bring it to life. Our management was incredibly supportive and listened to every concern we had, which made all the difference. Honestly, receiving this award was a complete surprise to us, and it brings so much joy to know that youth sports— including games for my own kids— now have these fields to play on.
After receiving the award, I drove back and went straight to coaching that evening on the fields for which we had just won an award. It’ s moments like those that remind me how blessed and privileged we are.
SFM: What were the biggest challenges you faced with the winning field, and how have you approached those challenges? Hamilton: Some of the biggest challenges we’ ve faced with the winning field are certainly tied to the unique conditions here in the desert of Arizona. The extreme weather fluctuations— from 30 to 115 degrees— along with ongoing drought conditions create constant pressure on maintaining the turf to a high standard. The challenge even becomes more complex when balancing the high standard of turf, along with the turf wear patterns due to the youth sports practices and games running six days a week. In addition, we leave the field open for residents to use during non-programming times.
One of our biggest challenges is learning how to manage the layout for both of our primary sports( soccer and flag football) to mitigate as much wear and tear as possible. This is done by moving fields every two weeks by offsetting the fields when we start to see the wear patterns becoming prevalent. We rotate the middle of the football fields and the goal mouths for soccer to manage wear and tear, but it requires a lot of coordination( see sidebar).
Another challenge is ensuring the field is properly maintained for the changing seasons. During the seasons we are topdressing, fertilizing and painting weekly, which requires us to plan months in advance to accomplish our goals to provide a high-quality playing field.
DUAL-SPORT MAINTENANCE
Although it won in the S & P Soccer category, the Fields at Countryside host both soccer and flag football. Steve Hamilton, CSFM, shared insight into maintaining optimal field conditions for dual-sport fields.
“ For soccer, one of the key insights we gained after the first season was the importance of effective communication with our youth sports department,” said Hamilton.“ We provide detailed guidelines on how practices should be conducted to minimize wear and tear on the field. This includes a map indicating where goals should be placed to alleviate wear at the goalmouths, suggestions for conducting cone drills off the center of the field, and alternating bench spots daily.”
A PowerPoint presentation is shared with coaches to educate them on maintaining the best possible playing surface. This proactive approach has been crucial, as practices occur five days a week with games on weekends and occasional weekdays.“ To further enhance our field management, we utilize a robotic painter,” Hamilton added.“ By shifting the field markings weekly by one inch to a few feet, we reduce wear and are able to focus on other maintenance tasks. This has significantly saved time and minimized field damage from continuous use.
“ For flag football, we realized the importance of customizing the field to include different markings, such as no-run zones. This flexibility allows us to not only shift fields but also completely rearrange the layout if necessary due to wear and tear. The intense back-to-back games and practices often take a toll between the hashes, making turf coverage maintenance a challenge. However, we inform coaches about cultural practices to manage expectations and field conditions.”
According to Hamilton, the sports staff also conducts sweeps of the fields, which helps reduce the potential for mower damage due to foreign object.
“ Additionally, we allow the use of portable canopies but prohibit stakes to prevent field damage,” he said.“ The sports staff ensures all equipment is removed before sundown on game day.” sportsfieldmanagementonline. com June 2025 | SportsField Management
13