FIELD OF THE YEAR PROFESSIONAL SOCCER
SFM: Please tell us about your crew, and anything else you would like us to know about your organization and the fields / facilities that you manage? Fink: We have two professional teams— Racing Louisville FC( NWSL) and Louisville City FC( USL)— as well as an 1,800-student academy program that spans the metropolitan Louisville area. We manage the Tahoma bermudagrass field at Lynn Family Stadium, two Tahoma bermudagrass fields and four synthetic fields at our Lynn Family Sports Vision and Training Center, and two Northbridge bermudagrass fields at our former training grounds within Thurman Hutchings Park. At times, it can be a logistical nightmare trying to balance all the games and practices going on. But I’ ve got an incredible group of staff members with various backgrounds that create an incredible, and eclectic, team: Matt Skidmore, from South Carolina, with a military background and experience in golf; Mack Williams, Jr., from North Carolina, with a background in golf and landscaping; Darrell Clark, from Texas, with a military background and experience in soccer; Andrew Berg, from New York, with a background in golf; Connor Borg, from Indiana, with experience playing soccer; Ryne Hall, from Kentucky, with experience in golf; and Brock Hammond, from Kentucky, with experience in baseball. I always like to say I’ m spoiled because I’ ve got multiple head groundskeepers on my staff, and I believe you’ ll be seeing many of their names running the show at their own facilities in the near future.
SFM: Can you share a bit of insight into what the Field of the Year application process was like for you, as well as any tips you might have for other sports field managers? Fink: I’ ve applied for Field of the Year a couple of times during my career, and it’ s always a difficult process because it’ s hard to put into a few words and pictures why my staff is so deserving. But I take it as my responsibility to help get them recognized because they are so deserving. It’ s always fun to look back and see the progress we’ ve made throughout the season— both on the fields and as a staff. Sometimes we’ re around it so often that we don’ t notice how impressive the journey was. My advice for future applicants is to consider the impact your staff provides on the field rather than just focusing on the final product.
14 SportsField Management | May 2025 sportsfieldmanagementonline. com