A closer look at the details and what it takes to make them last
By Joshua Koss
When I think of multi-use fields and what it takes to provide a safe and consistent surface, I immediately think strategy—from inception to field maintenance. Athletic fields fail because of the following:
- Overuse
- Lack of field-maintenance equipment
- Lack of a field-maintenance budget
- Design/construction errors
- Improper maintenance practices.
When a community wants to build a multi-use field, all stakeholders should be brought into the conversation. This creates ownership of the field from the beginning. Stakeholders should answer these questions:
- What does the agency want the field for?
- Who will use it?
- How will it be used?
- How important to the agency is safety, cost, durability, playability, and aesthetics?
After these questions are answered, another set of questions needs to be asked:
- Who will be scheduling programming of the field?
- Will the department employ a qualified sports-turf manager to maintain it?
- Will the department have the resources to protect the asset and maintain it properly?
- Who will have the ability to provide input on the programming of the field?
After these questions are answered, the agency should know whether to build a field or not. If a field is to be built, the goal for all stakeholders should be a safe, consistent product.