SportsTurf

October 2012

SportsTurf provides current, practical and technical content on issues relevant to sports turf managers, including facilities managers. Most readers are athletic field managers from the professional level through parks and recreation, universities.

Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/86038

Contents of this Issue

Navigation

Page 12 of 48

them as stewards of the field. "Telling" or "demanding" these changes does not work. Educate them. Include them in the discus- sions to attempt to understand their needs. Empower them with the goal of improving the field quality. Setting forward on a program to move and re-size fields should start and end with a positive message that the field is going to be in professional condition with reduced closure time for renovation. No coach or administrator will argue with a better field. But the message has to be positive make sense. Yes, it will be a challenge. But communication will serve key in success. ADDRESSING TRAFFIC PATTERNS DIRECTLY In conjunction with re-sizing and moving fields, apply intense maintenance directly to the high traffic areas. Customarily, an ath- letic field is maintained in a uniform manner across the field. And in some situations, that standard can still be followed. But under high traffic conditions, extra care must be given to the areas de- graded by the heavy traffic in order to maintain their quality com- pared to the rest of the fields. Soccer traffic creates a diamond-shaped pattern that stretches big field but more across the width. Rotate mall-sided play with full-sided play to allow for recovery. For lacrosse, topdress inside the arch and crease areas heavily with sand. The sand protects the crown of the plant from the direct traffic that these areas receive. For recovery purposes, aeration and nutrient applications are fo- cused to the worn areas as the field is shifted away from that area. American football fields should be topdressed heavier down the center than the outsides. More aeration should take place through the center in conjunction with a completely different nutrient management approach. The success of "managing traffic" will be evident in increased quality of your high traffic fields. With the extra work that goes into field movement, sod work will nearly be reduced and/or elimi- nated. And as your traffic management process evolves, the condi- tion of high traffic fields will continue to improve as you discover new ideas and try different approaches that fit your specific situa- tion. Using these three methods, Sports Turf Managers will find pro- from the goal box to the touch sideline at midfield, and then back to the goal box on the other end. Add extra aeration and nutrient applications to those areas. Small-sided soccer fields have a wear pattern across the width of the full soccer field, requiring less maintenance to the center of the active and creative solutions for meeting the demands of high traf- fic athletic fields. As Sports Field Managers, we all constantly adjust our approach due to many variables: weather, resources, and coach- ing demands. But incorporating these new practices will help pro- duce healthy, strong and durable grass plants that can withstand heavy traffic and also reduce spending on expensive fungicides, grass seed, and irrigation. ■ www.stma.org SportsTurf 13

Articles in this issue

Links on this page

Archives of this issue

view archives of SportsTurf - October 2012