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: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/141613
trance. Where necessary, cross over covers can be used for player entry onto the field. • Consider installing paved areas around the field to prevent contamination from nearby vegetation, spectators, maintenance vehicle tires, etc. • If possible, locate the field away from sources of airborne pollutants, flood plains, and other problematic situations. • Ensure that all surrounding surface water is directed away from the field. • Understand who will perform the ongoing maintenance, including repairs and infill replacement, and its cost throughout the useful life of the field. The maintenance can be performed by the field owner with its own equipment and personnel, or outsourced to either a qualified maintenance firm or the field builder. If a third-party maintenance firm is to be engaged, make sure it is pre-approved by the field builder and it agrees to maintain your desired performance criteria. • The field builder should confirm in writing before any maintenance work is performed on the field that the ongoing maintenance program, service provider, and maintenance equipment are acceptable, comply with and will not void any warranty provisions. ACCEPTING YOUR NEW FIELD Field owner personnel should be trained on the synthetic turf warranty, the field builder's maintenance guidelines and these STC Maintenance Guidelines. Training should include information about the specific components and materials of the installed system, the proper use of the synthetic turf maintenance equipment you will be operating, and the steps to ensure that optimal benefits are obtained while satisfying warranty requirements. After a period of several months of initial use of the field and rainfall, the infill material will settle into the synthetic turf. During this period, more frequent brushing may be advised by your field builder. Once settling occurs, check the infill depth for consistency around the field and to ensure it is within the field builder's guidelines. Conduct any on-site field testing by a recognized third-party lab that may have been specified during the purchase or bid process to determine if the field meets de- www.stma.org sired performance criteria. This will help benchmark the performance characteristics of the field when it is new against test results taken throughout its useful life. PROTECTING YOUR FIELD • Establish signage and local rules for the use of the field to avoid field contamination and damage. • If the field is in a flood plain, cover it when the threat of flooding exists with a specialized tarp designed to limit silt and debris from contaminating the field surface. • Encourage coaches and players to rotate activities to different sections of the field to prevent high wear areas. • Provide trash and litter containers on site and make sure there are enough containers to eliminate overflow. • Route field access traffic in such a way as to minimize the tracking of mud and dirt onto the field. • Set up drinks for players during practice breaks off of the field, if possible. • Do not perform any maintenance or other activity that may invalidate the warranty. • Report any field damage to the field builder immediately. Damages need to be immediately repaired to avoid an escalating problem. • Plan to perform the maintenance recommended by your field builder. In terms of time, you should budget 1 hour of inspection and maintenance for every 10 hours of playing time. • Ensure a maintenance and activity log is maintained. This is often required by the warranty. It is important that each and every maintenance operation, no matter how minor, be recorded in the log. Please ask your field builder for a form, but in general, the following information should be logged: type of Activity during week; estimated number of hours used during week; average number of participants per hour; type of maintenance activity performed; remarks/notes; and signature of maintenance supervisor ONGOING ROUTINE MAINTENANCE • The basic components of effective, routine maintenance are to: • Conduct inspections and perform minor repairs to avoid playing hazards. • Keep the playing surface clean and free of debris and contaminants. • Check and maintain proper infill levels to provide a consistent surface. • Brush the surface to preserve appearance, keep grass fibers upright, and maintain even infill levels, making sure to use only approved bristles that will not overly abrade the fibers. • Maintain a maintenance and activity log. A maintenance person should walk the field daily and conduct more detailed inspections according to your field builder's recommended schedule. To avoid permanent damage to your synthetic turf or safety hazards, check regularly for and address such critical items as foreign debris, low infill levels, open seams, etc. Pay special attention to the most heavily used areas, such as midfield, goal mouths, corner kick areas, etc. Add new infill or redistribute migrated infill, where necessary, to the recommended depth. Look for foreign debris or contamination. Check seams and joints where panels or any field markings are joined together. Open joints can create a tripping hazard and should be immediately repaired. An open joint of 12 inches in length or less may not be an indication of seam failure. Discuss with your field builder in advance for self repair techniques and if self-repairs are recommended. Note that open joints of greater than 12 inches in length should be reported to and reviewed with your field builder. Note any deteriorating grass fiber or infill conditions, visual or excess wear concerns, drainage concerns, performance concerns, etc. and report them to your field builder. KEEP THE PLAYING SURFACE CLEAN • Remove all waste items regularly. Sweepers can assist in this process. Every loose foreign object, no matter how small, can damage your field by abrading the grass fibers and/or contaminating the infill. • Remove airborne contaminants, such as leaves and other debris. If allowed to remain on the surface for any length of time, SportsTurf 29