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Facilities Manager Magazine

Features
Compaction and Wear Concerns on Sports Fields
by John Gillan

John Gillan is executive director of the Professional Grounds Management Society, Hunt Valley, Maryland. He can be reached at pgms@aol.com. PGMS is an APPA Strategic Alliance Partner.

Two of the major irritants of athletic directors and coaches is tear-up of the turf and soil compaction of their fields. Yet, there are relatively simple measures that will alleviate both problems. Of course, replacing turf either through seeding or sodding during football season isn t easy, but the process can be helped considerably if you take some simple measures.

The first thing is to understand the source of the problems. The major cause of tear-up is cleats worn on big people. And, constant activity in the same area is the major source of compaction, with also some tear-up involved, depending usually on the footgear used. Prime examples of the latter are the middle of the football fields (where most plays are run), and the areas in front of soccer, lacrosse, or field hockey goals.

Almost everyone agrees today that natural turf is far superior to artificial (read that as plastic) turf for many reasons. Primarily, the natural turf is safer, the athletes like to play on it, and the fields are just nicer to look at. In addition, they filter water and are cooler.

Technology to the Rescue

Where technology comes to the rescue, however, is in the equipment, seed and soil amendments available today to alleviate the problems tear-up and compaction. Today s aware grounds professionals, athletic directors, and field managers are tapping into a widening array of tools and techniques at their finger tips. These include:

• core-aerating and seeding slitting machines
• better fast germination seed
• presoaking techniques for seed
• deep-cut sod
• water retention chemicals
• other amendments (such as ground rubber or carpet fragments)
• use of Prescription Athletic Turf and better irrigation and drainage techniques

Some of these approaches admittedly are more extensive and expensive than the others such as the use of Prescription Athletic Turf or Sportgrass, which combines a mat of vertically oriented fibers over which you topdress sand. This latter approach provides the desirable appearance of natural turf while the mat beneath resists wear and divots. The bottom line is that there is not the need today to be as concerned about maintaining sports turf throughout the season as there was formerly.

Even a relatively simple program of core aeration, the addition of water retention chemical, and maybe even ground rubber and the use of presoaked perennial ryegrass can do wonders. The new perennial ryegrass, for example many developed principally for sports turf use match well with Kentucky bluegrass and today s choice tall fescues. They germinate quickly (within a week even without presoaking) and are tough, too.

Mix that with an appropriate program of core aerating, and you re halfway home.

Other Practices

Of course, practices other than those pursued by the sports turf manager or grounds professional in charge are always helpful. These common-sense practices include:

• Don't conduct unnecessary heavy cleated practices on the major field; use a separate practice site
• Try not to constantly work the same spots with the same activity
• Water properly, and at the right times; you don't want a rock-hard and soggy field
• Properly adjust irrigation amounts

Some misplaced concerns are the mere walking on a field or doing other relatively light activity. A prime example of the latter would be in a school setting having an official gathering or band practice on the field. Neither should hurt a properly maintained field. Of course, problems will certainly result if you are conducting all heavy activity (event after event, day after day) on the very same spot or spots, such as placing tents or chairs on the field, allowing high heels (don't laugh, it happens all the time), or allowing food or other things to be dropped on and ground into the field.

But for the band to practice on the field should not be a problem on a properly maintained turf. It might temporarily bend a few blades of grass, but that s minor compared to what the field should be designed to withstand. Nature really is more resilient than that.

All too often it seems that there has been built around athletic fields an artificial aura as a place of athletic worship. Athletics are wonderful and that s what everyone should be working to facilitate with a properly designed and treated field but the activities of the athletes themselves provide the more extreme use and abuse that usually take place on the sports field.

From the Athlete's Viewpoint

An athlete interacts with a playing surface in two general ways: falling on the surface and with player shoe-to-surface interactions. Surface hardness and traction affect these interactions respectively.

The ability of the surface to absorb impact energy created by a player or players is its hardness. Probably the worst situation is playing on a field that is too soft, which will hurt the field more and create early fatigue in the player s leg muscles. A device that measures impact absorption is the Clegg impact tester. This has become a useful tool for evaluating the surface hardness of athletic field playing surfaces.

Fortunately, soil moisture levels favorable for growing turf are usually with a range that provides good traction as well. In fact, most management practices that encourage turf health have a positive effect on traction, whether directly or indirectly.

Proper irrigation and fertility management increase turf vigor and recuperative ability; aeration decrease soil compaction and aids water infiltration; overseeing promotes good stand uniformity and density. All work to the field user's benefit.

Of the cool season grasses, Kentucky bluegrass and tall fescue have greater traction values than red fescue and perennial ryegrass. However, the new perennial ryegrasses have, by far, the more rapid germination and repair qualities. Also worth remembering is that the bluegrasses will self-repair over time, as they are spreading varieties; the fescues and ryegrasses are clump grasses and do not self-spread. For example, a pure ryegrass field must be regularly over seeded, while a bluegrass field does not, unless for quick, local repair.

Bottom line: A basic Kentucky bluegrass and/or tall fescue field, mixed with perennial ryegrass, is the best answer for most. In the south, Bermuda grass, also over seeded by perennial or annual ryegrass, does the same job. (Like the bluegrass, common Bermuda also is an aggressive spreader and has good traction. It is also very tough.)

Being extra finicky alone does not replace being smarter, and maybe it doesn t accomplish anything itself. So don t worry about folks walking on your field, or even the band practicing there (unless they re all going to be standing on the same spot and purposefully divoting it). Our understanding of playing surface quality is really still in it infancy. We can only hope that standardized tests that correlate well with athletes subjective assessment of playing surfaces as well as their actual performance will continue to emerge.

Leading members of the Professional Ground Management Society are independently working on this. One of the leaders is George Toma, playing field consultant for the Kansas City Royals and the National Football League. So far, this and allied work throughout PGMS and the nation s leading land-grant universities has resulted in the athletic turf recipes and equipment practices cited herein.

Meanwhile, all grounds professionals and athletics directors should start taking more advantage of what is at hand today and get full use out of their fields. Be less concerned and make your work easier and better for both you and the people you serve at your institution.

Being finicky is only an answer insofar as it translates to better field design and management practices. Just being restrictive is not the smart route, and it may actually label you as not being truly knowledgeable on current possibilities and practices.