Renovation work on the field behind the Olney-Margolies Athletic Center will be completed this week, making available another venue for athletes to play on. The playing surface of the field has been completely revamped, with the grass pitch replaced by FieldTurf.
The Department of Athletics decided to re-turf the field as a result of its poor condition when it was a grass pitch. Typically by mid-September, just two weeks into the school year, the field resembled a dirt field with sporadic patches of grass. Usage during the summer by camps and late August by football for its double session left the field in poor condition for the rest of the semester, said Thomas Bold, associate athletic director in charge of facilities.
Replacing the grass with FieldTurf not only provides a new surface that is resistant to both adverse weather conditions and heavy use but also reduces the usage of the other grass fields, leaving them in better condition.
According to the original plans set forth in June 2003, the project was to cost $800,000, an estimate based on the square footage of the turf that was to be installed. Because the budget was set prior to the completion of the field design and construction documents, certain changes necessitated another approval for the increased price, $1.1 million in the end, and more fund raising, Bold said.
The Brown University Sports Foundation was given permission to secure funding last spring. Although construction was initially slated to begin in May, the groundbreaking came on Sept. 7 after a year and a half of planning.
Although the field is ready for use, the Athletics Department is currently looking into adding lights around the new field, a move that may face opposition from area residents, Bold said.
"We are already looking into eventually getting lights for that facility," Bold said. "To have that kind of surface where you can basically play 24 hours a day and not wear it out, and not have lights would be a waste of space."
The athletic department chose FieldTurf over Astroturf because of its lower injury rates and athletes' preferences towards it, Bold said. FieldTurf consists of fake blades of plastic grass and rubber pellets that act as dirt, whereas Astroturf is more of a rug of woven synthetic material. In addition, FieldTurf's infill system is a combination of rubber and sand, making the field softer.
"We did a lot of research and talked to many people that have recently put in turf fields," Bold said. "A lot of the research shows that athletes prefer that type of surface. It seemed to be the safest surface. It has the least amount of pull on an athlete's body. Astroturf tends to be harder and leads to more injuries."
Together with the Astroturf on the roof of the OMAC, the new field offers a second artificial surface for sports. When second semester beings, the new venue will be used for all levels of sports, including varsity, club and intramural events. Although the field is now complete, there is some final grooming of the field and some additional landscaping that will take place in the spring.
The new FieldTurf is expected to be especially useful in February, when varsity teams begin their season and when poor weather conditions typically render grass pitches unplayable.
"At different times of the year it will be used differently," Bold said. "Once (varsity) teams are able to get on the grass fields some time in February or March, they will stay on grass. Then it will be much more heavily used for club teams and intramurals."
A number of intramural sports will be played on the new field, including ultimate Frisbee, softball and flag football in the spring. Intramurals and Facilities Coordinator Dianna Clauss said she was looking forward to the completion of the renovation work and the availability of the new field. "It just gives us more flexibility when it comes to rescheduling intramural games," she said.
"With the renovation, it was hard to schedule the games because we were down to one field, which had no lights. Once Daylight Savings Time kicked in, we only had until 4 p.m. to schedule the games," Clauss said.
Students who play intramural sports are also looking forward to the opening of the new field. "We've been playing soccer out on the roof of the OMAC, and it gets really cold sometimes," said Louis Tee '07. "I hope we'll get a chance to test out this new field."
- With additional reporting by Shawn Ban
