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by todd king c a s e s t u d y synthetic soccer fields at schaumburg park district's olympic park By 2007, Schaumburg Park District's Olympic Park Sports Complex was hosting 2,500 soccer games and 1,800 softball games each year. Aerial photography reveals the wearing patterns in the turf. Since 1994, the Schaumburg Park District's Olympic Park Sports Complex has hosted thousands of soccer and softball games. The site, located just west of Route 53 and south of the Woodfield Shopping Center, is the ideal location for hosting large tournaments along with nightly league play. The 72-acre site, leased to the Schaumburg Park District through an intergovernmental agreement with the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District, was originally designed with seven lighted and irrigated fields (five softball and two soccer), paved parking for 450 cars, restrooms and concessions. In 2001, with the help of a tourism grant from the State of Illinois, eight additional lighted and irrigated soccer fields were added along with additional parking and concessions. By 2007, the park was hosting 2,500 soccer games and 1,800 softball games each year, as well as practices.

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The (Sometimes Not-so-Thrilling) Thrill of the Grass

By having multiple lighted soccer fields in one location, the park was scheduled five to seven hours per day during prime season from late March through mid-November with little down time for the turf to recover. The natural turf soccer fields simply could not keep up with the demands of hosting three annual soccer tournaments, each featuring more than 200 teams; league play three nights a week; and heavy use on the weekends by the local youth programs.

After the spring of 2006, the fields were completely shut down for much needed maintenance. All fields were topdressed with sand, overseeded, fertilized, leveled and selected areas were resodded. The fields were reopened in August, just in time for a major tournament. However, the night before the tournament heavy rains saturated the fields resulting in the loss of the first night of the tournament. The tournament was played on the remainder of the weekend. The relative new grass was unable to hold up to the amount of play, resulting in severely worn turf. Two weeks into the season, portions of the fields were down to bare soil. Another round of sand topdressing was needed to get the fall season in. Another wet season that fall, and 200 games were cancelled or rescheduled.

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Installation of the synthetic fields at Olympic park began in June and is set to be completed this summer.

The Need for Synthetic Turf

Schaumburg Park District staff started to study the possibility of converting the fields to synthetic turf to allow the fields to be used to their full potential. The demand for the lighted fields was increasing, and too many games were being cancelled due to the poor field conditions. Planning included research into permits, detention requirements and the construction process, as well as cost comparisons for watering, maintenance, reseeding, topdressing and labor.

The natural grass fields were being scheduled for 4,620 hours of use per year with little use in the summer due to maintenance. The study showed that the synthetic fields would be useable for up to 11,645 hours with little or no down time. That is a 252 percent increase in usable hours. The decision to convert to synthetic was convincing. The hours will be divided up between the Schaumburg Athletic Association youth travel soccer program, Schaumburg Park District camps and programs and outside renters. Rental rates on synthetic field for outside groups can range from $75 per game to as much as $300 per game with lights.

As a result of our research, the park district decided to go out for bid with the project in late summer when the construction season was winding down to get better pricing. Five products were pre-qualified from companies with proven turf systems. Specification also required that any company bidding on the project must have installed at least two fields in the last two years. The contractor that submitted the winning proposal to install synthetic turf on six fields (at a total of 391,000 square feet) bid $4.00 a square foot for the earthwork and an additional $3.75 a square foot for the turf installation. The total project came in for $3,043,705, which included some additional work at the site. This project was funded by the district's capital project money through a separate bond issue. The fields are expected to last at least 10 years before the turf will need to be replaced.

The synthetic fields are set to be completed this summer. The improvements will complement the other amenities at Olympic park, which include lighted Softball fields, a 14,000-sqare-foot skate plaza, two lighted basketball courts and 100 community garden plots.

Want to See the Action on the Field?
CHECK OUT SOCCERFEST

If you are interested in seeing how Olympic Park's new synthetic turf fields stand up to some hard action, why not attend the Schaumburg Athletic Association youth soccer program's 5^th annual Soccerfest?

The event will attract 200 plus teams and 5,000 visitors.

Check the details at the tournament Web site, which can be accessed from the Schaumburg Athletic Association site at: www.saa-online.com

Todd King is the superintendent of parks and planning for the Schaumburg Park District.

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