No doubt turf. And in terms of money spent, I'd say it covers itself over time. Unless you're the kid of the old grounds keeper...

 

FieldTurf, after the initial installation, can save the school district tens of thousands of dollars per year in maintenance costs. That $20k each year can be spent elsewhere.

 

It provides the additional availability to other teams, sports, etc. who can use it in inclement weather for practice or games.

 

And it can be a revenue source too as it can be available to adjacent schools/districts to host games when their fields are unplayable.

 

It is a win/win situation, particularly so if you can secure outside funding through donations/sponsorships.

I've had the fortunate opportunity to play on both surfaces and still have no doubt that natural grass is a better suface. Bad weather is the great equalizer in football, so I would rather play on turf during the rain. Sports turf has come a long way, the only negative thing about turf is the fact that it has so much give, its too soft. This creates two negative effects, injuries and slower speeds. :thumb:

 

I know I for one think turf creats for faster speeds, and less injuries...

FieldTurf, after the initial installation, can save the school district tens of thousands of dollars per year in maintenance costs. That $20k each year can be spent elsewhere.

 

It provides the additional availability to other teams, sports, etc. who can use it in inclement weather for practice or games.

 

And it can be a revenue source too as it can be available to adjacent schools/districts to host games when their fields are unplayable.

 

It is a win/win situation, particularly so if you can secure outside funding through donations/sponsorships.

I stand educated. I have learned my one thing for the day.:thumb:

I understand and accept the donations issue. But those same donations sure would buy a lot of computers for the district. Sure would buy a lot of winter coats for kids who show up without any. Sure would buy a lot of pair of shoes for the kids (like the HSer I had yesterday who wore their fathers gym shoes in that were 4 sizes too big) that don't have any. Sure would buy, well you get the point....

 

I am a coach that sure likes the new things but some of the new things are just plain luxuries that we don't need while there are other populations in the building going without.

 

And let me add, if it was an adult going without, I would view this differently because they could go out find a job and get what they need. But I am talking about the 8-year-old or the 11-year-old or the 15-year-old. (And before someone starts on the 15-year-old in getting a job, in a rural county there is not public transportation to take them to and from a job after school or in the summer.)

 

Give me a break! Give every student at your school a brand new computer and a new laptop to take home, you will still have vitually the same number of poor, average and above average students at the school. Give someone in your county 10 million dollars, you will still have kids running around without coats in the winter. Money will not change the fact that people will always exist at different levels.

 

As far as real grass or plastic. I prefer real grass. Since when has high school football been expected to be played on a perfect surface? As much as we gripe about a muddy field now, I look for tackling to be against the rules within 20 years.

As far as real grass or plastic. I prefer real grass. Since when has high school football been expected to be played on a perfect surface? As much as we gripe about a muddy field now, I look for tackling to be against the rules within 20 years.

 

:ylsuper: :ylsuper: :ylsuper:

 

Everyone knows that I can NOT stand the hideous stuff known as artificial turf. You couldn't pay me enough to like it. Let the kids play on natural grass the way the sport was meant to be played.

 

So what if the field is muddy...since when did kids/teenagers not like to play in the mud anyway?

During the first two games on the field............Grass

 

Every game after that.....................Field Turf

:ylsuper: :ylsuper: :ylsuper:

 

Everyone knows that I can NOT stand the hideous stuff known as artificial turf. You couldn't pay me enough to like it. Let the kids play on natural grass the way the sport was meant to be played.

 

So what if the field is muddy...since when did kids/teenagers not like to play in the mud anyway?

I can see how you feel that way. It's tough to flood out a turf field with a hose... :sssh:

I can see how you feel that way. It's tough to flood out a turf field with a hose... :sssh:

:eek: HAHAHA.....

Have had the oppurtunity to be on different natural fields and many field turf. We at corbin have a indor practice facility with a very nece turf field. The old Cardinal Stadium Turf was nice because of all the history imbedded into the turf but it was pretty hard compared to some. And then Belfry's field terf is second to none had the oppurtunity to step on it earlier this year and it is unbelievable. I have been on others including Lex Cath and that at the Nutter Field house at UK. All though field turf looks very nice and makes you faster i am still partial to natural bermuda playing surfaces if they are kept up well.

My son likes bermuda grass over turf. He says it just feels better to him.

 

Aside from that the only negative I have heard about turf is staff infections.

I love the new field turf. The only time I like grass if it is bermuda and its kept it tip top shape.

Turf vs grass makes me think of Tug McGraw. Anyone else?

As a teacher who has computers that are so old they can't be networked and does not have enough memory to hold the programs that I need for the students to do their assignments, I can't imagine a district spending this much money on athletic turf for a short period of time.

I feel for you, but Watusi is right. The price has come down to meet the market and if you compare costs, turf is a lot cheaper. It has a 10 year guarantee in most places, so basically, you just have to clean and vacuum it at times in certain areas. Compare that to 10 years of cost of fertilizer, lawn mowers, trimmers, seed, chemicals, paint and then take that times the need to maintain more than one field (a practice field, a game field, one or two soccer fields, etc.). It becomes easy to see that the plastic grass in the end could save your district enough money to buy those new updated computers, especialy since the state price contract is so favorable now;)

In one particular school district, a gentleman was going to donate money to a high school and get a synthetic grass field. The school board told him that if he gave it to that school he would have to do it for two other schools. Now my question is, Why would the school board do that? He wants to help his alma matter. I don't understand why a school board would tell him that he would have to do it at two other schools. But I agree that synthetic grass is the way to go. I loved playing on synthetic.

In one particular school district, a gentleman was going to donate money to a high school and get a synthetic grass field. The school board told him that if he gave it to that school he would have to do it for two other schools. Now my question is, Why would the school board do that? He wants to help his alma matter. I don't understand why a school board would tell him that he would have to do it at two other schools. But I agree that synthetic grass is the way to go. I loved playing on synthetic.

 

The one reason (and we all know who this is about) is that the parents of the other two schools would have had a cow about it, and they do vote!

 

Personally, I think they should have allowed him to purchase the Turf for the school, as that would have saved the Board of Education (and thus the taxpayers of the County) a ton of money, as they are going to have to do it eventually, as this field just can't take the overuse that it receives every year.....