Football Field Design TRF 230

Introduction Football exerts different stresses on turf than other sports Turf acts simply as a surface to move player along (ball role is not an issue) Speed and bulk of players (middle third of field often destroyed by end of season) Season is not during a period when turf is actively growing Field often used for other actives

Survey and Layout 360 feet X 160 feet Layout is along a north-south axis Crowned Longitudinally down the center of the field Some fields are built flat and slope in one direction

Design Criteria for New Construction 1 to 1.75% slope Subsurface drainage may be required for fields with less slope Use of field (practice or game field) Game fields may see events Practice fields need to be larger to accommodate more use

Safety Issues Barrier between fans and players should be placed feet away from the side lines to insure adequate stopping distance Special attention to barriers needs to be paid at the end zones of the field

Field Designs with Preferred Contours Crowned field with level side lines Easy to build and works well Problems can occur where the slope levels out at the sidelines (wet area) If the field is also used as a soccer field this area often becomes un satisfactory

Field Designs with Preferred Contours Flat sloped field Often built when existing contours cause it to be too expensive to build a crowned field Water has to move twice a far to exit the field Sub surface drainage needs to be installed in the lower portion of the field

Multiple Field Layouts feet separation between fields side by side feet separation between fields end to end Each field should have it’s own separate drainage

Installed Irrigation Systems Three factors to consider Placement of sprinkler heads (where is most of the play on the field taking place) Size of the exposed surface area of the sprinkler head (smaller the better) Durability of the sprinkler heads (sports field heads with a rubber cover)

Installed Drain Systems and Catch Basins Pipe Drains Strip Drains Catch basins (20 feet away from sidelines) four per field