A (synthetic) field of dreams
Camden Catholic High School broke ground for an athletic field of dreams this month on the school’s campus.
The synthetic turf field created by the Wayne-based athletic field production company Sprinturf will be used for the school’s football, girls’ field hockey, boys and girls soccer, and boys and girls lacrosse teams.
Construction on the field began earlier this month and is estimated to be finished by mid-September in order to be ready for Camden Catholic High School’s first home football game on Oct. 3.
An official ceremony will be held at the opening home game in October that will include a commemoration of the new field.
The construction process requires an excavation of the natural grass surface, installation of a base and drainage system and layering of the infill and turf.
District spokeswoman Elva Legere Clements said the school is excited about the new field and thankful for the school community’s fundraising efforts.
The field, which costs just over $600,000, is made possible by fundraising efforts, such as a sale that will feature the inscribed names of sponsors on bricks to be installed at the field’s entrance.
“Everyone is extremely happy about this. The alumni are happy for the next generation of football players to have a great and safe surface to play on. There is a lot of enthusiasm about this in the school,” Clements said.
The field is an average 100-yard football field, having two sets of stands on either side. Clements said the synthetic turf field will be an asset to student athletes when it is completed.
“Camden Catholic prides itself in academics, the arts and athletics. The school really puts a lot of pride in the sports program and felt it was important for players of the future to have this state-of-the-art playing field,” Clements said.
Sprinturf’s vice president of marketing Amy Brackin said an advantage to a synthetic Sprinturf field is the approximately inch-and-three-quarters of infill under the turf. The infill system is made of rubber-based materials, located under the synthetic live-looking grass that Brackin described as a soft-playing surface for athletes.
The 93,018-square-foot field’s drainage system is capable of draining up to 100 inches of water per hour, and teams are able to play in a downpour if they desire.
“Typically, what schools like most about the field is the ability to play on the field on any given day in any weather condition. There is never a time when a field will be covered in puddles. It provides a consistent playing surface,” Brackin said.
According to Brackin, the Sprinturf field’s synthetic grass and rubber infill will help to keep the grounds ideal for playing conditions and reduce injury to those who will use the field.
Camden Catholic’s field will be created with alternating green, two-and-one-quarter inch-high synthetic turf panels to give the field a freshly mowed look with a school logo permanently installed in the center.
According to Brackin, the turf feels like natural grass.
Sprinturf is providing the district an eight-year warranty on the athletic field, however fields like Camden Catholic High School’s typically last about 12 years, according to Brackin.
Sprinturf has created synthetic turf athletic fields at the Philadelphia Eagles Nova Care Center, Kean University, New Jersey Institute of Technology, LaSalle University, Drexel University and the University of Pennsylvania.
Local school districts that have Sprinturf fields include, but are not limited to, Lower Merion High School, Radnor High School, Avon Grove School District and the Marple Newtown School District, all examples of which are in Pennsylvania.
The synthetic turf field created by the Wayne-based athletic field production company Sprinturf will be used for the school’s football, girls’ field hockey, boys and girls soccer, and boys and girls lacrosse teams.
Construction on the field began earlier this month and is estimated to be finished by mid-September in order to be ready for Camden Catholic High School’s first home football game on Oct. 3.
An official ceremony will be held at the opening home game in October that will include a commemoration of the new field.
The construction process requires an excavation of the natural grass surface, installation of a base and drainage system and layering of the infill and turf.
District spokeswoman Elva Legere Clements said the school is excited about the new field and thankful for the school community’s fundraising efforts.
The field, which costs just over $600,000, is made possible by fundraising efforts, such as a sale that will feature the inscribed names of sponsors on bricks to be installed at the field’s entrance.
“Everyone is extremely happy about this. The alumni are happy for the next generation of football players to have a great and safe surface to play on. There is a lot of enthusiasm about this in the school,” Clements said.
The field is an average 100-yard football field, having two sets of stands on either side. Clements said the synthetic turf field will be an asset to student athletes when it is completed.
“Camden Catholic prides itself in academics, the arts and athletics. The school really puts a lot of pride in the sports program and felt it was important for players of the future to have this state-of-the-art playing field,” Clements said.
Sprinturf’s vice president of marketing Amy Brackin said an advantage to a synthetic Sprinturf field is the approximately inch-and-three-quarters of infill under the turf. The infill system is made of rubber-based materials, located under the synthetic live-looking grass that Brackin described as a soft-playing surface for athletes.
The 93,018-square-foot field’s drainage system is capable of draining up to 100 inches of water per hour, and teams are able to play in a downpour if they desire.
“Typically, what schools like most about the field is the ability to play on the field on any given day in any weather condition. There is never a time when a field will be covered in puddles. It provides a consistent playing surface,” Brackin said.
According to Brackin, the Sprinturf field’s synthetic grass and rubber infill will help to keep the grounds ideal for playing conditions and reduce injury to those who will use the field.
Camden Catholic’s field will be created with alternating green, two-and-one-quarter inch-high synthetic turf panels to give the field a freshly mowed look with a school logo permanently installed in the center.
According to Brackin, the turf feels like natural grass.
Sprinturf is providing the district an eight-year warranty on the athletic field, however fields like Camden Catholic High School’s typically last about 12 years, according to Brackin.
Sprinturf has created synthetic turf athletic fields at the Philadelphia Eagles Nova Care Center, Kean University, New Jersey Institute of Technology, LaSalle University, Drexel University and the University of Pennsylvania.
Local school districts that have Sprinturf fields include, but are not limited to, Lower Merion High School, Radnor High School, Avon Grove School District and the Marple Newtown School District, all examples of which are in Pennsylvania.
