The STMA Field of the Year Award program began in 1992. There are five field types for which awards may be given: Baseball, Football, Soccer, Softball and Sporting Grounds. For each field type, awards may be given in three categories: Professional, College and University, and Schools and Parks. This year there were a total of nine awards presented.
“As always, evaluating this year’s applicant pool was very difficult,” says Martin Kaufman, CSFM, STMA Awards Committee Chairman. “The quality of the applicants each year continues to improve and the winners this year were truly deserving.”
“The Field of the Year Award validates the intense dedication of our members,” says Kim Heck, CEO of the Sports Turf Managers Association, the sponsoring organization of the award. “Each year STMA awards no more than 14 Fields of the Year, so a very small percentage of our members are winners.”
A panel of six judges independently scored each entry based on the playability and appearance of the playing surfaces, innovative solutions employed, effective use of budget, and the development and implementation of a comprehensive, sound agronomic program. The STMA Awards Committee includes Chair Martin Kaufman, CSFM; Steve Bush, CSFM; Jeff Fowler; Andrew Gossel; Allen Johnson, CSFM; and Tim VanLoo, CSFM. These judges come from all segments of STMA membership and represent some of the finest facilities in all of America.
2010 Field of the Year Award Winners:
Baseball
§ Schools and Parks – Glen Allen Stadium; Glen Allen, VA; Vince Henderson
§ College and University – Benedictine University; Lisle, IL; Kari Allen, CSFM
§ Professional – Arvest Ballpark; Springdale, AR; Monty Sowell
Football
§ Schools and Parks – North Scott Community Football Field; Eldridge, IA; John Netwal, CGCS
Soccer
§ Schools and Parks – Atlee High School-Raider Stadium; Mechanicsville, VA; Marc Moran
§ College and University – Cobb Stadium; Coral Gables, FL; Chris Denson
§ Professional – Columbus Crew Stadium; Columbus, OH; Brett Tanner
Softball
§ Schools and Parks – NKC District Softball Field; North Kansas City, MO; John Watt, CSFM
§ College – Benedictine University; Lisle, IL; Kari Allen, CSFM
Winners receive registration to the annual STMA Conference and Exhibition, three nights lodging, and signature clothing for the award winners and their staff. The winning fields will also be featured in a 2011 article in this magazine.
Award winners will be presented with their award during the Annual Awards Banquet on Fri., Jan. 14, 2011, which is held every year at the Annual STMA Conference and Exhibition. The 22nd Annual STMA Conference and Exhibition is Jan. 11 – 15, 2011, at the Austin Convention Center and Hilton Austin in Austin, Texas.
STMA is the not-for-profit, professional association for the men and women who manage sports fields. Its more than 2,600 members oversee sports fields and facilities at schools, colleges and universities, parks and recreational facilities, and professional sports stadiums. Their goal is to manage natural turf and synthetic surfaces to produce safe and aesthetically pleasing playing surfaces for athletes at all levels of playing abilities. Since 1981, the association and its dozens of local chapters have been providing education, information and sharing practical knowledge in the art and science of sports field management. Visit STMA’s website at www.stma.org