Why pre-qualify a sports field contractor?
"Why does it matter if our contractor is actually a full-time sports field contractor?"
After building more than 400 sports fields in multiple states, at all levels of play, we have seen our fair share of sports fields built by landscapers and/or road builders. What we have not seen in all this time is a satisfied client that had a landscaper or road builder construct their field. The problem is that one is good at beautifying and the other is good at building things that are best built on compacted surfaces.
It is not to say that these professionals are not great at what they do by definition. However, when it comes to sports fields, you want to make sure that you hire a company that is comprised of professionals that specifically focus on sports fields.
Hire your best landscape company to focus on everything off of the fields, but hire a pre-qualified sports field contractor to build your fields.
A landscaper is good at planting bushes, sodding non-playing surfaces, and installing irrigation for the general landscape. Road builders are typically good at providing surfaces that are compacted and plus or minus two-tenths of a foot from grade (and hiring the landscaper to install cheap sod quickly!). This is not the mixture for a long-term sports field success story.
Instead you purchase a cheap field on the front end that will cost you annually as much as 40% more to maintain and keep playable. This is partially based on weaker root systems, faulty irrigation, and poorly prepared soils, all being problems created during the construction process. And this is not an opinion, it is a fact that has been repeated all to often over the years.
The most common call that we get is from a client that had no input during the design / construction phases, but is now being targeted for execution because half way through the first season the field looks like a bad dream. They are normally being told to do whatever it takes to make this new field look as good as the new building that was built during this project. The problem is that the budget for the building was based on proven engineering and design standards, while the sports field was designed using a cookie cutter shape and no thought to current engineering specifications.
It is vital that if you are currently planning to build a sports field, you should pick up the phone and contact your nearest sports field contractor. Do not call your friend that has a bull dozer and moves dirt around, but instead call a person that builds fields every day. It is proven that the decision to hire a qualified sports field contractor can save you thousands of dollars annually due to proper construction methods and knowledge.
Hire your best landscape company to focus on everything off of the fields, but hire a pre-qualified sports field contractor to build your fields. They will be able to advise you on the latest drainage, turf, soil, sand, fencing, and lighting products on the market. But more importantly, they can advise your architect during the design phase on issues such as slope percentages, regulatory requirements for all levels of play, and provide specifications that any sports field contractor with experience can execute properly.
Sports field contractors don't do bushes!
More about what makes us different:
"Athletic Fields did a fantastic job on our field, and they are like part of the Trinity family."Michael Hodum, Football Coach
Trinity Christian Academy