As we all may know, our field has not been in the best of conditions for years. There are holes, bumps, and puddles formed when it rains and unfortunately, this means that when it does rain the athletes are not able to practice because there is no drainage system. The field becomes a huge risk to athletes because the state of the ground makes athletes more prone to injury, especially our soccer players. Many Parkdale students, staff members, and coaches have been very outspoken on why we need turf on our  field.    

According to megagrass.com,  “One of the biggest benefits of sports turf is that it improves the safety of sports. Games played on artificial turf surfaces tend to produce fewer injuries than games played on natural grass, a reality that’s made turf a favorite not just of stadium owners, but of team coaches and doctors.”

  “First, the health and safety of our players are extremely important. Around October, our field becomes a hardened dirt field, or ‘’dust bowl’’, as many call it. As soccer games can get very physical with tackles, sliding, etc. falling on a hard surface such as that increases the probability of serious injuries including concussions. Having turf will help lessen the impact of falling on the surface, thus better protecting our athletes.”, said Francisco Lopez also known as Coach Paco who coaches the boys varsity soccer team at Parkdale. “Playing on turf allows our players to play to their fullest potential with the ball without the interference of bumps and holes affecting the trajectory of the ball. Our style of play involves a lot of possession of the ball, and playing on turf helps our players make better passes and control the ball to further execute our game strategy to win games.”

In addition to this, when we have games with schools that do have turf you see so many supporters come out and show their support, especially because the field looks nice. This boost’s our players’ confidence, and it helps them play better knowing that there are people watching them. 

Parkdale’s football coach also said “Our field affects our players because as a player if I am coming in and I don’t have a good field to play on, and I am playing on dirt , as far as my motivational morale it greatly affects that because you have to feel good to play good…and you also have to have a safe field to play on and we don’t have that.”

I have spoken with our school coaches and our athletic director Coach Moore , about planning a marathon to raise money for our athletes and having our school do something different when it comes to fundraising. It would be a way to get our students, staff, coaches, and athletes involved in our school while also doing something for a good cause, and hopefully we’ll get turf soon.