Question

You are to write a word memo to the instructor (athletic director) about your personal research on different outdoor playing surfaces. You may set up a site visit with an athletic director or Facilities director with an outdoor playing surfaces which will be used by boys/girls soccer, field hockey, and lacrosse. You should know the dimensions of the fields (they will all be on one place). You should provide a minimum of 3 options for the school to consider purchasing. You should detail costs of surface, upkeep of surface, safety of surface, tools to maintain the surface, and various contractors who can install the surface. You must then make a recommendation on the purchase of new surface.

Answer 1

MEMORANDUM

DATE: October 5, 2020

TO: Instructor (Athletic Director)

FROM:. Head Coach

RE:. Outdoor playing surfaces

I had Recently done research on various outdoor playing surfaces which can be used for soccer, field hockey, and lacrosse by both boys and girls. My research includes information about different surfaces with detailed costs of surface, points regarding safety of surface, Tools which can be used to maintain the surfaces etc. And I would like to set up a site visit with you or the facilities director regarding the same. I would also recommend you to go through the options for purchasing a new Outdoor playing surface.

Field Dimensions of soccer, Field hockey and lacrosse-

• Soccer- Dimensions of soccer are different, and can vary according to children's age also.

• Ages 7 and 8: Field size is 60-90 feet wide (18.30-27.45 meters) x 90-150 feet long (27.45-45.75 meters).

• Ages 9 and 10: Field size is 90-120 feet wide (27.45-36.60 meters) x 150-180 feet long (45.75-54.90 meters).
• High school field size can be 55×100 yards to 80×120 yards.

• Field Hockey- 91.4 by 55.0 metres (100 yd × 60 yd) with an area of 5,027 square metres (1.24 acres)
• Lacrosse- 110 yards long and 53 ⅓ to 60 yards wide.

When it comes to choosing a playground surface option, Material matters a lot and secondly the Safety. Some surfaces are superior and protect against falling. On the other hand, some are unsafe. I have kept all these points in mind during my research.

There are various playground surfaces options among which these two can be considered :-

• Loose-fill:- Examples of loose-fill Materials include sand, rubber, pea gravel, engineered wood fibre. These materials are fully natural and hence do not contain any chemicals.
• Unitary:- Materials used are rubber tiles, carpeting products and artificial turf. Unitary elements are usually formed into tiles which are known as turf.

Loose- fill surfaces are affordable and easy to install. Among loose fill EWF- Engineered Wood Fibre is considered to be the best. It is an ideal surface which can be used by children in schools, it is safe and moreover cost-effective.

Unitary surfaces do not require much maintenance. Among unitary surface, there are many options available like PIP, rubber tiles and synthetic turf.

PIP looks good because it is in various colors and designs. It has low maintenance cost, it provides a smooth surface.

Rubber tiles require a professional installation but have greater accessibility.

Synthetic turf is the most common because this is used worldwide in athletic fields and is used in both indoor and outdoor games. It is more expensive than loose-fill surfaces and requires professional installation.

Market costs of various surfaces:-

• PIP: $6.59 to $19 per square foot
• Rubber tiles: $8.96 to $21 per square foot
• EWF: $0.074 to $2.50 per square foot
• Synthetic turf: $7.50 to $12.65 per square foot.

Safety of the surfaces:-

• Check ASTM F1487 for use zone surface requirements
• Choose a surface which you can maintain perfectly.
• 12 inches deep- fall surfaces

How to maintain the surfaces:-

• Fence and protective barrier
• Check regularly the broken and damaged parts, And if there is any damage, ensure that it gets replacement soon.
• Cleaning of the playground surface.
• If surfaces can cause injuries, replace it.

Maintenance and safety of the playground surface is the most important. Therefore I have searched about three top contractors who can install the playground surfaces with ensuring safety and proper maintenance given above.

I would recommend you to purchase a new Surface for the school which can ensure safety for the children.

• The best commercial playground rubber surface flooring contractor- pro tech surfacing, LLC
• Playground installation surfaces- BYO
• Synthetic turf (leader in hockey) -Astroturf