Field Safety is "our" problem!

The highest priority we all have in using and managing fields is making sure its safe for our children and athletes.   Many people have been hurt on athletic fields due to safety issues.  The cause is normally related to the lack of staffing, funds and overuse. Sometimes its a poorly constructed field and that can also relate to a shortage of funding during the initial construction. 

If you play on a field with problems or see something that could be a safety hazard , you should report it to your local recreation departments sports turf division. Sometimes they can "find" funding to help improve the situation.  Some Parks Departments have 1000's of fields and its practically impossible to see them everyday, so do your homework before you take your complaint up the ladder.

Many times I have heard the wrath of the "weekend warrior" about a field that was to wet to play on.  Unfortunately, you can't control the rain or mother nature so you need to use common sense when voicing a complaint to anyone.  Comparing Camden Yards on a rainy weekend to a Baltimore city rec field isn't quite fair!

There are programs in the Athletic turf industry making a difference by providing educational information to sports turf managers as well as implementing research initiatives on how we can better care for the athletic fields in our cities. 

One program, recently developed by The Sports Turf Managers Association (STMA) is called the Foundation for Safer Athletic Field Environments (SAFE). This Foundation is a 501(c)(3) corporation for the purposes as outlined in the SAFE Mission Statement: "To support sports field specific research, educational programs and environmental concerns to promote user safety." 

You can get more info about SAFE and the STMA at sportsturfmanager.org