State Tournament Field Conditions

[ballbasher30]

so you guys are complaining about a few dead spots on a soccer field. did you all see those fields in November when they had the girls state tournament there? all of the fields were brown and not a single piece of green grass.

 

no one talked about moving those games.

[RonMexico3]

ballbasher30 - But wait, we were told the field conditions were caused by a hard winter.  Now you're telling us this playing surface was this way in November?  The TSSAA and Rutherford county parks knew the fields were horrible in the fall yet they never made alternative plans for the boys tournament.  This represents the 3 P's......piss poor planning.  ballbasher just added more evidence that TSSAA is only in it for the bottom line.

[ViewFromCheapSeats]

I am disgusted by the conditions of fields 2, 3, 4 and 11. When I posted last week about the conditions, I had no idea just how bad those fields had gotten. I spent most of my spring season on fields 6 & 7 as well as the upper fields. There is a marked difference in the conditions of the fields on opposite sides of the stadium field. It was just embarassing. It's as if they made things WORSE with the work they've done the past couple of weeks.

 

That having all been said, "S..t happens." No one can be happy about things. But it's all equal. If things aren't corrected for 2014-15, then we have a "problem."

[Catfish03]

I thought 10 was far worse than 2.  2 looked to me to be the best and it wasn't good.  10 was like playing in the parking lot.

[gbfan]

Ballbasher30 - you do realize bermuda turns brown when the weather cools down.  Major difference in playing on brown GRASS at the end of the growing season and baked hard dirt/sand, which is what they have now.

 

You are gonna love this - today the stadium field turf/dirt/sand was all painted green.  the stadium field is as bad as #3, #4, and #10.  At least it will look good on the live feed.

 

Absolutely disgusting games were played at Siegel this year.  TSSAA needs to get their act together.

[DIIA]

Of the 5 fields which were and are being used this week, 2 was the best, which hosted 4 of the 6 A/AA matches.  3 and 4 were poor and 10 was even worse.  Then there is the stadium field.

 

We walked it this evening and sadly, it is the worst of all 5 of them.  For the entire length of the field, in an area about 30 yards wide there is little more than green paint on dirt.  Both goalmouths are compacted sand in an area greater than the width of the goal up through the penalty mark.

 

This is not an issue of a "couple of brown spots" or dormant bermuda.  There is simply no grass, green or brown, on large portions of the field.

 

In the fall for the girls' tournament, in comparison to what we had used for several years at GPS, CCS, and Baylor, the fields were poor.  Their present condition when compared to last November exponentially worse.  One exception which was equally bad for both tournaments would be the bushels of kitty litter which was poured all over the goal mouths.  Poor and unacceptable.

 

As for why the tournament stayed at the Richard Siegel Soccer Complex... maybe they were contractually obligated to play at Siegel.  Maybe the logistics to move it at the last minute were too much.  Maybe this was poor planning as it was likely obvious several weeks ago that the fields would not be in acceptable condition.  Maybe it was several of these issues, or maybe none of them.  It seems difficult to make the argument that playing at several different sites would be unfair to some teams, as this was never a problem over the past several years when the girls' tournament was held across three different sites.

 

I'm not going to speculate as to why the matches were not moved, nor am I going to question the motives behind the decision.  What I will ask is whether the conditions of the fields are worthy of being used for a state championship tournament.

 

For that question, I believe that the answer is that they were not.

Edited May 22, 2014 by yAxis

[reaction]

So I just put on the BGA vs St. Georges championship game and that field looks like crap..

[ChattanoogaCannon]

so you guys are complaining about a few dead spots on a soccer field. did you all see those fields in November when they had the girls state tournament there? all of the fields were brown and not a single piece of green grass.

 

no one talked about moving those games.

I complained at the end of October to the TSSAA officials. But the fields were fine, then. My complaint is that the complex is unsuitable for a high school championships. $$$$$$s are the reason it is there.

[ballbasher30]

Ballbasher30 - you do realize bermuda turns brown when the weather cools down.  Major difference in playing on brown GRASS at the end of the growing season and baked hard dirt/sand, which is what they have now.

 

You are gonna love this - today the stadium field turf/dirt/sand was all painted green.  the stadium field is as bad as #3, #4, and #10.  At least it will look good on the live feed.

 

Absolutely disgusting games were played at Siegel this year.  TSSAA needs to get their act together.

 

I absolutely do know there is a difference between brown bermuda and dead grass. When bermuda turns brown it becomes very unstable and is easily tore up with divots. It doesn't take a genius to know that late September/early October if you know you are going to play sports on a field in cold weather, you overseed with winter rye. It allows the grass to stay green and playable throughout the colder months. If i know a tournament is going to be held in November or early spring, this would make sense. It also provides some insulation to the dormant bermuda in the cold months.

 

Ask any one who work son ball fields and they will tell you this is a no brainer. How do you think that in February and March soccer and baseball and softball have green grass?

[Indian]

It is not just soccer. State tournament softball games shouldn't be played on fields with temporary fences. Go to one of the several nearby high schools and play.

[RonMexico3]

The stadium field is horrible.  BGA won the state championship yesterday on that field but the boys looked like a walking strawberry patch.  Every time a player slid it looked like his leg went thru a meat grinder.  Elbows were torn up, knees and shins bloodied.  This was the first time all year those boys experienced a "playing surface" like that and thank goodness it is the last.  Shame on TSSAA 

 

PS - The spray painted dirt is tacky.

[arleighburke]

Why would we defend such poor conditions with a statement that at least it is an equal playing field for teams? These young men and women deserve better from us. While some have club state experiences, many do not. This is likely the pinnacle of there soccer experience. The problems with the complex are overuse and maintenance. Dormant bermuda can not withstand the level of use these fields see. The only way to provide this level of use from November to June is to overseed with perennial rye. This requires spraying the rye out in June. This is how Chattanooga CCS and McCallie provide great fields during the winter/spring boys soccer cycle. This must be coupled with topdressing, consistent aeration and fertilization. Ultimately, this means less profit for the complex.

 

We would love to host the tournament once again in Chatt. GPS and McCallie both overseed and provide excellent venues. CCS now has a top notch turf field and half bowl stadium seating, and a practice field that can run 120x75 that is overseeded and in better condition apparently than any field in middle Tennessee, likely Carter Finley stadium will see new turf this coming winter, and Baylor provides a superb field, especially during the girls season. All venues are "downtown" close to the best lodging and the waterfront.  If we added the soccer complex in Cleveland, we would have access to a superb stadium field at their complex as well.   

 

UTC is downtown as well in terms of additional venues, our Chatt Lookouts stadium is downtown overlooking the river, Chatta has one of best softball complexes in southeast..all told would be an incredible experience for athletes and families in the Scenic City.