(From SportsField Management magazine, Dec. 2016)
New Foley Turf Fields Built To Withstand Gulf Coast Rain
Forty minutes away from Mobile, Alabama — one of the rainiest cities in the U.S. — the small town of Foley decided to build a major sports venue to attract tourism dollars. The project, known as the Foley Sports Tourism Complex, involved construction of a 90,000-square-foot indoor events center along with 16 multipurpose athletic fields designed to accommodate outdoor sports such as soccer, lacrosse and football.
Despite the heavy rainfall in the area, project designers rejected the option of using artificial turf for the outdoor portion of the complex and instead elected to build all 16 fields utilizing natural grass. The goal was to deliver a better playing surface that would also minimize injuries. Fringe benefits included cost reductions achieved by avoiding synthetic turf. The challenge was to ensure rain-or-shine playability 365 days a year. READ MORE . . . .
