The Sports
Turf Managers Association celebrates its members for their involvement in the
preparation of the Field of Dreams in Dyersville, IA.
To
accommodate the New York Yankees and Chicago White Sox game played on August
13, 2020, a temporary 8,000-seat ballpark will be constructed at the site where
the 1989 movie was filmed. This will be the first regular Major League Baseball
game contested in the state of Iowa.
Adjacent to
the original Field of Dreams, a new stadium and playing surface will be
constructed from scratch to ensure MLB standards are met. In total, 17 acres of
the cornfield will require grading to accommodate the infrastructure. The field
will be a sand-based natural grass system with a complete underdrain system. A
fully automatic irrigation system will also be installed to manage the
bluegrass sodded field. BrightView will
oversee the installation of new foul poles, bullpens, a batter’s eye and backstop
net while BaAm will build the temporary seating, locker rooms, media and press
box areas in conjunction with Populous.
The majority of the sitework and subbase system will be completed this
fall. In the spring of 2020, USGA modified rootzone materials and sod will be
added with an estimated completion date of mid-July. Following the historic contest, the field
will remain with fencing included.
Construction
and maintenance of the field as well as site grading will be overseen by
BrightView, the nation’s leading landscape services company and Major League
Baseball’s sports turf consultant. Each
BrightView employee on the project is an SFMA member. Nearly a dozen members of
SFMA will form the team responsible for ensuring the field upholds the standards
of a typical MLB venue on game night.
“Sports
Field managers ensure safe playing fields where athletes at all levels can
achieve their dreams day in and day out,” says Kim Heck, CAE, CEO of SFMA.
“This will be an historic event and we are looking forward to working with our
Iowa chapter to make it a great experience for the thousands in attendance and
the millions watching from around the world.”
“This
is a very special project,” says Murray Cook, President of BrightView Sports
Turf and past President of SFMA. “Everything will be built from scratch;
from the pitcher’s mound, to the outfield, to the entire ballpark itself. Being
the first MLB game in Iowa, we are especially pleased to have many Iowans on
our construction and maintenance teams to assist with the project.”
Next year’s
Field of Dreams game is the latest venture between BrightView and MLB.
BrightView’s’ team maintained and prepared the playing surface for the London
Series between the Yankees and Red Sox earlier this season. In 2016, they did the
same for the game held at Fort Bragg Field between the Miami Marlins and
Atlanta Braves. The two also renovated historic Bowman Field at BB&T Park
in 2017 for the inaugural Little League Classic in Williamsport, PA and
prepared the field in each subsequent year.
