Northgate field slated for new improvements
The days of grass fields are long over, but that doesn’t mean that the synthetic turf field will last forever. The 7-year-old turf is on its last leg and will soon be replaced.
The Mt. Diablo Unified School District will pay to replace the turf field used by football, soccer and lacrosse players, Vice Principal Ben Campopiano said. “The district cycles through schools, depending on how old their turf is and the condition of the turf. The work is expected to be completed over the summer.”
One might think that new turf only benefits athletes, but at Northgate that is a startlingly large number of students. “Northgate has two-thirds participation in sports,” principal Michael McAlister said, “and many students who don’t play sports come to the complex to watch our teams compete. Our athletic complex has a huge affect on the image of our school.”
McAlister said he is not sure of the total cost.
“The new turf will obviously be a newer product,” Coach Ben Ballard said. “And the newer product will have an improved style, design, and technology, which will improve the safety of the turf.”
“With the high cost of the new turf, it would be great if we could utilize the old turf to save money,” the football coach said. “I’m not sure if this would happen, but using the old turf to replace the JV baseball outfield would definitely be a cost effective alternative to the current grass out there.”
Athletes welcome the improvement.
“I didn’t know we were getting new turf,” junior Joe Besagno said. “I’m excited to hear that though, because our current turf has patches and clumps of black turf beads that can lead to injury.”
Injury prevention is only part of the equation. “Having a complex that other schools enjoy coming to play on definitely brings a sense of pride to the whole school,” the varsity soccer captain added.
The new turf will be a beautiful sight for all Northgate students, as well as any other competitors coming to play on it.
Any visiting team would much prefer playing a new and improved turf field. It directly affects the pace and playstyle in a sport. In soccer, the ball will bounce differently on a patchy field. Football and lacrosse players aren’t able to cut effectively on turf that is torn and loose. The replaced turf will elevate the level of play.
With the two-year-old pool and the anticipated fresh turf, Northgate has experienced many improvements. Although these improvements are costly , they will make large improvements, and only have positive effects for many years to come.