Construction is currently taking place on Chase Field No.3, where a crew is hard at work transforming the pitch from natural grass surface to a new AstroTurf synthetic surface. Following the resurfacing, Chase Field No. 3 will be the site of Big Green varsity field hockey games and practices, and will also host recreational sports matches.
The new home of the Big Green field hockey team, Chase Field No. 3 is located just immediately to the south of the newly dedicated Burnham Soccer Field, which opened as the new men's and women's varsity soccer venue just last spring.
The resurfaced field will replace the venue that varsity field hockey lost last year when Scully-Fahey Field, which had been the home of the field hockey team as well as the men's and women's varsity lacrosse teams since 2000, underwent work to replace the old AstroTurf synthetic surface with a FieldTurf "infill" field.
The decision to replace the Scully-Fahey Field surface was the result of heavy wear to the playing pitch, a problem exacerbated by the Hanover winter weather, which requires outdoor fields to withstand the trauma of frost heaves and plowing.
The construction currently underway primarily involves the installation of the specialized AstroTurf synthetic surface, which is a three-layer system composed of a knitted nylon material supported by an elastic layer. These two layers sit on top of a sub-base layer that acts as both a drainage system and a buffer against potentially damaging frost heaves in the frigid winter months.
In addition to the turf, construction crews will also install seats for 600 spectators, as well as a new scoreboard, portable scorer's table, and fencing. Additionally, Chase Field No. 3 will also feature an innovative watering system that uses environmentally friendly water reclamation technology that will reduce both field water consumption and run-off that would otherwise end up in public storm drains.
"The construction of a new AstroTurf field, coupled with the installation of FieldTurf in Scully-Fahey Field, ensure that our varsity field hockey and men's and women's lacrosse programs all have ideal playing surfaces for their respective sports, and expand recreational opportunities as well," athletic director Josie Harper said in a statement on DartmouthSports.com.
The athletic department now considers the new Scully-Fahey Field's FieldTurf "infill" field to be superior playing surface for lacrosse. Both Scully-Fahey Field and Memorial Field have the "infill" filled field surfaces, which is made of blades of artificial grass meant to look and feel like natural grass that are inserted into a base of small rubber balls to better replicate a natural surface.
Filled turf fields are widely acknowledged to simulate a real grass better than AstroTurf.
However, the newly installed surface did not meet the conditions required by the field hockey team, as they prefer an AstroTurf synthetic surface which offers a smoother surface for field hockey play. In particular, AstroTurf allows the field hockey ball to roll more freely as well as more accurately than either filled or natural grass playing surfaces permit.
The majority of NCAA Division I field hockey teams play on AstroTurf synthetic surface fields.
During the construction on Chase Field No. 3, crews will also be working on the adjacent Chase Field No. 4 in order to transform it into a quality practice pitch for the Dartmouth men's and women's varsity soccer teams. The goal is to provide the teams with a high-quality natural grass practice field.
The new grass field will not only be widened to meet NCAA soccer guidelines, but will also provide an improved drainage system to aid in pitch maintenance.
"The creation of a high-quality grass practice field, combined with beautiful new Burnham Field, creates a first-class competition and training environment for our men's and women's varsity soccer teams," Harper said in a statement on DartmouthSports.com.
Dartmouth teams are expected to have full use of the fields by the beginning of the Fall 2008 athletic season. If there are delays with the construction, the field hockey team may be forced to play home games off-campus due to the lack of an alternative AstroTurf field.
The work on the Chase Field playing surfaces is just the most recent improvement made to Dartmouth's athletic facilities in the past few years. It is a part of an 80-million dollar improvement campaign, which has provided for the renovation and construction of many of the College's most visible athletic facilities.
Excluding any major delays, the Big Green varsity field hockey team will play its season opener at home on the new AstroTurf surface of Chase Field No. 3 on Friday, September 5 against the University of Massachusetts at 3 p.m.
