New turf field looks to be a hit for all seasons

By Steve Mattos

Fresh off the new field, Junior wide receiver Bill Murphy kicked off his cleats as conversation erupted about the new turf field that the town of Burlington put in over the summer.

“It was the best turf I’ve ever played on,” he said.

Now buried under layers of snow and ice, the school’s new field and stands were an exciting addition to the football season, and are now an object of anticipation for the spring lacrosse and track & field teams.

Friday night, Nov. 6, Varsity Field was a sight to see, the grand opening of the school’s $2 million stadium. The packed crowd of 2,500, according to school officials, was the biggest since 2006 when the Devils played Woburn for a league championship. Some said it was so nice that they couldn’t even remember how the old one looked.

The night was bittersweet as the Devils lost to Wakefield in a 29-26 thriller, but the buzz of the new field was the real talk.

Opening night followed months of anticipation, as students passed bulldozers and work crews on their way into school. School officials decided on the new field mostly because the old, natural-grass field was too temperamental.

The combination of heavy rain and a football game could put the grass out of commission for the week for other teams scheduled to use it. Officials said new restrooms were also needed, and safer bleachers, because in wet weather spectators were slipping and hurting themselves on the old ones.

What is original about the particular turf used in BHS’s new field, according to Mr. Larkin, is that only two fields in the country have it: BHS and Gillette Stadium. The turf, known as Field Turf, is less expensive than other kinds of artificial grass but not lesser quality, Mr. Larkin said.

BHS joins the majority of schools in the Middlesex league that have gone to turf. The only schools still playing on natural grass are Lexington, Melrose and Wakefield.

The biggest benefit of the new field is that all teams will be able to play on it, no matter the weather. This includes all Pop Warner teams and town recreational programs.

“The hardest thing to do will be scheduling all the teams to play on it,” Mr. Gillis said.

Another possible benefit of the new turf is fewer injuries. Senior lacrosse player Kyle McCrobie was playing the season opener on a rainy day last year, and about three minutes into the game he slipped and turned his knee the wrong way. He tore his ACL, and the surgery put him out for the rest of the season.

“I lost my whole junior year cause of bad field conditions,” McCrobie said.

Kyle is looking forward to getting onto the new and improved field this month, when the lacrosse season begins.

The new turf is said to be less slippery than grass when wet.

The first artificial turf fields, in the 1970’s, were known to cause more injuries than grass. Called “astro turf,” it’s been described as a rug with lines on it and concrete under it. Only one field in Massachusetts still has astro turf, in East Boston.