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Hosting a Girls’ Soccer Tournament? 10 Turf Care Tips to Know
Hosting a girls’ soccer tournament is a fun way to rally your community and give young athletes a memorable chance to compete. And with women’s soccer getting its day in the sun, the energy on your soccer field is sure to be high.
FIFA benchmarking reports show major momentum for the sport in recent years, with Sarai Bareman, FIFA’s chief women’s football officer, telling ESPN it’s “on a growth trajectory unlike any other sport in this world.”
As the owner of a synthetic turf soccer field, being a part of all of that energy and investing in this generation of girls’ soccer talent is bound to feel rewarding. It’s also going to call for some important turf preparatory steps, so that you can ensure player safety while maintaining your turf field’s performance during and after a tournament’s foot traffic.
Whether you’re managing a high school soccer field, overseeing a college soccer stadium, or hosting a girls’ varsity soccer team at your athletic complex for a weekend, your field’s condition will directly influence player performance, safety, and overall tournament success. Below, we’ll walk you through the key steps you should take for a field that’s as competition-ready as your girls’ soccer teams.
Why Doing Turf Field Maintenance Before a Soccer Tournament Matters
A well-installed artificial turf system with a high-quality infill will be built to support quick-moving cleats, penalty kicks, and more. But that doesn’t mean keeping up with turf field maintenance isn’t critical to a field’s overall longevity, particularly when it’s host to a major sporting event.
Large events in general often invite field wear and tear, but during a soccer tournament, back-to-back use by girls’ soccer teams can be particularly demanding on a field. That’s true no matter the teams’ age levels. With high school soccer teams and women’s college soccer teams, more competitive play can be abrasive to turf. And younger soccer players may leave their stamp on a field in different ways, from handfuls of pulled-up turf fibers and rubber infill piled along the sidelines to spilled Gatorade, snacks, and gum.
Meanwhile, we know a well-maintained field is crucial not just for aesthetics but for the performance and safety of players. A properly cared for artificial turf field ensures sufficient traction and grip and reduces injury risks, contributing to a more enjoyable tournament experience for everyone involved. Luckily, with a turf soccer field, it’s easier to be in control of your field’s condition so long as you practice the right combination of pre- and post-tournament field care.
We’ll dive into some actionable tips next to help you get your soccer field in shipshape before the big game(s).
Preparing Your Turf Soccer Field for a Tournament: 6 Steps
1. Measure Field Firmness: Stay Below a 200 GMAX Level
Ahead of a tournament, ascertain the firmness of your field, ensuring it isn’t too firm or too soft. Both can impair player safety and performance, so you want to check that your field falls below a 200 GMAX level.
GMAX is a measure of the impact attenuation, or shock absorbency, of your field. Measures above 200 signal an increased risk of concussions and other fall-related injuries and, per Synthetic Turf Council guidelines, can be tested for by a turf professional. That professional will be able to both identify your field’s current GMAX rating and guide you on how to improve its safety and performance, in keeping with the specific environment and conditions of your field.
2. Check and Replenish Turf Infill Levels, Especially in High-Use Areas
Adequate infill gives you the padding, shock-absorption, and traction needed to play soccer well and safely, reducing wear and tear on both your field and the players. But over time and with frequent use — say, during a jam-packed tournament — that turf infill can thin out in certain areas.
It’s essential to inspect your infill levels and replenish them as needed. Check your infill depth with an infill gauge, making sure you know the infill depth guidelines for your specific type of turf system. When assessing infill levels, be sure to pay special attention to high-traffic zones like penalty areas, the center of the field, and sidelines where a girls’ soccer team might congregate or warm up.
While all turf infill will shift at least some with time and repeat use, know that investing in a high-quality infill can cut down on the amount of topping off you’ll need to do. Case in point: Safeshell is an organic infill designed to stay in place. Made from 100% USA-grown walnut shells that have gone through a patent-pending process to reduce allergens, Safeshell’s perfectly round grains resist floating and compaction and retain their shape in all climates. That makes this all-natural infill a great option for soccer field owners who want to mimic the look and feel of natural grass without sacrificing durability.
3. Troubleshoot for Common Problems and Make Minor Repairs in Advance
Beyond the potential for infill levels to settle unevenly over time, it’s not uncommon for turf seams to become loose, especially after heavy use from multiple girls’ soccer teams.
To avoid disruptions during a tournament, make sure to schedule a thorough field inspection at least a month before the event to identify any potential issues. In addition to loose seams or uneven infill, an inspection might uncover areas of your field where drainage has become poor. Address these concerns early by conducting seam repairs, adjusting infill levels, and eliminating any drainage blocks, creating a more consistent playing surface. Waiting until the last minute could leave you scrambling to fix issues, so proactive maintenance is key.
If you do identify any issues with your synthetic turf system, to solve them, you don’t have to go it alone. At Motz, we’re not just high-quality turf specialists. We also provide fast and effective repair services to synthetic turf fields. Some of the more common issues you may recognize and want help with include:
- Field lines and markings (more on that next)
- Hash marks
- Panel seams
- Kick-offs
- Low spots in corners, penalty spots, and goal boxes
4. Ensure Proper Line Marking and Soccer Field Layout
Clear, accurate line markings are essential for any soccer tournament, as they guide gameplay and avoid confusion. Ensure that your soccer field layout adheres to official guidelines, whether you’re hosting high school, college, or girls’ varsity soccer matches.
The goal box, penalty area, center circle, and sidelines should be properly measured and painted. Be sure to double check the base lines around your goals, since goals that’ve been dragged to set up different fields can damage them. (To that end, always lift a goal to move it!) Many soccer facilities also use multiple paint colors to demarcate a 9v9 or 7v7 field within an 11v11 field; if that’s true of your field, ensure each field size is clearly differentiated and that your colors are correct. When using turf paint, always verify it’s suited for synthetic surfaces to avoid damaging the turf, and repaint lines the day before the tournament if you can to ensure visibility.
And while we’re on the subject: Proper paint protocol includes the removal of old paint from your turf field, too. After a tournament, if paint isn’t removed before more paint is added on, it can harden the infill beneath and ultimately force you to replace that whole area’s infill. So as you prep your field, make sure new paint isn’t simply being layered on top of old.
5. Perform a Final Walkthrough the Night Before
The night before a soccer tournament is crunch time for field owners. A final walkthrough of the field will allow you to catch any last-minute issues before the girls’ soccer teams arrive.
Check for debris (more on how and why to do that below), verify the field markings, ensure GMAX levels are still beneath the recommended threshold, and double-check all equipment — from goals and nets to corner flags — to ensure everything is secure and ready for action. This pre-tournament check will give you peace of mind and set the stage for a successful event.
6. Finally, Use a Leaf Blower to Remove Any Debris Before Field Use
Debris on your soccer field can create hazards, disrupt gameplay, and contribute to unnecessary wear on your turf.
Before each day of tournament play, it’s a good practice to use a leaf blower or lawn sweeper to remove any trash, leaves, or loose particles from the field’s surface. This simple step ensures a clean, clear playing surface that not only looks more professional, but plays better, too.
After the Tournament: 4 Timely Turf Field Maintenance Tips
1. Thoroughly Clean Your Field
After all the girls’ soccer teams have gone home, congratulate yourself on a job well done — but not before you’ve performed some quick turf maintenance to keep your field in good playing condition. That starts with clearing away any trash, debris, or equipment that in-the-zone players and spectators may have left behind. Even small pieces of trash, if left unchecked, can work themselves into your turf fibers and cause problems later on. And trust us when we say you’ll want to avoid the bugs that inevitably are attracted to the sugary beverage spills and crumbs from younger siblings cheering from the sidelines!
Pull that leaf blower or sweeper back out and get to work, taking care to remove even tiny bits of debris that don’t belong and could clog your field’s drainage system. Check for any food or drink stains, and spot clean those areas with mild detergent and a warm water rinse.
2. Brush Or Otherwise Groom the Turf
After a lot of tournament play, some of your turf fibers may appear flattened or matted down, particularly in high-traffic areas like goalmouths. That not only makes your field look worn; it also introduces safety risks.
Take a stiff brush or artificial grass power broom with nylon bristles to your turf to “fluff up” flattened turf fibers, restoring your surface to its optimal condition. This will also help “open” up your turf’s surface and give infill granules easier entry to get between turf fibers for any infill top-offs you do. Some field owners may have a pull-behind brush that can be attached to a gator or other approved vehicle for quick work of this task, too.
In general, for every 40 hours of field activity — or around every two weeks during times of peak scheduling — it’ll be time to groom your field with turf equipment.
3. Check Synthetic Turf for Damage
As you clean and groom your field, check for any signs of damage or wear, once again zeroing in on those high-traffic areas. Things like loose seams, worn-down spots, or places where the turf backing has become exposed are all essential to look out for. Some small rips or tears could be candidates for DIY fixes, but for any larger repairs, it’s best to bring in a turf professional like the ones at Motz .
4. Reassess Your Artificial Turf Infill Levels as Needed
While a high-quality infill should be designed with minimal migration in mind, during a series of intense back-to-back games, it’s possible some infill may have been kicked or pushed around. Inspect any areas where your infill appears thin or uneven, and spot-treat those areas with top-offs of infill, using a spreader to uniformly intersperse it throughout the turf fibers.
Get Your Artificial Turf Tournament-Ready With On-Call Experts
Getting into the habit of hosting girls’ soccer tournaments? Don’t go it alone.
Motz is committed to being there throughout the life of your synthetic turf field, with a range of turf field maintenance programs and services that’ll keep your soccer field in ideal playing condition, in and out of tournament season.
Learn About Our Deep Clean, Performance Testing, and Rapid Repair Solutions
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