NFL grounds pros gather near Chicago
3 Apr, 2007LAKE FORREST, IL —Fostering relationships among National Football League (NFL) grounds managers and educating them on new products and practices were the primary themes at this year's NFL Sports Field Manager Education Symposium here in early March. The symposium brought together more than 50 groundskeepers representing 26 NFL teams to learn from each other about how to best manage their fields to improve the safety for NFL players.
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Participants also took part in a session with NFL Director of Game Operations Tim Davey. Davey discussed the current state of the league and answered questions regarding NFL field management practices.
"It was great having Davey at the symposium as it helped groundskeepers get information on the league's expectations of us," said Darian Daily, head groundskeeper for the Cincinnati Bengals. "The 2007 Symposium was the first time we had league representation at the meeting and it was helpful to not only learn from them but to also inform them of all that we're doing to educate those in the grounds management profession."
The event was sponsored by leading sports turf supplier companies — Turface, World Class Athletic Surfaces, Covermaster, LESCO Professional Turf Products, ProSeeds and Toro.
Representatives from supplier companies were on hand to educate participants of the benefits of using their nproducts to improve field safety.
Educational sessions at the symposium included maintenance issues NFL groundskeepers currently face, management of warm-season grasses on sand-based fields, new varieties and improvements of grasses, and even how groundskeepers can present themselves in a more professional manner.
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"The symposium was a historic moment," said Dailey. "This was the first time a lot of us had gotten together to talk about common issues. Turf managers could talk to other turf managers regarding common issues. It provided some great sharing opportunities that allowed us to establish relationships not only with NFL officials but also with each other, which will ultimately help us to do our jobs better and will benefit the sports field management industry."
Representatives from the following NFL teams participated in the symposium:
Arizona Cardinals, Atlanta Falcons, Baltimore Ravens, Buffalo Bills, Carolina Panthers, Chicago Bears, Cincinnati Bengals, Cleveland Browns, Dallas Cowboys, Denver Broncos, Detroit Lions, Green Bay Packers, Jacksonville Jaguars, Kansas City Chiefs, Miami Dolphins, Minnesota Vikings, New York Jets, Philadelphia Eagles, Pittsburgh Steelers, San Diego Chargers, San Francisco 49ers, Seattle Seahawks, St. Louis Rams, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Tennessee Titans, Washington Redskins.
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