Keeping Things in Line is Never a Drag

Wednesday, July 29, 2020 - 16:33
Caitlin Richler
Senior Marketing Manager

DID YOU KNOW?...
...That we have a Field Maintenance Program?
...That we invest tens of thousands of dollars each year into this program?
...That we maintain an average of 110 playing fields each season?

Most players are aware of the City’s involvement in sports field maintenance, but not many are aware of the Club’s involvement. Call it a humble brag, but we’re proud of the program we’ve built and we want YOU to know about it.

HOW IT WORKS
The City of Calgary takes the lead on field maintenance for public sports fields in the city, and part of our rental fees are designated to pay for their expenses. Fields are on a 14-day rotation, and the City is only responsible for mowing the grass and managing the weeds. With 850+ teams in our Slo-Pitch, Kickball, Outdoor Soccer, Ultimate, and Flag Football leagues, we know that this is not enough.

That’s why we built our Field Maintenance Program! On top of providing additional mowing and weed maintenance for the City, the Club takes on a few key maintenance tasks of our own…
 

Maintenance City of Calgary CSSC
Mowing Grass
Managing Weeds
Repairing Divots
Painting Lines
Adding Base Whiskers
Dragging Diamonds

We know we’re living in a world of ‘right now,’ and if we could tend to every single field every single day… well, I would say ‘we would,’ but that might be a little too much love for each field. Instead, fields are on a rotational schedule and each day we prioritize the fields that need attention the most. Priorities are based on our own scouting reports as well as the field ratings that Team Captains and Event Coordinators leave for us in their score submissions.

If this were a cheesy infomercial (it kind of is), this is the part where the announcer grabs the mic and in a sultry tone, says “but wait… there’s more!” Because there is. On top of the routine love our team gives these fields, we’re always looking to do more. If you play Outdoor Soccer, you know how important it is for that crease to be in tip top shape… and we do too. This year, our crew found the creases that needed the most TLC and hydro-seeded them before games began in July. Pics or it didn’t happen, right?...

Field quality improvements such as this are where we find our joy. Cheesy, but true.

 

COVID-19
We can’t forget that it’s 2020, and the world is currently flipped-turned upside down. If you’re playing with us this Summer season, you might be thinking “this is great and all, but the fields don’t appear to be of the same quality I’m used to seeing from you,” and you’d be right. COVID-19 threw a few curveballs at the Club, and Field Maintenance is seeing some of those effects.

  • With all fields closed in May/June, no one was maintaining the fields prior to the start of our Summer leagues.
  • Due to COVID-19, the City of Calgary has severely reduced maintenance commitments and capabilities.
    • We are now the primary caretakers for the fields this Summer, and are working hard each week to care for all 110 playing fields.
  • Allowing ‘Team Play’ in Stage 2 of the relaunch was a (very happy) surprise to the Club, and we acted as quickly as possible to get our Field Maintenance Crew moving.
    • With such a tight turnaround, and a lot of care needed for each field, our team started behind schedule.

We are committed to providing you with the best playing experience possible and for those that are currently playing with us, thank you for your patience so far. All fields have now been visited at least once by our crew, and they will begin operating on a rotational schedule.

 

Next time you’re out cruising the streets of Calgary and you spot the CSSC van, give them a honk, a neighbourly nod, or even an air high-five. They’re pouring their blood (hopefully not), sweat (definitely), and tears (sometimes), into those fields, and are doing their best to keep them in shape for your game each week.