City Councilors,
I will be attending the public hearing of the Programs and Services Committee tomorrow night to learn more about the citizen petition to enact a moratorium on turf fields in Newton.
As a resident, father of three children, and a director of a youth sports program in the City, I am firmly against this petition. Simply put, we need more fields for more play, more often. Turf fields are an essential part of this equation.
Eliminating turf fields may be intended to protect player safety and rein in city budgets. However, the following things will happen if turf fields are banned in the City:
1. Fewer players will be able to compete on Newton’s sports teams. This is a simple issue of math. With fewer fields to play on–and less time to play on them, as grass requires more rest than turf–there will be limited spots for youth programs. This is not good for the health or wellness of young people in the city, especially given all of the mental health impacts of the pandemic. Now is a time to be opening up programs for more players, not restricting their growth.
2. The cost of playing youth sports will go up. This is because leagues will be forced to find turf fields in and around the city–and there are more than enough private facilities willing to rent out for a significant fee. The city may not be on the hook for these costs, but individual families will be.
3. Some programs may vanish completely. If turf fields are eliminated, my ultimate frisbee program, which last fall reached 150+ players in grades K-12, would have a very difficult time finding spots to play, as our field needs are filled well behind soccer and other Newton-based field sports. (Field space is currently the #1 barrier to the growth of my program.) I don’t even use turf fields–but I rely on them to create playing opportunities for other sports leagues so that I can get the (very small) amount of fieldspace that I need.
If the city does in fact want to ban turf, then I hope they are willing to create more open, green space to mitigate the impact of the ban. One option would be to clear space in Webster Woods for grass fields. Or, perhaps the city would be willing to purchase the Dudley Road estate as the future site of a youth sports complex. Assuming that neither option is very palatable, turf remains the best, most efficient option to supporting the needs of youth athletes across the city.
Respectfully
Burt
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Burt Granofsky
Boston Ultimate Disc Alliance
Head Coach, Newton Youth Ultimate
Friends of Albemarle 