Deb Leahy keeps hundreds of photos stored on her iPhone, most of which fade into memory after the given moment was captured.
But a photo from last year of a duck eyeing a newly formed pond always catches her attention anytime she decides to scroll through the album. To the duck, the standing water covering one of the grass fields at Memorial Field became a new swimming hole where athletes should have been running around.
That’s why Leahy snapped the photo of the drenched field.
“We are pretty well-known for our substandard facilities,” the mother of two boys and president of the Concord High lacrosse booster club said. “It’s talked about frequently and I think it’s a poor reflection on the capital.”
Such is the reality for Concord’s various outdoor sports teams. At any point in the year, the opportunity to merely play a game or even practice is at risk from the elements — especially in spring — as water logged grass fields can be torn up by a stampede of cleats in a matter of minutes. The frustration continues to build up as another game has to be postponed — like last Tuesday’s boys’ lacrosse game — or a game has to be moved to a different location — like Wednesday’s varsity softball game.
Artificial turf fields have been built in communities around the state in Bedford, Nashua, Manchester, Hollis-Brookline and Laconia to name a few. Bow wanted to build on this years, but the proposal was voted down at Town Meeting. Concord’s lack of a turf field spurs lots of conversation among parents, players and coaches, especially when it rains.
In the summer of 2021, an uncharacteristic amount of rain shut down city fields for an extended period of time. During the recent fall sports season, practices for multiple sports including soccer, football and field hockey all were moved indoors at one point or another.
Now in this spring season, the conversation has come back to the forefront after the most recent gloomy, wet day. April 19 brought about the first wave of postponements and cancellations for outdoor sporting events, and with those postponements resurfaced the question — Will Concord build a turf field?
“There’s a need for it in the community, but there’s also the fiscal responsibility that city council and the city manager have to make regarding all the different priorities in the city,” said David Gill, the city’s director of parks and recreation. “I’m fairly confident everyone understands the need for a turf field in Concord, but it does come down to priorities.”
The city has a plan on the table to build a turf field in the next phase of the Terrill Park improvements. Phase one, which was completed in October 2020, was to move the original dog park to its current position as the original location would’ve been in the middle of the future field.
It also included a new parking lot and a completed section of the Merrimack River Greenway Trail.
While the plan was approved, it’s the funding that remains the struggle. Turf fields, on average, cost more than a million dollars to install from shovel to ribbon cutting. Since this particular field would be right along the Merrimack River, those pesky little black beads commonly associated with turf fields will be replaced by a more natural resource like sand or other natural material, which could increase the cost.
That plan uses city land, which is located away from the cit’s high school and middle school.
“If and when it comes to fruition, I guess there will be a discussion on usage, but the school district isn’t involved in it,” said Concord School District Business Administrator Jack Dunn.
Dunn said the district is aware of the community interest in a turf field, but the construction of a new Rundlett Middle School project is the main focus for the district at the moment. Some have speculated a turf field could be built on the grounds where the new school will be built, but according to Dunn, that’s still a long way away.
For some longtime sports fans in the community, Concord has lost its spot as the go-to destination during tournament time in the fall and spring. Instead of hosting championship games, Concord teams ride the bus to places with better fields.
“It’s not even thought of that (Concord) would be hosting anything here for a tournament game,” Leahy said. “I don’t even think there are people who remember that tournament games used to be hosted here.”
Leahy and her husband Matt have almost completed their tenure as parents with children in the Concord school system. Their two sons played sports year round and utilized the city’s facilities at various parks including Memorial Field, Rollins Park and White Park. While the appreciation for the facilities are near and dear, the reality is families continue to hold out hope that the next generation of athletes can play on an outdoor surface during the rainiest of days without hesitation.
It’s not only parents of former, current and future athletes in the capital that keep wondering about the potential field. Coaches consistently feel the pull that comes from being a major power in New Hampshire high school athletics that lacks the resources of other communities.
“To be the fourth best team in the state of New Hampshire and you can’t even host a home playoff game, it’s kind of frustrating, especially for those girls who put in the work every day,” said Andrew Mattarazzo, the varsity girls’ soccer coach for Concord High. “People would ask me ‘How are you doing this? Why are you doing this?’ and it’s for the benefit of the game so that it’s more of a clean game, but at the same time you’d rather be playing in Concord where you would have more support and fans because it’s local.”
It’s both the burden and the blessing of being a coach for a team that is forced to battle the elements. The Crimson Tide finished the season last fall at 13-3 and were the number four seed in the Division I tournament, which earned them home field advantage until the semifinals. But rather than playing at Memorial Field, a rainstorm forced the game against Dover to be played at Bank of New Hampshire Stadium in Laconia.
Jim Corkum, the Crimson Tide’s varsity football coach, said that weather forced the team to move some practices indoor to the Concord Sports Center. The facility has a small turf field within the confines that served its purpose for a roster that had over 40 players. While the lack of a turf field hasn’t hurt participation, Corkum said the benefits to having one are evident.
“Kids who enjoy their sport will continue to play whether they’re playing on grass or turf,” he said. “But that being said, a turf field does offer certain conveniences that you don’t necessarily get with a grass field in terms of being able to extend seasons and even do things in the winter.”
Besides the effect on athletics, a turf field would cause more families to visit Concord from around the state, according to Mattarazzo.
“Another thing that it can do, if a turf field is put into Concord, you can host NHIAA events that will bring people to Central New Hampshire,” he said. “Being more centralized with a turf field in the state of New Hampshire, that will definitely benefit the city. It’ll bring people here, it’ll bring revenue to local businesses, it’ll bring revenue to the city of Concord so people can rent the field.”
“I think this is something that can build back the reputation of Concord,” he added.