Progress continues on Bethany’s new soccer field/athletic complex. Site work began in early May 2019 and is scheduled to wrap up in late September.
Since construction began on the project, crews have completely dismantled the old baseball field, constructed two new parking lots adjacent to the athletic complex, added dozens of trees and shrubs to the project area, built a new water retention pond on the site, and constructed a new state-of-the-art soccer field.
The new soccer field features FieldTurf, a synthetic surface that is said to play similarly to natural grass, but will perhaps change the way Bethany’s teams approach the game just a bit.
Vikings head women’s soccer coach Emma Morris explained, “The new turf soccer field enhances the playing experience of both our men’s and women’s soccer teams here at Bethany due to a couple of different factors. The first is that we are used to playing and practicing on grass fields, and that means the ball rolls a bit slower and so you can get away with less speed or less technical ability than when you play on a turf field. This turf field will help us to build on one area that we know we need to improve which is technical ability. The girls will now have to adapt their playing style and improve their first touch.”
The field covers 95,880 square feet. While the site prep work took over two months, the actual process to install the turf took about three weeks. The total cost for the new field was $1,600,000 which included earth moving, base, and the turf.
Vikings head men’s soccer coach, Derick Lyngholm is excited about what the new facility brings to the soccer programs.
Lyngholm said, “I think this definitely helps in recruiting by showing student athletes the investment the school is interested in making for them. I don’t think there will be any way that incoming recruits won’t be blown away by the first-class facility that we putting together.”
Remaining project tasks include new the installation of new bleachers, concrete work, electrical/lighting, flag pole system, new perimeter fencing, additional landscaping, press box construction, service road, site restoration, sodding, and technology. The old pavilion will also be demolished. All of this work will lead up to the city issuing an occupancy permit before the keys are turned over from RW Carlstrom Construction to Bethany Lutheran College.
