gunshy wrote:Field turf is a very expensive proposition to install and I am sure this cost would eventually filter down to the users; just not sure that the end would justify the means for older teams who play almost exclusively in mid-summer. I am not sure, but maybe a better option to changing the playing surface is to have a cover (tarp system) for the existing surface. Games are not going to play during a thunderstorm regardless of the surface.
Some valid points gunshy. Although on a Softball diamond, when you compare maintenance costs, field turf might be a little easier sell than that of a high school Football field. Particularly when you start throwing OT, diamond dri, etc., into the mix.
I agree on the tarp system, however, when you install the field turf, allegedly your maintenance costs drop significantly. With the tarp system, the maintenance savings are not going to be that great, you still have to drag, line, cut grass, gas, water, etc.
I would also guess if you're doing field turf on a complex, multiple diamonds, and you're installing it in the construction process, it would be considerably cheaper than a retro-fit. A good chunk of the initial installation cost is the excavation/site work/drainage i.e., all the stuff no one ever sees.
Another caveat that hasn't been mentioned, on field turf outside, the temperature is typically about 10ºF higher than the ambient temperature. Those hot summer days could be brutal on kids. I've spent a lot of time on field turf fields, the raise in temperature is not a myth, I've experienced it myself.
If I can't have my can of Skoal, then I have to have a big bag of seeds. And if I can't have my big bag of seeds, then I have to have a big bag of peanuts. And if I can't have my big bag of peanuts, I'm probably watching from the parking lot 
