Lakeville South's Stadium Field Deemed Unusable

’s stadium field was deemed unplayable at the end of last week after field preparations throughout the summer were unsuccessful.

The field has been taking a year-round beating over the past couple years with the addition of lacrosse games being held on the field during the spring and turf issues have led to the poor conditions.

It was ruled inadequate by school officials—including Lakeville South Activities Director Neil Strader—after a couple pre-season sporting events were held on the field. The field will not be used for at least a few weeks, according to Strader.

“To grow it back in the long term we need to stay off it for a couple weeks,” Strader said. “We need to go through some short-term pain to get some long-term gain.”

The Cougar’s stadium field is sand based, which means it has been constructed on a gravel layer beneath a sand-based root zone. These kinds of athletic fields have certain advantages over natural-soil based fields including improved drainage, which allows the grounds crew better moisture management capabilities during and after wet days.

But too much wear and tear combined with rough weather conditions can expose the sandy layer beneath and create problems for those trying to use it.

This is what happened in the center of the field, where most of the damage is located. Over time it has become more and more sandy, making it unstable ground for student-athletes. The safety of the athletes was the biggest concern when deciding to shut down the field, according to Strader.  

Friedges Landscaping will be attempting to repair the field. They immediately started working on the field at 7 a.m. last Friday morning and will continue to restore the field until it’s once again ruled safe.  

The tentative target date to resume field use is the Cougar’s second home football game on Friday, September 16 when they host Apple Valley.  

The following varsity level games will be played at a different locations:

Tuesday, Aug, 30 vs. Owatonna
Girls soccer will play at Lakeville North stadium at 3  p.m.
Boys soccer will play at Lakeville North stadium at 5  p.m.

Thursday,  Sept. 1 vs Northfield

Boys soccer will play at Northfield High School stadium at 5 p.m.

Friday Sept. 2

Girls soccer will play at Lakeville North stadium at 2  p.m.  against Fairbault
Boys football will play at Lakeville North stadium at 7  p.m. against Eagan

Tuesday Sept. 6 vs ,Eastview

Girls soccer will play at Lakeville North stadium at 6 p.m.
Boys soccer will play at Lakeville North stadium at 8 p.m.

Saturday Sept. 10 vs. Chaska

Boys soccer will play at Lakeville North stadium at 3 p.m.
Girls soccer will play at Lakeville North stadium at 5 p.m.

Tuesday Sept. 13 vs. Burnsville

Boys soccer will play at Lakeville North stadium at 5 p.m.
Girls soccer will play at Lakeville North stadium at 7 p.m.