We have a shortage of artificial turf fields that can be used for soccer.
The regional championship games for boys and girls soccer teams are played at the home field of the higher-seeded teams.
You can argue that the higher-seeded team has earned the right to host a regional title game based on their body of work over a 14-game regular season and two or three playoff games.
You would be right. They have earned it.
However, you will be hard-pressed to find a grass field that isn’t currently showing a significant amount of wear and tear after a long season.
Then you throw in the late-fall weather, which can include frost, ice, rain and snow, and you have championships being decided in a quagmire.
Just look at the current situation as the result of Hurricane Sandy.
There is no question that it takes an adjustment to play on artificial turf.
The bounces are different and the speed of the ball on the surface is different than you would find on grass.
It’s quicker, which favors the highly skilled teams.
But at least you are guaranteed a nice surface which will allow teams to play the game rather than plod through poor field conditions.
Regional championship games should be held on artificial turf fields.
The problem is we don’t have that many, especially in eastern Maine.
Then you have an issue with availability.
There are turf fields in Presque Isle, Hampden and Bangor (Husson University).
The Maine Principals’ Association should see if they could secure those sites for next fall’s eight Eastern Maine championship games (four boys, four girls).
Since there are no Class A teams north of Bangor, you wouldn’t send those schools to Presque Isle, but there are enough Aroostook County teams in Classes B, C and D to warrant the use of the Johnson Athletic Complex in Presque Isle if a County team is the higher seed.
There would have to be common-sense scheduling.
For example, you wouldn’t put a Camden Hills-Ellsworth Class B final in Presque Isle, but it would fit nicely in Bangor or Hampden.
Hopefully, there is another artificial turf field or two on the horizon in Eastern Maine.
My how did they ever play before the advent of artificial turf ? The better team should win no matter what kind of field the game is played on.
I prefer my soccer, football and baseball on natural turf.
Oh and how about the injuries related to artificial turf ? Far more significant than the old fashion grass.
Icy-quagmire games are the best ones, though. Battle-scarred tundra and all that. There’s nothing heroic or memorable about astroturf. Besides, if the players wanted to stay warm and dry, they presumably would not have selected an outdoor fall/winter sport.
(As an aside, that’s some amazing formatting you’ve got going on there. Only one graf contains more than one sentence. It’s like the article was written to be displayed on one of those highway department light-up signs. CAUTION: LEFT LANE CLOSED AHEAD. WE HAVE A SHORTAGE OF ARTIFICIAL TURF FIELDS.)
It would certainly be easier if all the games were played at neutral site(s), just like in all the ot her sports.
Maine Maritime Academy would be great for Ellsworth/Camden
Weather and field conditions are part of the game identity. Artificial turf for championship games gives advantage to teams that are able to play on them. If the MPA wants to provide practice times and reimburse for travel expenses, then that would be a different story.
I agree with this. The Eastern Maine Championships for field hockey are played on turf, so why isn’t soccer? These kids have worked hard all season and deserve to play the game on a field that is in good condition. The game should not be decided by a ball skipping through the mud or resting in a puddle.
Great argument. Field hockey and soccer. Practically the same. Next lets compare apples and doorknobs.
I understand the difference with the balls and technique and such, but why let one team play on turf and not another?
Why not make artificial turf golf courses while we are at it then
The Camden-Ellsworth game could have easily been played at Point Lookout in Northport – great artificial field
Games should be played at a neutral site just like title games in basketball, baseball, and volleyball. In high school we drove 6 hours to Van Buren for the EM soccer game and it snowed a foot. We had to drive back home to Eastport and drive back to Van Buren a couple days later. They had to plow the field and temperatures were in the negatives. It was like playing on a sheet of ice. We lost by a score of 3-0. The outcome may not have been any different had it been on a neutral field but soccer is the only sport I know of that does not play at a neutral site for some reason.
Using Husson’s soccer fields like Eastern Maine uses Bangor Auditorium, Mansfield, and the Brewer softball field for Title games is a very good idea, turf or not. I’m sure it is not cheap to rent the Husson field but at least make an attempt to make it fair across the board.
Disagree. Teams that earned home field, deserve home field, short of a total quagmire.
“The bounces are different and the speed of the ball on the surface is different than you would find on grass.
It’s quicker, which favors the highly skilled teams”
I agree with line 1 but not line 2. It favors teams that play on them
Home field advantage is very important and earned. However, if you can’t take care of your home field and it’s torn up for an important playoff game, then you should lose that right. It also helps if you can secure the full complement of referees so the game is well officiated. When you have a well-maintained field and well-positioned officials who can discern that a first-half goal should be disallowed since it was knocked in by a hand, then the kids get a fair shake.
Go Camden!!