SAN FRANCISCO — This past Saturday, Bay FC hosted the Washington Spirit at Oracle Park in front of an announced crowd of 40,091 and set the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) attendance record. Only three days later, Oracle Park’s field returned to its original function as the Giants beat the Chicago Cubs to begin a six-game home stand.
With the help of four contractors — West Coast Turf, Frontier Golf, Delta Bluegrass and Planned Environments — the Giants’ grounds crew transformed the ballpark into a soccer pitch, then back into a baseball diamond.
“It’s a testament to my stuff and to my contractors,” said the Giants’ head groundskeeper Greg Elliot said. “We’ve identified who we feel are the best in the business to work with, and we feel like they’re the group that can help take us forward.”
Before transforming the field, Elliot and company met with Bay FC and the NWSL. The Giants provided parameters, and Bay FC provided feedback.
One key decision that Bay FC made was to utilize sod on plastic, which can be used shortly following installation. Elliot points out that sod on plastic is a more expensive route, but provides a better playing surface and more aesthetically pleasing look.
“What you get is a more fibrous root mass, and that improves playability and lessens slippage,” Elliot said. “It looks better, it doesn’t transition, you’re not cutting off roots when you do that. On the traditional side, you’re cutting off roots, laying it down and kind of injure the plant.”
Following the Giants’ 7-1 win over the Tampa Bay Rays on Aug. 17, the Giants’ grounds crew took the first step to transforming the field into a soccer pitch by removing the pitcher’s mound.
The next morning, Frontier Golf and the Giants’ grounds crew removed patches of grass inside and around the infield, as well as around the pitcher’s mound. Once the grass was removed, Frontier Grass added about 100 tons of sand, then graded it out to get the field as flat as possible.
With the grass removed and the sand added, West Coast Turf laid down the sod on plastic. Once the sod was down, the Giants’ grounds crew helped get the field into shape: establishing a mowing pattern, coloring brown spots, fertilizing the field and watering by hand three times per day.
On Aug. 23, less than a week after beginning the process, Bay FC hosted the Washington Spirit and eclipsed the previous NWSL record of 35,038 set at Wrigley Field last year when Bay FC faced Chicago Stars FC.
“The match was really successful,” Elliot said. “I think both teams were comfortable. They were confident playing on it, turning on it. I didn’t see any major slippage out of what would normally happen in a normal match. I was really excited about that.”
Once the match ended, West Coast Turf returned to roll up the sod on plastic and moved it to the parking lot. From there, Planned Environments arrived with five semi-trucks to haul away the sod and scraps. Frontier Golf then removed roughly 75 tons of sand and graded the field back down to baseball level.
The next morning, Delta Bluegrass arrived at Oracle Park and laid down fresh sod from approximately 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. Once the sod was down, the Giants’ grounds crew spent the next three days working to get the field back to playing quality.
On Aug. 26, Oracle Park returned to its original purpose as the Giants hosted the Cubs. There were some minor aesthetic remnants of Saturday’s match — the center circle can still be seen in shallow left-center field — but Tuesday’s game went off without a hitch as Justin Verlander earned his second win.