Q: Notice anything missing from this photo?
A: The turf is gone. (But, a new turf is coming.)
After 19 years and who-knows-how-many soccer matches, Bluffton Family Recreation is replacing the original turf on its indoor soccer field, according to Joseph Beagle, BFR director.
The original turf was removed earlier this month. Friday morning a new turf will arrive and installation will be underway all day.
The new turf is purchased and installed by Maumee Bay Turf Center. Installation is just in time – the fall indoor soccer season at BFR starts later this month.
“Turfs like ours have a lifetime of from 9 to 12 years. Ours is nearly twice that old,” he said.
Beagle said that the soccer turf is 7,200 square feet. Over 2,000 athletes use the field over a typical 12-month period.
Persons using the soccer area range in age from 2 to seniors. Programs held on the field include those for tiny tots, after-school programs, rookie sports and soccer matches.
The field is heavily used during on weekends and evenings. For example, last fall and winter indoor soccer league has teams competing in 10 different age groups starting with under 8 and going all the way to adult leagues.
