NSU turf field

ABERDEEN, S.D. Starting spring 2018, contractor Kansas Turf and Northern have been working together to lay down new turf on Northern’s campus behind what used to be Jerde Hall, a project that has attracted a lot of attention.

The new turf is part of Northern’s brand new Athletic and Recreation Fields, one of three projects of the Educational Impact Campaign, and covers both the soccer field and the football practice field.

NSU Director of Athletics Josh Moon said the turf will benefit the teams as well as Northern’s campus.

“The turf will transform our practice and training space for football,” said Moon. “It will provide our soccer program with the best facility in NCAA Division II, and one of the best in the entire Upper Midwest.”

Turf fields have many benefits from traditionally grown grass fields, and Jake Farrant of Kansas Turf shared some of those benefits, as well as interesting details about this project.

This turf field will last from eight to 12 years, and is approximately 220,000 square feet in size.

This project will be one of the top three “on campus” projects in the country, meaning it will be one of the largest turf fields on any college campus in the United States.

Turf fields also offer many safety benefits as compared to regular fields, and a five-year study has shown that turf offers significant decreases in concussions, ACL injuries, ligament tears, and third-degree sprains.

The new field will also use recycled rubber infill, which will act as the “dirt” to pack down the synthetic nylon grass blades.

“The turf is ‘Xtreme Turf’ from Act Global. Act Global has turf in six NFL stadiums and has been the turf of the Super Bowl in four of the last six years, so we are getting the highest quality product,” said Moon.

This $45 million Educational Impact Campaign, a collaborative effort between Northern and the South Dakota School for the Blind and Visually Impaired, involves three projects: a new SDSBVI facility, Athletic and Recreation Fields and an on-campus regional sports complex.

“We are looking forward to having access to this wonderful space for our students both physical education classes and recreational activities,” said Dr. Marje Kaiser, superintendent of the SDSBVI. “It is an important part of our collaboration with NSU that we have access to this area, which will serve not only the needs of Northern’s athletes, but ours as well.”

Work on the Athletic and Recreation Fields will be finished by fall, with the accompanying pavilion for the fields set to be finished later in the year. Once Jerde Hall is completely demolished, construction will start on the new SDSBVI building, which has a projected completion date of fall 2019.

Once SDSBVI moves to its new building, the current school will be demolished. According to Northern’s campus master plan, by spring 2020, construction will begin on the sports complex, including Dacotah Bank Stadium and Koehler Hall of Fame Softball Field. Completion is expected by 2022.

About Northern State University

Northern State University is a regional university that offers outstanding academics and exceptional extracurricular activities at an affordable price on a safe, welcoming campus. Northern State recently announced its Educational Impact Campaign, with a goal of raising $45 million for a new South Dakota School for the Blind and Visually Impaired, new athletic and recreation fields, and an on-campus regional sports complex. Once the campaign is complete, NSU will be the recipient of more than $100 million in privately funded building projects and scholarships within a decade. To learn more, visit NSU Admissions.