NORTH BRUNSWICK — A few North Brunswick Township High School [NBTHS] athletic teams will once again be displaced for the fall season as playing fields are being renovated.
The freshman, junior varsity and varsity football teams, which normally practice on a field behind the high school, are instead using a field area in the baseball facility, according to Athletic Director Aaron Speller, which he said is a larger space than a football field. The games will still be played on the main high school Steve Libro stadium field.
“The conditions are above what the football team has been utilizing in previous years,” Speller said.
The reason for the change is because of renovations to their normal practice field. Approximately 7,000 cubic yards of soil were left over from the high school construction project that was completed in September 2006. A portion of the dirt is being used to renovate the original football practice field, including irrigation, drainage and topsoil. The field should be ready for use by next year.
“We anticipated the need to move practice areas during the years of construction. This is just the last stage of the renovations. All teams will have excellent facilities and space to practice and play games in the fall,” Speller said. “Our grounds department does an excellent job, and in conjunction with the principal, superintendent and the Board of Education, have been allowed to restore the vital systems that were lost during the five plus years of construction.”
In the meantime, there is little concern over the heavy use of football cleats on the baseball field.
“The maintenance department has been proactive with a preventative maintenance plan [so] our philosophy is to keep the baseball field in top condition,” Speller said.
He said that the sprinkler system has been serviced and after the season, a fertilization and maintenance plan will be administered to the field throughout the year.
In terms of competition, Speller said he does not believe the teams will suffer any disadvantages because of their relocation. He cited the varsity and junior varsity lacrosse teams, who held practices and games offsite because the Raider Road field was closed in the fall of 2006 after a parent complained of unsafe field conditions.
“The best example is the North Brunswick girls’ lacrosse team [which] used a similar arrangement in the spring. Their result was an undefeated regular season, a player of the year and a coach of the year. So, any thoughts of a move or different fields affecting preparation or performance can be dispelled by their exemplary performance in the spring under like conditions,” Speller said.
In addition, this season the soccer and cross-country teams will take bus trans- portation to the North Brunswick Community Park on Route 130. Soccer will utilize the park for practice, while cross-country will travel there for meets and practice, Speller said.
Speller also said that the athletic department has a “good working relationship” with the township Department of Parks & Recreation, who has “been gracious in allowing us to utilize the new Community Park facility, the tennis courts [at Veterans Park] and Sabella Park over the years.
Veterans Park has still remained closed due to the contamination issue at the high school found in 2003. Sabella Park is currently undergoing renovations, with an artificial turf field having been recently installed and other improvements scheduled to be completed by the end of the year.
The North Brunswick Community Park celebrated its grand opening in April 2007, and currently includes full- and short-sided soccer fields, baseball fields and areas for lacrosse teams to play.
To contact Jennifer Amato, e-mail