The Sports Field Management Association named the grounds maintenance crew for Louisville City FC and Racing Louisville FC as the winner of the 2024 Field of the Year award, given to individuals and programs that excelled this year in providing quality, safe playing surfaces.
The annual honor recognizes SFMA members who manage baseball, football, soccer, softball and other sporting grounds at the professional, collegiate, school (K-12) and parks and recreation levels and provide quality, safe playing surfaces.
A nonprofit, professional organization, SFMA serves almost 2,500 members who manage sports fields worldwide.
“I’m incredibly proud of my staff for all the hard work they’ve put in this year,” said Aaron Fink, the field maintenance manager for Soccer Holdings LLC, the parent company of LouCity and Racing. “In addition to LouCity and Racing games, last year we successfully hosted Eintracht Frankfurt for an international friendly and welcomed the U.S. Women’s National Team to Lynn Family Stadium for the first time. The goal was always to provide a safe, high-quality playing surface. To be recognized by peers in our industry is a wonderful achievement and a job well done.”
“The dedication and expertise of these Field of the Year Award winners exemplify the best in sports field management,” said SFMA president Sun Roesslein, CSFM. “Their commitment to excellence ensures that athletes of all levels have access to safe, high-quality playing surfaces. We are honored to recognize their contributions to the field management profession.”
The grounds crew at Soccer Holdings consists of four full-time staffers and five hourly associates. In addition to Fink’s leadership, Darrell Clark serves as assistant groundskeeper at Lynn Family Stadium, while Matt Skidmore (head groundskeeper) and J.R. Williams (assistant groundskeeper) lead operations at Lynn Family Sports Vision & Training Center, the world-class training headquarters for LouCity and Racing and their academy.
The grounds team associates include Andrew Berg, Connor Borg, Logan Eversgard, Ryne Hall and Brock Hammond.
The SFMA Awards Committee reviewed each submittal and independently rated applicants on field quality as impacted by staffing, budget, use, monthly maintenance and a visual story that documents challenges and successes.
Each recipient of the annual award will be highlighted in an upcoming issue of SportsField Management Magazine, SFMA’s official monthly publication.
