To ensure that you are spending your money wisely, consider these ten tips from the professionals at Beacon Athletics, DuraEdge and 4Most Sport Group.

1.  Get feedback. Ask facility and field maintenance personnel, schedulers — even fans — to provide suggestions in the design stage.
2. Assess “wants” vs “needs.” There are many things you want to have, but there are critical things you need to function successfully.
3. Find a great knowledge source. Investing in a consultant’s design experience will save you money by the end of the project.
4. Get the infrastructure and structures right. They must be able to support future improvements or expansion to the facility.
5. Hire only highly qualified, experienced sports field builders. Delivering a safe, playable and properly functioning sports field is the most important priority.
6. Prioritize quality and performance. Selections made based only on price will result in under performing products.
7. Budget wisely. When considering cost, the horizontals inside the fence — field grade, irrigation & drainage, turf, infield soils, etc. — are far more important than the verticals outside the fence — scoreboards, foul poles, bleachers, dugouts, press box, etc.
8. Be realistic when considering everything your fields will be used for. Besides regular season games, remember that practices, scrimmages, clinics, different seasons and age groups will all need your playing surface to perform well. Knowing this will help guide you in the right choice for products that can stand the test of time and traffic.
9. Perform your due diligence as the project advances. A consultant or project manager’s advice at key milestones of your project will confirm accuracy and compliance with specs. This is especially important if the next phase involves burying or concealing parts of what has already been built.
10. Get it right the first time. Poor design choice or bad workmanship will result in years of frustration. Securing additional funding to fix your field will be difficult.