MSU Soccer Field named best in country
Contact: Mary Pollitz
STARKVILLE, Miss.—Mississippi State has received a top national honor for its quality collegiate soccer field.
The Sports Field Management Association has named MSU’s soccer pitch as the top college and university soccer field in the country for 2024. The awards are chosen by a panel of judges that score entries based on playability, appearance, utilization of innovative solutions, effective use of budget and implementation, or a comprehensive program.
The turf, along with playing surfaces at MSU’s other athletic facilities, is overseen by Athletic Grounds Associate Director Brandon Hardin, a 2006 graduate of MSU’s golf and sports management program. His team includes five assistants and a half dozen student workers.
“This award is a testament to my team,” Hardin said. “I try to keep them pointed in the right direction, but every award they win is on them. It’s a testament to their hard work and their dedication to the athletes at our university.”
This year, the sports turf crew maintained the soccer field late into the season with MSU competing in the NCAA tournament.
“Those games were played here in Starkville, which means the season is longer for us and more wear and tear, and we’ve got to keep that pitch up. That’s a good problem to have,” Hardin said. “It’s always special to know we’re a small part of all the success that we have here on campus. We watch our athletes have success because of our hard work, that just makes it even better.”
The field is covered with Tifway 419 Hybrid Bermuda Grass grown in Tupelo, overseeded each fall with perennial ryegrass. Because Hardin and his crew have maintained an exceptional playing surface for long term use, the pitch hasn’t needed renovation for more than a decade.
“It was a shock to win this one because it's our oldest field on campus,” Hardin said. “There are some state-of-the-art fields around the country that have been renovated and updated. And a lot of places have their own practice facility and their game field doesn’t see the wear and tear that ours does.”
MSU received the award at the recent Sports Field Management Association’s annual conference. SFMA advances professionalism in sports field management and safety through education, awareness programs and industry development. For more, visit www.sportsfieldmanagement.org/
Mississippi State University is taking care of what matters. Learn more at www.msstate.edu.