July 21, 2000 UNT Inhouse publication: Preparing football stadium for season is no easy task

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Preparing football stadium for season is no easy task

Football players shed a lot of sweat and spend countless hours practicing to prepare for the first game of the season. But don't underestimate the amount of work and time that go into preparing Fouts Field for the big event.

Preseason conditioning for the stadium begins in the summer. David Sweeten, athletic facilities coordinator, says he and employees from about five different departments in the UNT Physical Plant begin by assessing the 49-year-old stadium.

Crew members inspect toilets and sinks and make sure the bleachers are securely bolted down. They tend the hedges and grass around the stadium and take care of minor paint jobs and repairs.

"With everything that has to be done, it takes all the way through August to get everything ready to go for that first game each year," Sweeten says.

As for the field itself, the artificial turf requires little maintenance, but it still has to be cleaned with a machine similar to the Zamboni that is used to smooth the ice for hockey games. The contraption sweeps and vacuums up everything from pigeon feathers to leaves.

As the season nears, the company that manufactures the stadium's scoreboard examines and replaces all of the lights that have burned out or may burn out soon. A representative from a sound system company tests the stadium's audio equipment.

To prepare for the extra media expected to cover the Aug. 31 season opener against Baylor University this year, the crew has given special attention to the field's press box.

"We've moved things around so that we can provide more working space for writers and broadcasters who will be at the game," Sean Johnson, assistant director of athletics, says.

Despite all of the work that goes into grooming Fouts Field for football season, making it look presentable is a year-round battle, Sweeten says. Although he rarely sees major problems, one problem always seems to arise (or rather, fall) — bird droppings.

"Like many places on campus, the stadium seems to be a haven for pigeons," Sweeten says. "They love the overhang, and I guess that's the best place to be in this heat. We had to purchase a power sprayer to clean up after them."

Although he has researched several methods to keep the birds away, including fake owls, Sweeten says that cleaning up the mess is the most cost-efficient solution for now.