Beginning in 2012, the girls and boys soccer teams began using North Elementary while the old school began to undergo construction. The boys varsity team would play games at their field at SBRHS (site of the current baseball field) while the girls soccer teams would practice at North Elementary and vice versa. However, in 2013, both teams moved to North Elementary full-time. Both teams played the majority of their games at North Elementary, but had a few games on the turf. The boys and girls soccer teams were finally able to play their first home game on a grass field at SBRHS in four years. The boys varsity team played their first game on the new grass fields on October 4 against Bishop Feehan, and the girls varsity team played their first game on October 8 against Durfee.

Boys Varsity Coach Mr. Gleason would like to the “thank the SBRHS Athletics Department, SSYSL [Somerset Swansea Youth Soccer League], and the Somerset school district for letting us share the fields at North Elementary” on behalf of the boys soccer program. He feels that one of the things that made North Elementary good for practice was the amount of space for practicing, but the team is excited about not having to take the bus to North Elementary each day. Girls varsity coach Mr. Forrest also loves the new fields: “Between the daily bus rides and field conditions, it put a lot of unnecessary stress on players and coaches. Every day felt like an away game.”

The staff of SBRHS has worked very hard to prepare the new fields for the 2016 Fall sports season, for the fields were originally not supposed to be ready until Fall 2017. The fields were watered each morning during the warmer months, which has caused the grass to grow in well. Although there are still some challenges to the setup of the fields (the location of the two fields next to each
other can cause confusion of whistles during games), they are still an improvement to the field conditions of North Elementary.

While the new fields are located at SBRHS and therefore are easier to access, the turf field also provides many advantages as well. With the switch from turf
to grass, the players and coaches weigh the advantages of each surface in order to determine strategies that will help their team have the greatest chance of winning the game. These advantages include that “turf surface is more ‘true’ and players generally have a better touch on the ball,” says Coach Gleason. Furthermore, grass games are likely to be cancelled while turf games most likely will not. Coach Gleason says that “when I was playing soccer, I personally preferred playing on a nice, flat grass field, as turf fields weren’t really available.” However, he says that “most players today prefer to play on the turf. I can’t blame them.”

Mr. Francis became the school’s athletic director after the new fields were laid out. He says it was a “pleasant surprise to have the soccer teams be allowed to use them this fall.” Although the fields were specifically built for the soccer teams at the school, spring track will throw the discus, shot put, and javelin on them. Mr. Francis says that “having almost all our fall teams on campus (Cross Country runs meets at [Somerset] Middle School) allows Mrs. Medeiros [Athletic Trainer] easier access to more athletic events too,” which provides another advantage to the staff at the school as well as players and coaches. Overall, players, coaches, and staff are thrilled to have easy access to these brand new fields.  “Having the fields at the school gives us the feeling that we finally have a ‘home,’” says girls varsity coach Mr. Forrest.