A new ball game: Vero Beach's turf field at the Citrus Bowl ready to go

A new era has arrived at Vero Beach High School, one that had been needed badly that will be the new foundation for football players on Friday nights.

The school has become the first on the Treasure Coast to install an artificial turf field at Billy Livings Field in the Citrus Bowl with the first game to be played tonight as Vero welcomes in Dwyer for its kickoff classic.

The team got a first practice on its new surroundings Wednesday afternoon in preparation for its test run leading into the regular season that will start with a bang.

State powerhouse Miami Northwestern comes to town in Week 1 on Aug. 25 as part of seven home games for Vero Beach in 2023.

An upgrade to the playing surface at the Citrus Bowl had been a point of discussion for years as the use and wear on the grass from Vero's football, soccer and lacrosse teams combined with poor irrigation below the surface would often make the field treacherous after even a quick downpour.

Going into the summer, Vero Beach head football coach and athletic director Lenny Jankowski was finally given the word that school district would move forward with a revitalization.

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Moving from grass to a turf surface was the immediate thought as discussions about the cost benefit in the long run as well as looking into a modern type of turf that would be safer and cooler in the heat of Florida.

"All of that was kicked around and discussed (turf vs. natural grass) but what was very apparent was that we needed a new field," Jankowski said. "I think from there, you start saying, what's the most logical decision and when you do a project like this, I think you have to have some foresight. In this case, I credit our school district, our school board, all the people it took to get this project approved.

A ton of student athletes are going to benefit from it, our community is going to benefit from it. Speaking personally, we're certainly going to enjoy it, we're very proud to have it, proud to get it, we're excited and very appreciative, I can't express that enough, the appreciation for it speaking for the entire athletic department," Jankowski said.

Hellas Construction, based out of Austin, Tex., had already built the school's brand new beach volleyball facility near the Freshman Learning Center on campus in March and were also tasked to complete the turf project.

Construction began immediately after the school's graduation ceremony in June with the old track being taken out and the grass removed.

The company's prior projects include constructing the turf surfaces at the stadiums for both the Miami Dolphins and Jacksonville Jaguars along with a number of other fields across the NFL as well as high school fields in Florida including Traz Powell Stadium in Miami.

From a standpoint of cost and maintenance, the project's cost in the long run with Vero Beach fielding three football teams in the fall, four soccer teams in the winter and four lacrosse teams in the spring was the practical choice to go with artificial turf over new natural grass.

Just under $2.4 million from the Indian River County School Board funded the beach volleyball court construction and artificial turf for the site at the Citrus Bowl, that will feature Hellas' state-of-the-art Matrix Turf technology.

The Matrix Turf includes Geo CoolFill Infill, made from 100% environmentally friendly materials consisting of coconut fibers and cork which can reduce surface temperatures up to 40 degrees Fahrenheit with its heat absorption capabilities that help retain humidity on the turf's surface.

More work near Vero Beach's campus is right around the corner as construction at the Jimmy Graves Complex towards a brand new track and second athletic field for the athletic program is due to begin by Hellas upon the completion of the artificial turf.

Jankowski projects that the soccer teams will play at the Citrus Bowl this winter but if all goes well, the site at the Jimmy Graves Complex should be ready and able to house the lacrosse teams as its primary location as well as having the capability of hosting track and field meets in the spring.

In the short term, Jankowski said his players will get plenty of time getting used to the artificial turf, projecting using the field at the Citrus Bowl during the week along with its current practice field centrally located on campus.

Vero Beach's football team will have seven home games in the regular season, providing its rabid fan base plenty of chances to make what is already a hostile environment even more special with the improvements to the playing surface.

"I'm hoping from a selfish standpoint it does add to the fan environment, heck it's a lot of fun to drive by the field now with nobody in it," Jankowski said. "It's going to be a lot of fun watching a game when there's great talent on the field on our sideline and the opponents' sideline. I think people will flock to the games, getting a chance to watch. Obviously, our schedule is top-notch this season, we've got some great teams coming to the Citrus Bowl and it'll be a great place to watch a game and a great field to play it on."

This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: Vero Beach's Citrus Bowl gets artificial turf facelift