Just before the first day of school, Ridgewood Public Schools announced that they are closing two high school athletic fields indefinitely after independent third party testing found they failed to meet safety standards.
The fields, Stadium Field and Stevens Field, failed GMAX tests for player shock or impact absorption, indicating that the artificial turf is unsafe for students to play on. It is expected that the fields will be closed for the fall season, impacting both football and soccer programs. The district will have to find alternative locations for the season’s events, disrupting their typical schedule and play time.
The artificial turf fields were originally installed in 2011, and in 2019 the Board of Education voted to replace it despite potential flood concerns. Then, in 2023, 2024, and 2025, the two fields were closed from repeated flooding from the Ho-Ho-Kus Brook, which sustained an estimated $50,380 in damage from rainstorms. Artificial turf is a plastic carpet that cannot absorb water, and these two fields both sit in a floodplain.
On top of safety and flood concerns, artificial turf has dangerous extreme heat impacts that further endanger students and contribute to the heat island effect. Artificial turf can be 20–70° F hotter than natural grass. This increases the risk of heat-related illness—football players are 11 times more likely to suffer heat illness on synthetic fields.
It’s time for the Superintendent and Board of Education to put student safety first and invest in more affordable and safe natural grass fields!
