Meeting/Event Information

She will provide an overview of the KC Current Grounds Team, including the facilities, staffing structure, and day-to-day operations. She will cover cultural practices, agronomic philosophies, field technology, and equipment utilized to maintain world-class standards and elite playing surfaces. She will also discuss the range of events hosted at the facilities and share insights into the strategies and practices that drive their mission to be the best in the world every day!

He will speak on the importance of leadership and clear communication with management and ownership, as well as strategies for building a strong and sustainable work culture within the turf industry. His session will also explore methods for creating and maintaining elite playing surface emphasizing that natural grass, when maintained properly, can take more! In addition, he will provide an inside look at the new field projects at KC Current and the vision driving their continued pursuit of excellence to be the best in the world. 

She will be presenting The Science Behind the Pitch: Surface Testing at CPKC Stadium and Training Grounds, and she will share insights from her work thus far with the KC Current grounds crew as a Playing Surface Data Technician Intern. A former student-athlete and current graduate student, Ava’s master’s (and future Ph.D.) research focuses on how variability in field conditions impacts surface performance and athlete safety. In this presentation, Ava will highlight how a variety of surface testing technologies are used across the KC Current's three natural grass fields, including the stadium field and two training fields, to monitor and optimize playing conditions. She will discuss how management practices, environmental factors, and athlete traffic affect field performance, and how data-driven tools and equipment are used to quantify these influences, all in the pursuit of maintaining a safe and consistent playing surface for professional athletes.