Elmhurst College's Langhorst Field Will Host Night Games Thanks to New Stadium Lights

will host its first night game Sept. 10 at Langhorst Field, thanks to the recent addition of permanent lights at the field.

The renovation, completed in early July, also includes a new state-of-the-art synthetic turf. 

“The lighting will certainly be an added bonus to our existing sports and will be a necessity as we add lacrosse a year from now,” said Elmhurst College Athletic Director Paul Krohn. “We’ve always had temporary lighting for practices but not for contests. It was the perfect time to complete the field with the new turf and lighting.”

But in the midst of all the excitement, it is hard to forget about the recent controversy just a few blocks away at York High School. 

After a between the York Community Advisory Council, residents and the city of Elmhurst on the topics of loud speakers, drag racing, litter around homes after games, parking and lack of communication between the district and residents, a compromise was finally . 

At a , York High School installed state-of-the-art “hooded” lighting that does not spill onto neighboring properties and is expected to save the district $40,000 a year in energy efficiency. 

Bruce Mather, executive director of facilities management at Elmhurst College, feels the college's situation is much different then York’s. 

“First of all, we are in a totally different environment then York is,” he said. “The football field is pretty much in the middle of our campus, so we own all the property to the north, all the property to the south and the property to the east is our own buildings. And then you've got Wilder Park. So really the only impact would be to the west, and there you've got two cemeteries. Long before you get out of the cemeteries, the light level is at zero.”

Langhorst Field will be lit by Musco Stadium Lighting, and the new lights will reduce peripheral “spill” and glare. 

Throughout the process of installation, photometric studies were used to determine the light level and the impact on the community. 

“By the time you reach the corner of Alexander and Myrtle, the light level from those lights goes to 0.00 foot candles,” Mather said. “So we have spent a lot of time, money and effort to get those lights right.”

Mather also noted that they talked to the neighbor closest to the field.  

“When you look from [their] property, can you look and see the lights? Sure. Does it raise the light level on [their] property? No.” 

Krohn and Mather both said that even when the field had a temporary lighting system, with portable, generator-run lights, no complaints were ever recorded.

The revamp was made possible through a gift from the estate of former Elmhurst College Trustee Hal Pendexer, in addition to ongoing fund-raising efforts at the college. 

Due to conference rules, the football team has been unable to schedule any conference games at night this year. But the Bluejay’s week 2, non-conference game versus Olivet College will be the school's first night football game at home. The game will start in daylight, while the second half will finish under lights.   

“We are really excited about the opportunity to give the students and community a chance to come to a Saturday night game here on our campus,” head football coach Tim Lester said.   

Elmhurst College senior women’s soccer player Ali Siebel also is excited about the chance to play a few night games at home. 

“Playing games under the lights is one of my favorite things because it creates such an atmosphere for the players and the fans,” Siebel said. “It also takes away the sun as a factor in the game.”

The ‘Jays soccer team is scheduled to play Alverno College under the lights Sept. 22. 

The lighting will also allow more scheduling flexibility, since now both games and practices to be held in the evening, Krohn said.

Tough Turf 

In addition to playing under the lights, athletes will now be playing on top-of-the-line synthetic turf. 

“The company FieldTurf is the best in the business when it comes to synthetic fields,” Lester said. 

FieldTurf is used by NFL teams, including the Green Bay Packers, New York Jets, San Diego Chargers and Denver Broncos for practice and playing surfaces.

The original AstroPlay field was installed back in 2002 with a suggested lifespan of eight to 10 years. 

“The predicted lifespan of the original field was very accurate,” Krohn said.  “Many areas of the field had been repaired multiple times, most notably seam tears at the lines and cutout areas of logos and numbers, and became in a state of disrepair due to fragmented fibers and turf backing.”

Krohn said the fibers of the surface were so worn that they were unable to hold the rubber infill in place. As a result, pockets began to form which became a safety issue. 

“Our grounds and maintenance people did a great job of repairing through the latter years of the turf,” Krohn said. “The amount of repairs they had to complete in the latter years, and the time and energy allocated to that process well exceeded what normal maintenance should have required.”

Part of the reason the college originally decided to install a turf field was to reduce the maintenance that comes along with a grass field. 

“Grass fields require a great deal of time, energy and resources to maintain,” Krohn said. “With the field as our lone, on-campus outdoor facility, there is a heavy demand on its use. With that heavy use it would require abnormal levels of maintenance which is essentially eliminated by having an artificial field.”

Turf fields also provide consistency and symmetry.  

“The lines are exact and in place,” Krohn said. “The field remains consistent for play or practice in less optimal weather. Even with light or heavy rain, the field drains very well and the playing surface remains intact for good performances by the participants.”

The sturdiness of the turf against harsh weather is also optimal. 

“Sometimes it only takes one major bad weather game to destroy a field for a season and the synthetic surface responds to those conditions unscathed,” Krohn said. 

The FieldTurf surface has an anticipated life span of 10 to 12 years.

The new surface will allow five Bluejay teams, including men’s and women’s soccer, football and men’s and women’s lacrosse debuting in 2013 and 2014, to utilize the field for games and practices.   

“We are grateful for the support and approval of the college to engage in the re-surfacing project of the field,” Krohn said. “The administrative team and all campus constituencies who were involved in the planning and implementation stages of this project helped to make it a great success.”