Since 2022, the number of girls participating in lacrosse in Harvard has increased by 40%. This growth mirrors a statewide trend. Massachusetts was ranked in one study as the third most popular lacrosse state nationally in 2021-22.
Girls lacrosse teams self-fund private fields regularly as town fields are often unavailable. To make matters worse, home games this year have been relocated to opponent team fields as Harvard’s facilities aren’t suitable.
Last year, grass was begrudgingly cut ahead of a day of numerous Harvard home games—but large mounds of clippings scattered the field. Players (elementary kids) and parents spent four hours raking and clearing the field to ensure the games could go on. This effort, while admirable and character building, is not sustainable.
Harvard Park and Rec and the Select Board have put in the work to understand our field needs. The 2023 Gale Report clearly outlines the deficiencies. Two solutions:
Invest in a turf field: Greatly reduce weekly manual maintenance costs, while providing a high-quality venue we can be proud of for multiple sports. With too many ecological concerns at Pond Road, McCurdy Field is a highly viable location for exploring the installation of eco-friendly
turf (article 22).
Outsource maintenance: Grass develops better players. But let’s outsource field maintenance to one of the excellent local landscaping providers. These businesses take great pride in their work and would have reputational interest to maintain spaces that benefit our community.
Bromfield’s girls lacrosse team has produced five Central Mass players of the year, nine US Lacrosse All-Americans, and two US Lacrosse Academic All-Americans. Imagine what our student-athletes could achieve if we truly supported them with semi-modernized facilities that can further enhance the lasting Harvard legacy.
Keli Callaghan
Old Littleton Road
