SportsField Management Podcast

On this edition of the podcast, SportsField Management magazine Editor John Kmitta was joined at SFMA Conference by Jake Mays, K-12 Schools Director on the SFMA Board of Directors. The two discussed the biggest challenges for K-12 members, as well as the keys to proper communication with athletic directors, school officials, parents and other stakeholders. They also delve into turfgrass education...

On this edition of the podcast, SportsField Management magazine Editor John Kmitta was joined at SFMA Conference by Zack Holm, CSFM, turf care manager for Central Park Conservancy in New York City, and former parks and recreation director on the SFMA Board of Directors. The discussion examined association initiatives for the parks and recreation industry, parks and recreation challenges, raising a...

On this edition of the podcast, SportsField Management magazine Editor John Kmitta was joined at SFMA Conference by SFMA Vice President – Commercial, Matt Duncan, CSFM, professional turf account manager for DLF. The conversation explored initiatives for commercial members, challenges in the marketplace, and the trend of sports field managers moving from the practitioner side of the business to the...

FIFA Senior Pitch Management Manager Alan Ferguson joined SportsField Management magazine Editor John Kmitta at SFMA Conference to discuss World Cup 26, the importance of information sharing in the sports field management industry, the lasting impact of turfgrass research, and even looked ahead to the 2030 FIFA World Cup.

On this edition of the podcast, SportsField Management magazine Editor John Kmitta is joined at SFMA Conference by Dr. Chase Straw, Penn State Assistant Professor of Turfgrass Soils and Director of the Center for Sports Surface Research. The conversation examines industry initiatives, turfgrass education, research, and much more.

On this episode of the podcast, we meet with Sports Field Management Association leadership, as we are joined by SFMA CEO Paula Sliefert, SFMA Immediate Past President Adam Thoms, Ph. D., and SFMA President Alpha Jones, CSFM. The three share with us insight based on the SFMA listening tour, the state of the association and an overview of upcoming initiatives.

Mt. San Antonio College (Mt. SAC), located in Walnut, California, has a history of success in the SFMA Student Challenge, including sweeping first, second and third place in the 2-year category at the 2025 Student Challenge. On this episode of the SportsField Management Podcast, we speak with Dr. Chaz Perea, professor of Horticultural Science and co-chair of Agriculture Science at Mt. SAC, about t...

Meet Rising Star Award winner Jake Mays, director of grounds at the Westminster School. Mays was nominated by his peers for the positive impact he has had on his community and on the sports field management industry.  The Rising Star Awards program is proudly sponsored by STEC Equipment. Please visit StecEquipment.com for more information.

Rising Star Award Winner Danny Losito, CSFM, is at the top of the game. As director of sports fields and grounds for Tepper Sports & Entertainment, Losito oversees Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina, as well as the practice facilities for the stadium’s tenants – the NFL’s Carolina Panthers and Charlotte FC of Major League Soccer.  The Rising Star Awards program is proudly spo...

Rising Star Award winner Andy Hebrard, founder and sports turf manager of Athletic Applications, joins the podcast to discuss growing up in the sports field management industry, his baseball career, launching his own company, personal challenges and lessons learned along the way. The Rising Star Awards program is proudly sponsored by STEC Equipment. Please visit StecEquipment.com for more informat...

On this episode of the podcast, we speak with Rising Star Award winner Morgan Hunter, director of field services for the Quad Cities River Bandits (High-A affiliate of the Kansas City Royals). Hunter shares her journey in sports field management, advice for the next generation, and what it means to be recognized by her peers. The Rising Star Awards program is proudly sponsored by STEC Equipment. P...

Our conversation with Rising Star Award winner Colt Boxler, an Akron native who now serves as the  assistant groundskeeper for the Akron RubberDucks (Double-A affiliate of the Cleveland Guardians).   The Rising Star Awards program is proudly sponsored by STEC Equipment. Please visit StecEquipment.com for more information.

Meg Kruger of Pioneer Athletics joins us once again to recap her SFMA Conference education session, share additional social media tips, and discuss which platforms you should be utilizing. 

On this episode of the SportsField Management Podcast, Meg Kruger, content marketing lead with Pioneer Athletics, shares her expert tips on how sports field management professionals can grow their social media brand to impact their crew, their career and their community.

July is Park and Recreation Month, and on this episode of the SportsField Management Podcast, we speak with Cort Jones, National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA) senior manager of digital content, and host of Open Space Radio. Cort shares his insight into Park and Recreation Month, this year’s theme and what it means for industry professionals, as well as challenges parks and recreation prof...

On this episode of the SportsField Management Podcast, we speak with Dr. Chase Straw – assistant professor of turfgrass management and physiology at Texas A&M University, and academic director for the SFMA Board of Directors – about his research, technology for turfgrass management, innovations and advancements, trends and more.

Join host John Kmitta and special guests on conversations about issues surrounding the sports field management industry. 

In this edition of the SportsField Management Podcast, we discuss the topic of utility vehicles with Noah Wahl, global product marketing manager, Workman utility vehicles, at The Toro Company.

This edition of the SportsField Management Podcast is an excerpt from our interview with Dr. Grady Miller, professor and extension specialist at North Carolina State University. Dr. Miller is also a director of the Center for Turfgrass Environmental Research and Education.

In this edition of the SportsField Management podcast, we speak with Marcela Munoz – technical manager for turf and landscape for the Europe, Africa and the Middle East region for Syngenta – about the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on international sports field management.

This edition of the SportsField Management Podcast is an excerpt from an STMA Conference presentation on the topic of smart irrigation. The speaker, Ben Polimer, is fields and grounds coordinator, Town of Weston, Mass.

This edition of the SportsField Management podcast is an excerpt from our interview with new STMA President Nick McKenna, CSFM, athletic field maintenance manager at Texas A&M University. President McKenna discusses the benefits of STMA’s Certified Sports Field Manager designation, sports field management during a pandemic, and shares his vision for STMA.

This edition of the SportsField Management Podcast is an excerpt from our SportsField Management Interview with Eric Harshman, grounds superintendent, Berea College, Berea, Ky.

Trevor Vance, Kansas City Royals senior director of groundskeeping and landscaping, shares advice for dealing with current challenges and how to present safe, visually stunning fields no matter the circumstances.

John Watt, CSFM, director of fields and grounds for North Kansas City School District in Kansas City, Mo., recently joined John Kmitta, associate publisher/editorial brand director of SportsField Management, to discuss fields and grounds maintenance amid the challenges brought on by COVID-19.