Program for the October 5, 2023 Meeting: 

Maintenance and Care of Dooley Field: Highlighting similarities and differences of athletic field management versus gardening

Presenter: Matthew Hollan

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Matthew Hollan has been the Director of Athletic Fields and Grounds for the University of Georgia Athletic Association since 2017. He grew up in eastern Iowa with a fascination of plants and a passion for sports. Focusing at the start on lawn care, Matt found athletic field management while at Iowa State University. He studied horticulture and began athletic field management as a student worker for the Iowa State University Athletic Department grounds crew.

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This perfect combination of plants and sports led to a year studying and conducting research at the University of Tennessee Center for Athletic Field Safety before accepting a full-time position as assistant athletic field manager at the University of Minnesota. Two seasons later, Matt accepted the Director of Sports Turf role at the Los Angeles Memorial Collisium. He then relocated to the University of Georgia after three seasons in LA to lead the grounds crew in charge of UGA athletic fields and grounds, including Dooley Field at Sanford Stadium.