Franklin Field’s new grass looked solid when football season kicked off in Hawthorne, but by the time playoffs rolled around, the middle of the field had worn down all over again — even after coaches tried moving practices away from the fresh sod. That’s what youth football volunteer Toni Ann told borough officials when she returned to the Hawthorne Borough Council.
According to TAPinto Hawthorne, Toni Ann returned to the council with an update suggesting the underlying problem hasn’t gone away. Concerns about Franklin Field had also been raised in June. She told officials the grass just could not take it right there in the middle, where the sod had been placed, despite the adjustments coaches made to protect it. Franklin Field is in Hawthorne, New Jersey.
Calls for Repairs Continue
Residents have called for repairs to Franklin Field.
A Nearby Comparison: Maplewood's Field Overhaul
Hawthorne isn’t the only North Jersey community wrestling with turf troubles this fall. In Maplewood Township, officials said the DeHart Park grass-field renovation was on schedule, with sod installation expected to begin the week of October 19, according to Village Green NJ. That project carries a price tag of $2.05 million, per the same report, and the newly sodded fields are set to stay closed through the winter until an anticipated spring 2027 opening so the grass can establish roots.
Maplewood is taking the closure seriously, too. The township warned that anyone caught using the closed grass fields during that window could be issued a summons and fined up to $500, the outlet reported. It’s a reminder that establishing new sod is a slow, carefully managed process — one that Hawthorne may need to factor in once it settles on its own approach for Franklin Field.
For now, concerns about Franklin Field’s recurring grass problems remain.
