A Field Built for an Active Campus:
Saunders Field at Savannah Country
Day School
When a field carries that much activity, it has to be more than visually impressive on opening day. It has to be dependable, safe, and ready to perform whenever students and coaches need it.
That was the goal behind the recent synthetic turf renovation of Saunders Field in Savannah, Georgia. Advanced Sports Group was proud to complete the field transformation for the Hornets, creating a finished facility that matches the
energy, school pride, and high-volume use of the campus.
The completed field is now unmistakably Savannah Country Day. Rich green turf, bold orange end zones, crisp white football markings, and the Hornet logo at midfield give Saunders Stadium a new identity from the ground up. More importantly, the new surface gives students a reliable place to learn, practice, compete, and gather throughout the year.
A High-Use Field Needed a Long-Term Solution
Before the renovation, Saunders Field was a natural grass playing surface showing the effects of heavy, multi-sport use. The before footage tells the story clearly: worn areas through the middle of the field, inconsistent grass coverage, and patches of exposed soil. Those conditions are common when one field is asked to support an entire athletic department, physical education programming, and a packed calendar of school activities. Natural grass can be a beautiful playing surface, but it also needs time to recover. Repeated practices, rain, heat, and seasonal transitions can create scheduling challenges for schools that depend on one central stadium field. For a campus with more than 60 teams across 15 sports, the demand on shared athletic spaces is substantial.
Savannah Country Day chose to transition Saunders Field to synthetic turf to provide a more consistent, high-quality playing surface that can support students more often and more safely, regardless of weather conditions. It was an investment in availability as much as appearance. A more reliable field helps coaches plan, students practice, and the school make the most of a space that sits at the center of campus life.
Building the Right Foundation
A high-performing turf field starts beneath the visible surface. The construction footage from Saunders Field shows the work that has to happen before the final turf rolls are installed: excavation, site preparation, material placement, and the careful development of a stable base.
Advanced Sports Group approached the project as field builders do, from the ground up. Proper excavation and grading establish the shape of the field. The base system creates the level, durable foundation needed for consistent play. Drainage is equally important, particularly in a coastal Georgia climate where heavy rain can quickly change a grass field’s availability. Savannah Country Day’s field project includes an advanced drainage system designed to improve footing and allow the field to dry more quickly after rain.
For an active school facility, that matters. The goal is not simply to move water away from the surface. It is to help keep the field usable and ready for the next practice, class, game, or event. The construction sequence also reveals the level of coordination required when a project happens inside an existing stadium. The field is framed by established bleachers, lighting, access routes, and the campus activity around it. Every phase has to be planned carefully so the finished system integrates cleanly into the stadium and supports the way the school already uses the space.
A field should feel like home the moment athletes walk onto it. The finished Saunders Field does exactly that. The custom visual design brings Savannah Country Day’s Hornet identity into every major part of the field. Golden end zones carry the SCDS and Hornets names. The Hornet logo takes center stage at midfield. Green turf striping, white football lines, and clear multi-sport markings create a clean, professional presentation that is visible from the stands, from the sideline, and from the air. Those design choices are not simply decorative. They create a point of pride for student-athletes and a strong sense of place for the entire school community. From the first football kickoff to a soccer match, lacrosse practice, or a PE class,
The completed system includes a shock-absorbing base layer, longer polyethylene fibers, and an organic cooling infill system. These components were selected to support comfort, safety, performance, and lower surface temperatures during warmer months.
More Time to Play, Practice, and Gather
The most meaningful part of a completed field project is what happens after the crew leaves. On July 29, 2026, the school announced that the Saunders Field turf installation was complete. Shortly afterward, Savannah Country Day shared that the updated track and field were already in use for PE classes and sports teams. That is the real measure of value. The field is not waiting for a special event to be useful. It is serving the school every day.
For coaches, the new field provides a more dependable surface for planning a season. For students, it creates more opportunities to practice and compete. For physical education classes and camps, it offers a durable, consistent space thatcan handle a busy schedule. For families and the wider school community, it creates a stadium that looks and feels like a place where Hornet pride lives.
The completed aerial footage captures the full transformation. What was once a worn natural grass field is now a bold, weather-ready athletic centerpiece in the heart of the Savannah Country Day campus. The contrast is dramatic, but the impact will be felt over time, through the practices held, games played, lessons taught, and memories made there.
At Advanced Sports Group, we know a field renovation is never just about turf. It is about building quality and building value for the people who will use the space long after the project is complete. Saunders Field is now ready for the Hornets, their opponents, their families, and the many students who will make it part of their school experience. We are proud to have partnered with Savannah Country Day School on a project that gives such an active campus a reliable, high-performance place to play. You can learn more about this project HERE.
If your school, municipality, or athletic program is ready to create a field built for more, contact Advanced Sports Group. We are field builders, and we are ready to help bring your next sports construction project to life.