When the Tamalpais Union High School District’s bond measure, “Measure B,” was passed by voters in November of 2024, it included funding to repair aging school infrastructure such as fields and facilities including Redwood’s Ghilotti Field. Construction to remake the field started promptly on June 16, three days after the 2024-2025 school year ended. The project of redoing Ghilotti Field took all summer but has left Redwood with a new and improved field.
Corbett Elsen, Assistant Superintendent of Business and Operations, has had a large responsibility when it comes to upgrading facilities. Ghilotti Field was one of the big projects that took place and it was within walking distance from his district office.
“Fields have a timeline. They usually last about a decade, depending on maintenance and wear and tear. [Ghilotti Field] needed to be replaced with a more modern surface and updated with lines for many more sports,” Elsen said.
The new field now has sports lines for flag football, lacrosse, field hockey and more sports. The field also has new netting and fencing put into place. In addition to those improvements, an important change in turf infill was made. Prior to the new field, the turf infill for Ghilotti Field had been finely ground up rubber tire, which has a softer impact when it compresses. With the new field came new turf infill — ground up olive pits and corks — an option that is better for the environment.
Sophomore Moni Hewlette plays varsity field hockey and is one of the players that has played on Ghilotti field since it opened for fall sports. While the new turf may be more environmentally friendly, the new material poses different challenges for an athlete.
“I love having a new field, [but] the turf is a little problematic because it [feels like] rocks instead of turf pellets. [When] people fall, and I kind of fall every game, their knees will get scraped up,” Hewlette said.
Another sport that uses the new field for practice is girls’ flag football. With construction completed on the field, lines are now in place for the newly introduced sport. Senior and varsity team captain Gia Meyers appreciates the spacing that the new lines help with.
“I like it better. It’s more adjusted. Practicing on the lines [helps us] know the spacing better,” Meyers said.
Ghilotti Field was almost a 1.5 million dollar project and now it’s finished and ready for use by all Redwood sports. In the fall, both varsity and junior varsity (JV) field hockey, varsity football and varsity flag football will be using it. In winter, all levels of boys and girls soccer will play on it, and in spring, both levels of boys and girls lacrosse will use the field. In addition, physical education classes will be able to utilize the new space. As the field will be used during all seasons, the turf becomes a key component.
“[Turf is a] higher quality surface, because it doesn’t get bald spots, [like] grass, from overuse and it doesn’t get flooded. In the winter, it will get wet, but you can still play on it,” Corbett said.
With the new turf, updated lines and eco-friendly materials, Ghilotti Field is set to serve Redwood athletes year-round. The upgrade marks a long-term investment in both student athletics and sustainability.
