NJ's Sports Field Of The Year Is At Central Regional School District

BERKELEY, NJ — The Sports Field Managers Association of New Jersey (SFMANJ) has named Central Regional School District's (CRSD) Al Kunzman Baseball Field at Al Leiter Ballpark as its Field of the Year.

The same field was named Field of the Year by the national Sports Field Managers Association in 2022.

CRSD Supervisor of Grounds Keith Fisher, who formerly worked in field maintenance for the New York Yankees and several area minor league baseball teams began his career at CRSD in 2021.

“This is amazing,” he said. “This is one of the top awards that you can get.”

SFMANJ members are given a chance to enter any natural grass playing surface as field of the year. Applicants must submit pictures and send in a sheet that describes their field maintenance practices. Sometimes a soccer field could be up against a football field or a baseball field, Fisher noted. The finalists are visited by the group’s board of directors.

Retired Mets and Yankees pitcher Al Leiter, a CRSD alum, donated funds to renovate the district’s field in 2020 after visiting with his son. After the renovations were completed, the school named the field Al Kunzman Field at Al Leiter Ballpark. Kunzman was a legendary coach in the district who also coached Leiter.

Leiter and his three brothers all played varsity baseball at CRSD. His nephew Cam Leiter, a 2022 alum, also played and struck out 90 batters in his final season.

After Leiter’s donation, Fisher said he worked to make the field as professional looking as possible. “We redid the mounds, installed a new infield mix which is the same mix used by 30 major league teams, and created the warning track” made of crushed red stone.

Fisher used not only his Yankees experience, but also his experience working for the Jersey Shore BlueClaws and Atlantic City Surf, along with other school districts.

Other work included the reconstruction of the pitcher’s mound and batter’s boxes and the regrading and resodding of the outfield.

Fisher said he and his CRSD professional team work to keep the field in the best condition possible. “The award is also about the crew,” he said. “Without the staff that I have and their help, I would not be able to achieve this award.”

His staff includes groundskeepers Frank Burlew and Robert Lovenstein, both who have worked with him at the district for 28 and 30 years respectively, and newer groundskeepers David Kuryla and Damon Wiencke. “I have a great collection of guys,” he said. “We aerate and overseed and really transform the fields to bring them up to a professional level.”

“The district has also really bought into my vision of sports field management, and it’s very unique that a school district will do that,” he said. “We are kind of leaders in the state as far as sports management, as not many districts will handle it this way.”

When Leiter approached the district about donating money to update the sports facilities, he also suggested that the district hire a sports field manager, Scran said. “As the Athletic Director, I have seen beautiful grass fields built, but within a couple of years, they will once again become just another field unless you have the right person behind the scenes.”

So, the district hired Fisher, Scran said, adding that he“keeps the school district's grounds beautiful and the sports complexes in pristine condition. Mr. Fisher goes above and beyond to make sure the school district's athletics fields are top notch. He displays his passion for sports and his care for the student athletes through the pride he takes in the preparation and maintenance of the athletic families at Central Regional.”

Superintendent Michelle CarneyRay-Yoder commended Fisher for receiving the award. “At Central Regional, we take great pride in our athletic teams and in the fields that they play on,” she said. “We are thrilled to receive this award and feel that it is well-deserved as Mr. Fisher and his team of groundskeepers do a remarkable job keeping our fields in impeccable condition.”