GRAFTON – At Town Meeting on May 11, Grafton residents voted to expend approximately $750,000 to replace the stadium turf field at Grafton High School, which has been used since 2012. The field is now several years past its expected lifespan.
Throughout the budgeting process, school officials said that the turf was becoming unsafe, potentially leading to injuries. In November 2025, two parents came before the School Committee claiming that their son – a sophomore on the football team – suffered a non-contact injury that coaches attributed to the playing surface.
The turf had been “patched” – a process where the granular rubber material is sucked out, then a glue is applied to the surface – frequently over the years. The field is extremely worn in the center, and it has lost compression, according to district leadership. The district refills the granular rubber material throughout the season, but “patching” can only do so much…