From pitcher’s mound to soccer pitch: How Covenant Health Park hosts One Knox and Smokies

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WVLT) - Just days out from One Knoxville Sporting Club’s home opener, those over at Earthadelic are preparing to turn Covenant Health Park’s pitcher’s mound into a soccer pitch.

FC Tulsa will mark the first opponent One Knox faces on the converted field. It’s an appropriate match up, because Tulsa briefly hosted Earthadelic so the company could take a look at their own field design.

“We took a lot of notes. No sense in recreating the wheel,” Managing Partner of Earthadelic Steve Polte said. “We’ve applied some of our own thoughts to the process on how we can improve it and we’re extremely well prepared for this.”

The process involves lowering the pitching mound and placing planting fabric and sod over the top. Visit Knoxville’s Kim Bumpas said the process’ biggest challenge is the manpower.

“The process isn’t that difficult when you just think about the core basics,” she said. “I think what’s difficult is having the labor and the know-how in which to do it correctly.”

The labor-intensive process involves a lot of steps.

“The mound has foam that goes on top of it, then a tarp, then sand to kind of give it a natural-land type-feel and then sod will be level on it,” she said.

It’s something Earthadelic crews are happy to do, Polte said.

“We’re extremely vested,” the managing partner said. “We’re very much a part of this initiative to bring pro sports back to downtown Knoxville, and we also have a responsibility to make sure that soccer and baseball live in harmony here.”

One Knoxville kicks off against FC Tulsa Saturday.