BrightView Sports Turf Prepares Stadium for Historic Event

It’s not yet opening day, but many around the world will watch a historic game today as the Tampa Bay Rays play against the Cuban National Team at Latin American Stadium in Havana, Cuba. This marks the MLB’s first trip to Cuba since the Baltimore Orioles played there in 1999 and only the second such game since the Cold War. President Obama and the first family will attend the game as part of their three day visit to Cuba, the first for a sitting U.S. president since Calvin Coolidge in 1928.

A historic game such as this calls for the very best playing surface and there is nobody more familiar with this particular field, or any for that matter, than BrightView’s own Sports Turf Executive Murray Cook. Cook and his team have been tasked with preparing the playing surface for today’s game but for Cook, it’s not his first time he’s taken the lead at Latin American Stadium.

“In 1999, I was fortunate to be a part of the MLB-Cuba event at this same stadium,” he said. “The field required a bit of upgrading from our team before the game could take place and today it’s already 10 times better than it was then.”

In order to prepare for the game, Cook and his team focused on the playing surface while hundreds of other workers fixed the roof and repaired damaged seating areas.

“With the president coming here, this event has a different feel to it,” Cook said. “We take pride in making sure the field is up to the highest standards and the opportunity to play a role in this historic event.”