The University of Massachusetts Dartmouth has completed the next phase of renovating its football field.

The nearly $1 million renovation project included replacing Peter H. Cressy Field’s 13-year-old artificial turf, installing a new safety pad and drainage system, and improving the perimeter fence and walkways.

UMass Dartmouth Director of Athletics Amanda Van Voorhis said the project was long overdue. The turf was last replaced was in 2003, but as the turf aged, the condition of the field deteriorated, she said.

“There was wear and tear. Playability was very poor,” Van Voorhis explained. “Balls in play were unpredictable, and it wasn’t a flat surface anymore. It also drained poorly.”

Van Voorhis said the new turf will provide both UMass Dartmouth students and the greater Dartmouth community with improved facilities for sporting and recreation events. She said four varsity teams share the field in the fall, in addition to the college’s intramural sports teams. The field is also rented over the summer to youth sports leagues, travel teams, and sports clinics.

The next major step of the project will be adding a new press box and bleachers to Cressy Field. Van Voorhis said a set of bleachers and a press box structure has already been acquired from St. John’s Prep in Danvers, and she will be developing a plan to complete the installation process over the next few months.

“It’s a matter of designing that project and determining how to install and engineer them to specifications,” Van Voorhis said. “I'd be hopeful for a May 2017 installation, but it’s not set in stone.”

The renovation project also targeted the university's baseball and softball fields. Rockland-based R.A.D. Sports worked from November 2015 to early 2016 to adjust elevations, reconstruct mounds and home plate areas, improve irrigation, and install new infield materials. That project wrapped up in time for the spring sports season.

Varsity coaches are already benefitting from the renovations. Head Football Coach Mark Robichaud said that he will now feature the Cressy Field in tours with prospective football players and their families. Head Softball Coach Amy Sasin said the renovation was important in setting a new season record of 27 wins for the team.