'Newest and greatest' American Family Field ready for home opener

MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- After an off season that included a major field renovation project, American Family Field is ready for the Brewers to host the St. Louis Cardinals for the first home series of the season.

The project included removing and composting the old sod, digging and creating a new irrigation system, replacing the top three inches of sand below the sod and installing entirely new Kentucky Bluegrass variety sod in the infield and outfield.

"Everybody takes pride in what we do and it pays off," explained Ryan Woodley, director of grounds for the Brewers. "Being down on the field, everybody coming in and the first thing they see is the field. Hopefully they're like, 'Wow, that looks really nice.'"

According to Woodley, the new playing surface will allow for crews to better maintain the field and allow American Family Field to host more concerts and other events during the season. Players and fans, however, won't notice much difference.

"It'll help us bounce back a lot faster," Woodley said. "The playability is not going to change at all. Players probably won't even notice it."

In total, 640 tons of sand (32 semi loads full) were installed along with 100,000 square feet of sod. It took the team at American Family Field about a week to install the new materials.