Ridgewood schools close 2 sports fields for fall after safety failures
Ridgewood High School Stadium and Stevens Field are closed for the fall season after they failed safety tests.
Ridgewood Public Schools has decided to close two main high school athletic fields for the remainder of the fall season due to safety concerns. The Stadium Field and Stevens Field failed to meet safety standards for player impact absorption in recent GMAX shock absorption tests. Despite cleaning and decompaction work performed on both fields, the latest GMAX testing revealed they still do not meet safety requirements.
Football and soccer games typically take place on these fields during fall, causing disruption for teams, families, and coaches. The school district is actively scheduling practices and games at alternate locations and will provide updated information as it becomes available. A special Superintendent Coffee will be held to give updates and allow community members to engage on this topic.
Previous flooding from the Ho-Ho-Kus Brook had closed the fields in 2023, 2024, and July 2025, causing an estimated $50,380 in damage from a rainstorm. The school district had attempted to mitigate damage by purchasing tarps, but these were found to be so effective that they caused increased flooding to surrounding residential properties. The current cause of the damage remains unclear as of August 27, 2025.
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