Nashua’s Stellos Stadium was closed for the remainder of the season for repairs due to the turf field — installed in 2011 — needing work to ensure the safety of players.

The field reportedly had issues identified as early as January and it failed a safety test in July. It is unclear how long the closure will last, and the schools and teams that use the field — Nashua North, Nashua South and Bishop Guertin — are trying to find new venues for their students to finish the fall season.

The district said the turf needs a full replacement and that the goal is for the repair to be completed this winter. Schools are currently playing at fields available at the schools but they are exploring options with other local schools, like Rivier University and others.

In Concord, renovations to Memorial Field are currently being designed and assessed, and the desire for a multipurpose turf field exists because of its increased capacity and relatively minor maintenance in comparison to natural grass. Currently, the capacity to practice on Memorial Field is limited by the flooding issues and game use.

Synthetic turf is often criticized at the professional level for increasing risk of injury in comparison to natural grass.

However, at a listening session on the field hosted in February, Chris Huntress, representing Huntress Associates Landscape Architects & Planners, said, “I can guarantee you that a well-maintained synthetic turf field would be safer for your high school athletes than the present fields you have at Memorial.”

Turf would add capacity for practice and games alike, but according to Huntress Associates, there has been no selection for the surface of the fields nor where in the park turf might be placed.