Alabama Football fans Dr. Frank and Regina Merritt and their two sons Samuel and Levi love to play football – so much that they have turned their backyard into a football field. Their house is located right across the street from the beach in Panama City Beach and their fenced-in back yard offers enough space for a football field that is exactly one quarter the size of a regular field – half its length and half its width. “Regina and I both grew up in Alabama cheering for Alabama and I see it as natural progression.” states Frank Merritt .
Frank and Regina wanted to make memories with their young family and the idea to create a football field was born. “I am a visionary but I get bogged down with the details. She has always been supportive and she is keeping things organized and has worked out all the details. Regina is a high school coach’s daughter and practically grew up on the sidelines of a football field.”
Bro Turns Backyard into Replica of Florida Gators Football Field for Kids. Def like Kyle field tho It seems that a Florida Gator fan has decorated his backyard with the most glorious thing possible, a football field. It absolutely resembles Florida Field at The Swamp. Backyard Plan Backyard Playground Backyard Games Football Pitch Football Field Sports Turf Backyard Sports Professional Soccer Play Soccer This Pin was discovered by Debra Sandy. Discover (and save!) your own Pins on Pinterest. Oct 30, 2016 Do you love a good football game? How about backyard football? We at Hanson Sports do and so does the Carlile family. That is why we held the 2nd Annual Carlile Kids Football Backyard Bowl.
![Field Field](/uploads/1/2/5/6/125631373/135563656.jpg)
A football field in the back yard is offering so much more than just games and fun. Dr. Frank Merritt explains “We want to spend time together as a family and teach our boys that not everything is free. If they want to be able to play football on their own field in the fall, then they have to help maintain it. They are learning that there is a cost and investment.”
Every Saturday, the Merritts invite other kids and their parents to some rounds of football. “There are quite a few military parents in town. My sons go to school with some kids whose dads are currently serving overseas and Regina makes sure to invite the military moms and their kids to our game days on Saturdays.”
Backyard Football Online
The Merritts are trying to teach their kids life lessons through football. “When you are running with the ball and you will be tackled, then the lesson is to focus on doing the right thing, no matter what is going on around you. If someone wants to swipe the ball away, don’t let that distract you. In general, sports can teach life lessons that might not be learned other ways. The point is: Don’t worry about anything else in life other than what you need to do. And do the right thing.”
In 2006, Frank Merritt became the official physician caring for professional surfers in the Hawaiian Pipeline Masters, one of the world’s biggest surfing competitions. He has to travel a lot for work and loves coming home, “We are “Southern” and “surfers” in lifestyle. My home on Panama City Beach offers the best of both worlds. I literally can surf or fish in the morning and be at an Alabama football game at night.”
Getting the field to what it is now was quite an undertaking. Dickie Patrick, owner of D1 Landscaping accepted the challenge of creating a backyard football field. At the beginning, a freshwater well had to be drilled and a water purification system installed for the necessary and copious irrigation. Then a one foot deep layer of sand had to be removed and replaced with topsoil and the irrigation system was placed. The final step was the placement of zoysia grass. The monthly upkeep requires a lot of lawn fertilizer and weekly mowing and weed eating, and edge trimming are projects the entire family takes on. “Yard work is family time.” says Dr. Frank Merritt and every year for their son’s birthdays, the Merritts are having the landscaping company repaint the yard, which Frank then maintains for the rest of the football season – and the entire family runs with it, from weed eating, raking to re-painting and finally the game of football.
Leave a Reply
comments
Powered by Facebook Comments