From playing on the pitch to perfecting it for World Cup athletes

Student turns soccer dreams into turf science success

It’s a field she knows well, a field she has run up and down countless times. Now she is learning how to care for it through the lens of a turf manager, rather than an athlete.

Bailey Arbic, a junior studying turf science in Purdue’s Department of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture, is spending her summer caring for the turf of the Kansas City Current, a professional women’s soccer club competing in the National Women’s Soccer League.

“I have always wanted to work in sports, so the chance to work on sports fields every day and help ensure the best playing conditions for some of the top athletes in the country is what drove me to choose my major in turf science,” she said.

From player to field caretaker

With a large portion of her childhood spent in Indiana, Arbic knew she wanted to attend Purdue to pursue a career related to the sports industry. She began her time in the Mitch Daniels School of Business, thinking she’d enter professional sports from a business angle She discovered the turf major through a summer job opportunity last year on the West Lafayette campus.

“I applied for a summer position with Purdue Athletics to help care for their fields. I had never done anything like that before but was willing to learn. I enjoy trying new things,” Arbic said. “It was probably two weeks into that summer job that I realized how much I loved caring for the fields and being a part of sports in that way. I remember going to Brian Bornino, Purdue Sports turf chief, to ask him how I could pursue this as a career.”

An alumnus of Purdue’s turf science program, Bornino helped Arbic connect with the program to learn about the various career paths within the major.

“I can’t thank Brian and his team enough for my intro into the world of turf,” Arbic said. “My time with the athletic program at Purdue really helped me to experience the different sports fields and get a feel for all the various opportunities in the profession.”

Science meets soccer on the field

Fresh from caring for the athletics fields at Purdue, Arbic entered the classroom and began learning about turf science.

“Last year was my first full year in turf, and I loved getting to learn more in the classroom. I feel at home in the program and the work I get to do in this field,” she said.

Arbic has enjoyed the small, tight-knit nature of the turf program and the science-based curriculum. “To be learning the science of soil and the various grasses that make up the fields that I have been playing on my whole life is something that is really fun to me,” she said.

 From continuing her work with Purdue Athletics to joining the Turf Club, Arbic has sought ways to grow and learn. She knew an internship would be valuable to her continued growth, so she reached out to Cale Bigelow, professor of horticulture. .

“I expressed my interest in pursuing a career in turf with soccer, and he had a connection with the Kansas City Current. I was able to reach out directly to his contact and then to meet her in person at the conference for turf,” she said. “That connection helped me to get a dream internship with the Kansas City Current for the summer. At every step of my journey, someone from Purdue Turf has been there to help me.”

Arbic has spent her days this summer applying what she has learned in the classroom and what she has learned from the turf staff at KC Current. Her days have been spent caring for the practice and playing fields. She has spent her time mowing, spraying and repairing the field and developing the turf’s soil to ensure it is not developing diseases.

“I have had the opportunity to experience so many different technology systems that they are using to care for their fields,” she said. “I’m excited to have had the opportunity to try new things and to be able to bring those things back to the team I work with at Purdue.”

A front row seat to World Cup action

As if joining the sport industry of her choice was not enough, she can also add being a part of the 2026 FIFA World Cup to her resume. With Kansas City serving as the Dutch National Team’s home base with team headquarters at the Kansas City Current Training Facility, Arbic had the opportunity to care for the practice fields the team used.

“It has been very cool to work with both the women’s soccer team and the team from the Netherlands this summer. Most people don’t know that the different styles of play in men’s and  women’s soccer result in different types of wear and tear on the field.,” she said.

The experience of working with an international team has left Arbic considering an international turf internship next year to learn more about how turf is done around the world.

Finding teamwork beyond the game

Looking back, the team camaraderie is something that was one of the biggest draws to turf, Arbic notes.

“Even going back to my soccer days, I have craved being part of a team and helping others. Now I get to do that every day while I ensure the safety and playability of the field for the athletes we are caring for. Turf is a team sport,” she said.

As a generally male-dominated field, Arbic has also enjoyed getting learn from other women in the turf industry this summer.

“I’m grateful for the opportunity to work with three other females with the Current. The amount of knowledge and expertise they have in caring for the fields they manage has been encouraging to me,” she said. “Every turf team I have been on has been like a family and has been welcoming to me. From Purdue to the KC Current, I have felt welcomed and valued every step of the way. I have found exactly where I am supposed to be, and Purdue has helped me get there.”