In response to public concerns about exposure to pesticides, some state and local municipalities have placed restrictions on the use of pesticides on athletic fields. When such restrictions are implemented athletic field management often transitions to the use of natural or organic turf care with little understanding of how the transition away from conventional management practices may affect surface conditions and soil microbial properties.This thesis examined the use of organic and conventional management programs on the turf quality, surface hardness, and shear strength of engineered soil cap, hybrid bermudagrass (Cynodon dactylon x Cynodon transvaalensis) athletic fields, as well as the impact of the two programs on the rhizosphere microbiome. Turf quality was assessed by visual means and by obtaining normalized difference vegetative index (NDVI) readings of the turf canopy. Surface hardness was determined using a Clegg impact surface tester. The rotational shear strength of the surface was measured using a shear vane. The study was conducted for 3 years at two different locations; research plots at the University of Maryland Research Facility and on athletic fields at Laytonia Recreational Park, in Gaithersburg, MD. Surface property data was collected monthly. Turf visual quality and NDVI data revealed use of the organic management program led to higher visual quality during spring, which was primarily the result of the spring retention of fall overseeded intermediate ryegrass (Lolium x hybridum Hausskn) and early season use of natural based fertilizers. In the summer months, crabgrass (Digitaria ischaemum Schreb.) encroachment was limited to the organically managed turfgrass. At both locations, clover (Trifolium repens) encroachment developed by the third year of the study, but the presence of this weed had limited impact on turfgrass quality. There were few significant differences in surface hardness and shear strength between the two management practices over the entire study period. The rhizosphere microbiome data, which was collected 12, 20, and 24 months after the initiation of two programs, did not show any significant difference between the organic and conventional management athletic fields in microbial abundance and/or diversity. The results of this study emphasize that the adoption of organic management programs on bermudagrass athletic fields should, in most instances, center on the establishment of acceptable weed tolerance levels for these fields. The use of organic management programs in the transition zone offers a viable alternative to the conventional chemical management of athletic fields, however over time, growing weed seed banks may necessitate the need for the occasional use of conventional herbicide materials.