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The University of Utah Athletics
University Of Utah To Install FieldTurf In Rice-Eccles Stadium
3/26/2002 12:00 AM | Football
March 26, 2002
SALT LAKE CITY -
FieldTurf, a product that looks and plays like natural grass, will be the new playing surface in Rice-Eccles Stadium, University of Utah Director of Athletics Dr. Chris Hill announced today. It will replace the natural grass that lined Rice-Eccles Stadium before it was covered by blacktop for the Opening and Closing Ceremonies of the 2002 Salt Lake Olympic Winter Games. The installation is scheduled to begin on May 11 and will be completed in late June.
"Our top priority was to install the best surface available for our football team," said Hill. "Two of my main concerns were that the surface was safe and playable for our athletes and I am more than satisfied that FieldTurf addresses those issues. Several schools and professional teams already have FieldTurf and we expect many to follow in the near future. We are extremely proud of Rice-Eccles Stadium and this is just one more positive aspect."
The FieldTurf surface cannot be distinguished from grass by sight, touch or actual play. Players wear the same shoes on it as they do on natural grass. FieldTurf is a woven synthetic blend with a backing (in-fill) of graded silica sand and ground rubber. The in-fill surrounds each fiber similar to how natural earth holds a blade of grass. The FieldTurf fibers are made from a polyethylene and polypropylene blend and are two and a quarter inches long.
A totally porous system, FieldTurf is specially engineered to provide maximum drainage and leave the turf undamaged even in the heaviest downpour. Each blade of FieldTurf "grass" is UV protected and resistant to the most extreme temperatures. FieldTurf outdoor fields are playable 12 months a year with minimal maintenance and have a life expectancy of 8-15 years.
Ute head football coach Ron McBride is excited about the new surface in his home stadium. "FieldTurf is a proven commodity and everyone that has it loves it. We did a great deal of research and every school we talked to told us we'll love playing on it. This will allow us to increase the number of times we use our stadium, for instance we'll be able to practice on it when we want. President (Bernie) Machen told me we could have our choice of field and this is what we liked. Everyone on our staff agreed it was what we wanted."
FieldTurf, which started in the sport surfacing industry in 1988 under various names as a synthetic grass product for tennis courts, golf practice tees and soccer fields, now has several football clients. Among the colleges using FieldTurf are Oregon, Kansas State, Washington, Pittsburgh, Cincinnati and Tulsa. Several professional teams have gone with FieldTurf for their practice facilities and the Detroit Lions and Seattle Seahawks are both having it installed in their new stadiums.
Says Mark Burk, the manager of Rice-Eccles Stadium, "Our first priority was the football team. The input we got back from the players and coaches was that they liked this new synthetic grass as much or better than natural grass. It also made sense from a fiscal and maintenance perspective. Maintaining a grass field and striping it is very expensive. In addition, we'll be able to host so many more events on this surface than one as sensitive as natural grass. We can have motor sports events, concerts, soccer and high school football games in our stadium without damaging the grass."
FieldTurf is the third surface in Rice-Eccles Stadium's four-year history. When the stadium opened in 1998, it was lined with SportsGrass, a hybrid of natural grass and artificial turf that the U. experimented with from 1995-99. In 2000, natural grass replaced the SportsGrass and was in place until the end of the 2001 season, when it was covered by blacktop for the Olympics Opening and Closing Ceremonies.
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