DALTON, Ga., April 2, 2004 (PRIMEZONE) -- The Cincinnati Bengals will install FieldTurf at Paul Brown Stadium in time for the 2004 National Football League season, it was jointly announced today by FieldTurf CEO John Gilman and Bengals President Mike Brown. FieldTurf, which is the recognized worldwide leader in artificial grass systems, will replace the natural grass that currently exists at Paul Brown Stadium.
The installation is scheduled to begin next week, and the new FieldTurf surface will debut when the Bengals play their home preseason opener on August 21 against the defending World Champion New England Patriots. The Bengals will become the 20th NFL team to use FieldTurf for their home stadium and/or practice facility.
"With FieldTurf, we are going with a proven winner," said Troy Blackburn, the Bengals' Director of Business Development. "This is the most proven surface for the NFL and for major college football. There's a track record of success to rely upon."
"We had positive feedback from players about their past experiences competing on FieldTurf," said Bengals Head Coach Marvin Lewis. "They've been very pleased with the consistency of the surface. This is a great example of our organization's commitment to provide our players with the best environment to win."
Paul Brown Stadium opened in 2000, and the upgrade to FieldTurf's revolutionary artificial grass system continues a growing trend among NFL teams. For the 2004 season, FieldTurf will be used at The Metrodome (Minnesota Vikings), Giants Stadium (New York Giants, New York Jets), Seahawks Stadium (Seattle Seahawks), Ford Field (Detroit Lions) and The Georgia Dome (Atlanta Falcons). In addition, 30+ NCAA schools have FieldTurf in their stadiums, including Michigan, Nebraska, Wisconsin, Kansas State, Washington, Washington State, Oregon and Missouri. Three Major League Baseball team (Tampa Bay Devil Rays, Minnesota Twins and Montreal Expos) play their home games on FieldTurf.
"We are obviously delighted that the Bengals have selected FieldTurf for Paul Brown Stadium," said FieldTurf CEO John Gilman. "FieldTurf has become the unmistakable turf of choice of NFL teams, with 20 league clubs now using our product. Bengal fans who were accustomed to the old, ineffective artificial carpet at Riverfront Stadium will be in for quite a pleasant surprise when they see how incredibly closely FieldTurf replicates real grass. Hamilton County, the Bengals organization and stadium officials have clearly done the homework that an investment of this size demands. We're pleased that they have concluded that FieldTurf is the only product that they can count on. We are proud of our new association with the Bengals."
"I have been promoting this idea for three years," said Todd Portune, Hamilton County (Ohio) Commissioner. "The installation of FieldTurf will provide a much improved playing surface for the Bengals, but perhaps more importantly for the taxpayers, it will allow us to open the doors of Paul Brown Stadium for business 365 days a year."
In 2003, the NFL Players Association conducted a survey of every league player, asking them to rate the NFL's 32 stadium fields based on playability, safety and overall effectiveness. The results, which were released by the NFLPA at last year's Super Bowl in San Diego, ranked FieldTurf third out of 32. That marked the first time that an artificial surface had cracked the NFLPA's top ten, and the results put FieldTurf ahead of 20 of the NFL's 22 natural grass fields. All other artificial turf products finished 20th or lower.
"Our research and development, our installation experience and the proof of performance of a FieldTurf field over time sets us far ahead of anyone else in the industry." said FieldTurf VP/Marketing Troy Squires. "Regardless of price, it always comes down to the quality of our patented product. I think the Bengals will be very pleased with FieldTurf, including the biomechanical aspect of it. A new five-year injury study of football injuries to be released later this summer comparing FieldTurf to natural grass showed that football on FieldTurf resulted in reductions of approximately 65% in neural injuries, 50% in cranial/cervical injuries and 30% in third degree injuries."
Over the past few years, the quality and performance of FieldTurf's patented system has resulted in over 850 installations in more than 20 countries, and has made it the first choice for top stadiums around the world. FieldTurf is a privately held company that has revolutionized the artificial turf industry with its patented products and installation technologies. FieldTurf also offers a full range of artificial grass solutions.