MONTREAL, Feb. 2, 2005 (PRIMEZONE) -- The Toronto Blue Jays have selected FieldTurf's revolutionary artificial turf system for their home field, the world famous SkyDome. The announcement was made today by FieldTurf CEO John Gilman, Rogers Corp. President and CEO Ted Rogers and Blue Jays President Paul Godfrey.
SkyDome, with its unique retractable roof, has been the home of the Blue Jays since 1989. The Blue Jays were World Series Champions in 1992 and 1993. SkyDome is also home to the Canadian Football League's Toronto Argonauts, who won the Grey Cup in 1991, 1996, 1997 and 2004.
SkyDome's versatility allows it to accommodate a variety of events suited for an arena, a domed stadium and an open-air facility. To ensure maximum flexibility, FieldTurf will be supplying its latest patented turf technology: a removable/convertible system. Installed in individual 6' x 12' trays that are seamlessly joined together, approximately 2,000 trays will transform the stadium playing surface in just hours.
The Blue Jays are the fourth Major League Baseball (MLB) team to install FieldTurf, following the Tampa Bay Devil Rays (Tropicana Field) and the Minnesota Twins (Metrodome). Prior to their relocation, the Montreal Expos had FieldTurf both at Olympic Stadium in Montreal and in San Juan, Puerto Rico. The Blue Jays' first 2005 regular season home game will take place on April 4 when they play the Devil Rays.
"As a Canadian company, FieldTurf is very proud to install our turf in the home stadium of Canada's representative to Major League Baseball," said FieldTurf CEO John Gilman. "FieldTurf is also very excited that more and more MLB teams are choosing to install FieldTurf in their stadiums. We are very confident that the Blue Jays' front office, the players and the fans will be extremely pleased when they experience the new FieldTurf at SkyDome in 2005."
"FieldTurf is a major upgrade for our players and our fans," said Blue Jays General Manager JP Ricciardi. "When our players see what we have done they will be very impressed."
"The folks at SkyDome knew exactly what they wanted," said FieldTurf President Jean Prevost. "They went about their search in the most professional manner. They did their homework and ended up selecting the perfect system for their facility."
The new removable/convertible FieldTurf surface has been approved by MLB. SkyDome's capacity ranges from 5,000 to 60,000 for sports events, concerts, family shows, trade shows and conventions. In 1997, SkyDome hosted a record 302 event days with a total attendance of 4,500,000, making it one of the busiest venues in the world. Overall, more than 50 million people have visited SkyDome. From 1996-98, SkyDome received the prestigious Prime Site of the Year award from Facilities Magazine, and the facility also recently won the Toronto Tourism Award for Employer of the Year.
Over the past few years, the quality and performance of FieldTurf's patented system and installation technologies have resulted in over 1,200 installations in more than 40 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 offers a full range of artificial grass solutions.