HUNTINGTON, W.Va., June 15, 2005 (PRIMEZONE) -- FieldTurf will be installed at Marshall University's Joan C. Edwards Stadium, it was jointly announced today by Thundering Herd Athletic Director, Bob Marcum and FieldTurf CEO, John Gilman. The installation of the new FieldTurf will be completed prior to MU's football camp this August, and the field will make its official debut when the Thundering Herd host William & Mary in their season opener on September 1. FieldTurf will replace the AstroTurf that was previously utilized at Edwards Stadium.
FieldTurf is currently in use in more than 30 NCAA Division 1-A football stadiums including Nebraska, Michigan, Wisconsin, Oregon, Washington, Kansas State, Boston College, Louisville and Missouri.
"We are extremely pleased to be enhancing our facilities with what I believe is the best playing surface on the market," said Marshall Head Football Coach, Mark Snyder. "Our staff, our players and our fans are all looking forward to the new FieldTurf field at Joan C. Edwards Stadium."
"Marshall has built one of the most consistently successful football programs in the country and it is truly our pleasure to have this new association with the Thundering Herd," said Gilman. "Several other schools in Conference USA play their home games on FieldTurf, including Louisville, Memphis and Tulsa, and we're thrilled to be able to add Marshall to that list. I want to extend my thanks to Bob Marcum and to Coach (Mark) Snyder for the confidence that they have shown in our product, which has been established as the finest artificial surface in the world. When the Thundering Herd runs out on their new FieldTurf for that first game against William & Mary, I am confident that the players, coaches and fans will love what they see."
Joan C. Edwards Stadium opened in 1991 and has a current seating capacity of 38,016 (can be expanded to 55,000). It has been the site of several Mid-American Conference title games since 1997, and also hosted the NCAA Division 1-AA national championship game from 1991-96. 2005 is the first year that Marshall will be competing in Conference USA. In '05, the Thundering Herd will be led by Snyder, who succeeded the retired Bob Pruett.
In addition to its growing popularity in the college ranks, FieldTurf has already established itself as the turf of choice in the National Football League. Twenty-two of the NFL's 32 teams currently use FieldTurf at their stadiums and/or their practice facilities. Also, three Major League Baseball teams are using FieldTurf at their stadiums in 2005. FieldTurf was also the first artificial turf product approved by FIFA (soccer's world governing body) for World Cup play.
The NFL Players Association recently conducted a survey of all NFL players, who were asked to rank the league's 32 stadium fields on a variety of factors, such as playability, safety, etc. The NFL players ranked FieldTurf fifth out of 32, and amazingly, NFL players rated FieldTurf ahead of 15 of the league's 19 natural grass fields.
FieldTurf is the result of years of research--evident in the patented FieldTurf infill mix of silica sand and cryogenic rubber and patented layering process that deliver a system that emulates natural grass. Additional benefits are found in improved player safety, reduced maintenance costs and flexibility for conversion--allowing stadium managers to quickly change the field from one sport to another or to easily host a variety of sporting events, concerts and other special events directly on top of the FieldTurf surface.
Over the past few years, the quality and performance of FieldTurf's patented system has resulted in over 1,500 installations in more than 40 countries. For more information on FieldTurf, please visit www.fieldturf.com or call (800) 724-2969.