CHICAGO, Sept. 19, 2005 (PRIMEZONE) -- Loyola University Chicago has chosen FieldTurf for installation at Loyola Soccer Park. The joint announcement was made today by LUC Athletic Director John Planek and FieldTurf CEO John Gilman. The new FieldTurf at Loyola Soccer Park is expected to debut Sept. 20 when the women's soccer team hosts Marquette. The field will also be utilized by Loyola's softball program.
Loyola University Chicago is a member of the Horizon League. Loyola Soccer Park is an outstanding facility located about a mile from campus. It has a seating capacity of approximately 500 and lighting for night games, along with an updated scoreboard and remodeled locker rooms. The Ramblers' soccer programs are headed by Men's Head Coach Brendan Eitz and Women's Head Coach Frank Mateus.
"I think FieldTurf is going to be a huge asset to the women's soccer program because it gives us a home to be able to train and play matches," said Mateus. "It makes us a better program to utilize our facilities throughout the year with weather permitting."
"Everyone at FieldTurf is very proud of our new partnership with Loyola Chicago," said Gilman. "John Planek and his staff were very thorough in their quest to find the very best surface for their soccer program. We're obviously delighted that the results of their search led them to FieldTurf, which we know to be the undisputed worldwide leader in the artificial turf industry. FieldTurf was the first artificial turf approved by FIFA for World Cup play, so the players and fans know that the Ramblers are getting the best. I'm very confident that both Coach Eitz and Coach Mateus will be very pleased with their new pitch."
More than 30 NCAA major football programs have FieldTurf in their stadiums, including Nebraska, Michigan, Wisconsin, Oregon, Washington, Louisville, Kansas State, Boston College and Missouri. 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 1500 installations in more than 40 countries. For more information on FieldTurf, please visit www.fieldturf.com or call (800) 724-2969.