KALAMAZOO, Mich., May 5, 2006 (PRIMEZONE) -- FieldTurf added yet another NCAA Division I football stadium to its rapidly growing roster when it was selected by Western Michigan for installation at Waldo Stadium. The official announcement was made jointly by Western Michigan Athletics Director Kathy Beauregard and FieldTurf CEO John Gilman. The Broncos' football team will debut its new surface when they host Southern Mississippi on September 17.
A member of the Mid-American Conference, the 2006 season will mark the 68th year that Western Michigan has been playing its home games at Waldo Stadium, which is recognized as one of the top venues in the conference. The new FieldTurf will replace Western Michigan's 5-year-old Nexturf surface.
"We are exceptionally happy to be working with FieldTurf," said Beauregard. "The quality of surface will ensure the safety of our student-athletes during practice and the safety of our players and our opponents during games. Just looking at the pedigree of clients FieldTurf services not only shows the dependability of the product they provide but also ensures the quality of athletic facilities Western Michigan University strives for in all its athletic programs."
"In all of our conversations with Kathy Beauregard and her staff, it was very clear to us that Western Michigan placed a very high priority on the safety and well-being of their athletes," said Gilman. "It is certainly very gratifying that, given the priorities in their selection process, FieldTurf was the clear-cut winner. The product that we install at Waldo will be the best product in the world, and we look forward to servicing the coaches, athletes and fans of Western Michigan."
"We are very excited to be associated with FieldTurf, a leader in the industry," said Broncos Head Coach Bill Culbit. "You look at their list of clients ranging from the NFL to many top programs across the NCAA Division I-A. It really came down to a safety issue for our student-athletes and we are happy to know that our players will be able to go out and compete on a surface they feel comfortable with every time out on the field."
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 use FieldTurf at their stadiums.
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 1,800 installations in more than 40 countries. For more information on FieldTurf, please visit www.fieldturf.com or call (800) 724-2969.