PULLMAN, Wash., June 9, 2006 (PRIMEZONE) -- Washington State has elected to install a new FieldTurf surface at Martin Stadium, it was announced today by Cougars Director of Athletics Jim Sterk and FieldTurf CEO John Gilman. This updated, state-of-the-art FieldTurf will replace the earlier version of FieldTurf that has been utilized at Martin since 2000. The replacement project is underway and will be completed well in advance of the Cougars' 2006 home opener on September 9 against Idaho.
The new FieldTurf that will be installed at Martin Stadium will be the company's "latest-and-greatest." It will feature monofilament, FieldTurf's most recent technology which includes the formation of each individual blade of grass. That replaces FieldTurf's earlier "slit film" (fiber) system.
"My relationship with FieldTurf dates back to my days as athletic director at Portland State," said Sterk. "I have always been a fan of the product. I didn't think they would be able to improve on what was already a quality surface, but they have. It was the right time to replace the existing field at Martin Stadium with this latest version."
"Everyone at FieldTurf is very pleased to be continuing our relationship with Washington State," said Gilman. "Washington State was one of the first major schools that installed our product in its stadium, so we most definitely feel a kinship with the university. This installation will allow the Cougars to have the absolute very latest product from the world leader in the artificial turf industry. When the Cougars take the field on September 9 against Idaho, we are confident that Mr. Sterk, Coach (Bill) Doba, the WSU players and their fans will be pleased to know that they have perhaps the best field in the country."
"I believe FieldTurf is the safest playing surface there is because of its consistency through various weather conditions," said Coach Doba. "We look forward to playing on the new surface for many years to come."
Washington State has played on some form of artificial turf at Martin Stadium since 1972. WSU is one of four PAC 10 schools that currently play their home games on FieldTurf (also Washington, Oregon and Oregon State). Washington State also already has two FieldTurf practice fields at their Rogers football facility, which is adjacent to Martin Stadium. Additionally, the Cougars were the first NCAA Division 1 school to have a complete FieldTurf surface (no dirt basepaths) at their baseball stadium, Bailey-Brayton 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-one 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 1800 installations in more than 40 countries. For more information on FieldTurf, please visit www.fieldturf.com or call (800) 724-2969.