ST. PETERSBURG, Fla., Feb. 20, 2007 (PRIME NEWSWIRE) -- Tropicana Field, the home of Major League Baseball's Tampa Bay Devil Rays, will install the latest-and-greatest version of FieldTurf, it was formally announced today by Devil Rays President Matt Silverman and FieldTurf CEO John Gilman. The installation process has begun and the new FieldTurf will debut when the Devil Rays close their 2007 exhibition season at Tropicana Field on March 31 against the New York Mets. The Rays will play their first regular season game on their new state-of-the-art surface on April 6 when they host the Toronto Blue Jays in their '07 home opener.
The Devil Rays were the very first MLB team to play its home games on FieldTurf when the surface was originally installed at Tropicana Field. The Minnesota Twins and the Toronto Blue Jays also play their home games on FieldTurf. The new FieldTurf at Tropicana Field is the company's latest version of their outstanding product. The new FieldTurf "Duo" surface features a system that has special fibers including four that stand up and four that lay over to trap the fill. The new field will also feature clay "lift" grass for the warning track. All of the baseball markings on the new field will be permanent with FieldTurf's patented non-marking rubber system also being utilized.
Tropicana Field will be the first baseball facility in the world to feature this latest version of FieldTurf.
"We are very pleased to continue our association with FieldTurf and excited about having their latest product installed at Tropicana Field," said Silverman. "The new surface will allow the ball to play truer and will be an even safer playing surface for the players. Aesthetically, it will heighten the experience for our fans at the park and on television."
"We are thrilled to continue our association with the Devil Rays," said Gilman. "They were the first Major League Baseball team to install our product at their stadium, and we have thoroughly enjoyed our relationship with them. The fact that the Rays have opted for the latest FieldTurf technology shows just how satisfied they have been with FieldTurf. The new surface at Tropicana Field will be the absolute latest-and-greatest. We're supremely confident that Joe Maddon and his players will be thrilled with the playability of their new FieldTurf surface. We want to thank Rick Nafe and all of the folks with the Devil Rays for their continued support. We can't wait to get our new field installed at The Trop."
Though originally built specifically for baseball, since opening in 1990, Tropicana Field has hosted 16 other sports and competitions including hockey, basketball, football, soccer, gymnastics, track and figure skating. Adaptable to multiple events, FieldTurf is thus the perfect choice for Tropicana Field.
FieldTurf has firmly established itself as the runaway world leader in artificial turf surfacing. It's the turf of choice for MLB, the National Football League (21 of NFL's 32 teams use FieldTurf), the NCAA (over 35 Division I schools play their home games on FieldTurf) and Major League Soccer.
FieldTurf has installed more than 1900 fields in over 40 countries. FieldTurf remains the only product in the industry to offer a fully insured warranty for its product. Further information on FieldTurf can be obtained by calling (800) 724-2969, or by visiting www.fieldturf.com.