SIOUX FALLS, S.D., Nov. 14, 2007 (PRIME NEWSWIRE) -- Mondo, a global leader in the sports flooring market, today announced that the University of Sioux Falls will be the first U.S. facility to install its new Mondoturf Ecofill Fine Tuned System 3 artificial turf system.
Mondoturf Fine Tuned System 3 replicates natural grass-like playing performance and characteristics, is safe, and offers exceptional value, excellent lifecycle costs and minimal environmental impact. FIFA 2-Star certified, the system boasts exceptional safety features, including consistent performance characteristics throughout the entire playing surface and optimum shock absorption and energy return.
The Fine Tuned underlayment is made of recycled tire pellets and other recycled materials which are treated and encapsulated sandwich-like in polyurethane, eliminating the possibility of contamination and leakage. With this underlayment, much of the soil and subsoil don't need to be removed and replaced with stones, which can be expensive, can cause viability problems and can have a negative environmental impact. The Fine Tuned underlayment also reduces compaction and migration of the granules compared with traditional systems. This means the field's play characteristics and performance will remain consistent throughout the entire surface, ensuring optimal play and outstanding ball action.
Slated to be formally introduced in the U.S. by year-end, Mondoturf Ecofill FTS3 has been installed in numerous European athletic venues. University of Sioux Falls officials selected this turf system after extensive research, including visits to a number of fields in Italy that have the product installed, such as MondoJuve, the official training center of Juventus, one of Italy's most successful professional soccer teams. As part of the evaluation process, university leaders personally evaluated ball bounce and performance on Mondoturf Ecofill FTS3 fields; Dr. Mark Benedetto, president, University of Sioux Falls, says the experience solidified the university's choice.
"We made a decision to build a pure soccer facility, so we wanted the best soccer turf we could find, even if we had to travel to Italy to see it," Benedetto said. "What really sets Mondo apart is the extensive research the company has done to develop a field that produces the same kind of soccer ball bounce as a natural grass field. Other synthetic fields we evaluated produced too much bounce."
The new turf system features Mondo's Ecofill, which is a patented, factory-manufactured polyolefin-based granule infill, not reground tire pellets.
"While we were in Italy, we toured Mondo's plant in Alba and saw how the company makes Ecofill. We firmly believe it's a superior infill than those made from rubber and sand," said Benedetto.
Installation of the field at USF's Sanford Health Sports Complex is scheduled to begin soon. Benedetto says that while the new field will be used predominantly for soccer, it also could be used for university football practices as well as by the local high school and grade school for various activities. The field is regulation size for FIFA soccer, so the venue also could host national and international tournaments. USF, which has a student population of almost 1,700, is a member of the Great Plains Athletic Conference and National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics. The private, Christian university competes in 19 varsity sports.
About FTS3
Made from recycled tire infill granules, the Fine Tuned underlayment is an innovative, environmentally friendly solution for reusing infill granules that also provides a safe surface for athletes. Minimally affecting the environment, the innovative underlayment allows for the proper use of granulated post-consumer materials without creating harmful emissions (and saves 47.6 tons of CO2 in the process), helping to safeguard the health of those who use the field. FTS3 also eliminates up to 90 percent of the water, fertilizers and pesticides normally used to maintain natural grass fields.
FTS3 also provides excellent value and lifecycle costs. The turf playing surface can easily be removed at the end of its useful life and another playing surface can be laid on top of the same underlayment for considerable monetary savings over completely replacing the field. Plus, the removed playing surface is fully recyclable thanks to a patented process, and field maintenance costs are reduced to as little as 5 percent of the maintenance costs of grass fields. Finally, the system is guaranteed to maintain its performance and playability characteristics over its entire lifecycle.
About Mondoturf Ecofill
Installed in more than 300 facilities worldwide, Mondoturf Ecofill was designed through extensive biomechanical research to reproduce all of the properties of natural grass without the problems associated with artificial fields made of reground tire pellets, an increasingly controversial material that is commonly used by other artificial turf manufacturers.
An environmentally friendly material made from recycled content, Ecofill, Mondoturf's infill, is virtually odor free, even in hot, humid conditions. It delivers the appropriate amount of shock absorption and energy return for optimal, natural-field-like athletic performance. Ecofill also retains less heat than traditional black rubber granules, so it reduces the potential for athletic fatigue and dehydration and minimizes the need for fields to be watered down prior to use. It also is completely recyclable, which is an industry first.
About Mondo
Mondo is the global leader in the sports flooring market, manufacturing floor surfaces for virtually every sport. The company has more than 1,000 tracks installed worldwide.
The official supplier of the athletic track and basketball and handball courts of the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, Mondo also is the official supplier or official sponsor of more than 100 sports federations and associations, including FIBA, IAAF, Collegiate Strength and Conditioning Coaches Association, NIRSA, U.S. Track Coaches Association and YMCA.
The company also supplies a wide variety of commercial flooring and is the world's largest producer of sports and toy balls with an average daily production of 450,000 units. In addition, it manufactures large luxury yachts under its Mondomarine division.
Mondo invests heavily in research and development to ensure its products meet the highest quality standards in the industry, deliver optimal athletic performance, are durable, require minimal maintenance and are environmentally safe.
A family-owned business since its founding in 1948, Mondo's global headquarters are in Italy. The company has manufacturing facilities in North America, Europe and Asia and sells its products in more than 134 countries. More information about Mondo is available at www.mondousa.com.
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Mondo and Mondoturf are registered trademarks of Mondo.