DUBUQUE, Iowa, Oct. 30, 2007 (PRIME NEWSWIRE) -- Mondo, a global leader in the sports flooring market, today announced that the University of Dubuque has selected Mondoturf Ecofill for its new football field, making the university one of the nation's first higher-education institutions to install an artificial turf field not made from reground tires. Mondoturf Ecofill is a new artificial turf from Mondo that uses a patented, factory-manufactured polyolefin-based granule for its infill instead of rubber.
The decision to install a field not made from reground rubber comes after officials at the NCAA Division III school visited a number of other turf fields and decided the Mondoturf Ecofill field would be their best choice to replace their natural grass field.
"When we were evaluating synthetic turf fields, we visited several with Mondoturf Ecofill," said Dan Runkle, director of athletics, University of Dubuque. "We felt those fields had a cleaner look than those made from reground rubber. Also, studies show that Ecofill doesn't absorb heat like other infills, so our Ecofill-based field will be cooler in the late summer than a rubber-based one."
University officials also noticed that the Mondoturf Ecofill field did not spray its infill as much as rubber-based fields during athletic events, and they found the appearance of Mondo's monofilament fibers was the closest to natural grass of all of the fields they studied.
"We are very excited to have an artificial turf field that looks so much like natural grass. We firmly believe that we chose the best artificial turf field for us," said Runkle.
The field is scheduled to be completed by the start of the new school year next August. The university will use it as its primary football field, for softball and baseball practice, and for other campus activities.
About Mondoturf Ecofill
Manufactured by sports surfaces leader Mondo and 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.