FieldTurf: Taking a chance

FieldTurf:

Taking a chance

George Harvie knew he was taking a risk when he recommended the installation of four FieldTurf playing surfaces at the Burnaby Lake Sports Complex in 1999.

“The big name in the field at that time was AstroTurf but when we started studying the alternatives, we began to believe that FieldTurf was what we looking for,” said Harvie, who was the assistant city manager in Burnaby. “We went to the plants where the products were manufactured but the one thing which sold us on this company was the visit we made to the existing facilities in Seattle and Portland,” said Harvie. “We talked to administrators and athletes and they had nothing but praise for the product. What we were seeing was a revolutionary product that was different from anything in the field before. The athletes told us that they had never played on a surface that was so much like real grass.”

FieldTurf has come a long way since the first installation of four playing surfaces at Burnaby Lake. Over the past five years, the Canadian company, based in Montreal, has become the industry leader with more than 1000 installations worldwide.

There are more than 20 FieldTurf surfaces in British Columbia, including the two-year-old facility at Mackie Park in North Delta. George Harvie is currently the city manager for the Corporation of Delta and he said there was no risk involved when he recommended it for Mackie Park.

“I had seen the excellent results in Burnaby and I knew that, even though there were some companies that tried to produce a similar product, there was nothing like the original,” said Harvie. “When we decided to upgrade the park, I knew that FieldTurf was the right product. Now we're looking at building more artificial grass fields and we're sold on it.”

The excellent drainage associated with its product is a major selling point in the Pacific Northwest but Harvie noted that the surface proved itself this past summer when there were long periods without rain.

“The initial cost of a FieldTurf is intense but there are savings down the line,” explained Harvie. “The maintenance costs are far less than natural grass and we noticed this summer that we were able to conserve water during a period when we had little rain.”

The North Delta facility is typical of facilities shared by a variety of community activities. The facility is used for lacrosse, soccer and field hockey and can also be easily converted for use as a football field.

“On grass fields, you have to be careful, particularly when the field is wet or in the fall and winter when grass doesn't regenerate the way it does in the summer,” said Harvie. “It offers a consistent playing surface at all times. If you have lights, you can use the field 24/7.”

And, as someone who keeps a close eye on the taxpayers' money, Harvie notes that he has been involved in six of its installations and “everyone has been completed on time and on budget.”

The secret behind its spectacular growth is the patented infill system which revolutionized artificial turf. The earliest products were little more than carpets. The system recreated the look and feel of real grass.

The hybrid polyethylene fibres are tufted into a unique porous surface backing. Each individual fibre is placed in a pattern which emulates real grass and they are supported by an infill of graded sand and cryogenic rubber.

Unlike earlier surfaces, it is virtually non-abrasive and players can slide on the surface without fear of carpet burn. And the infill system provides the same torque release as natural grass, minimizing the chances of “turf toe” or motionrelated injuries.

The company passed one of its toughest tests when it convinced FIFA, the international governing body for soccer, that an artificial turf field could provide playing conditions that were similar to grass. FieldTurf was the first manufactur-

er to receive a FIFA recommendation and its fields have been approved for all major international competitions.

National Football League players have given their seal of approval to the Canadian firm. A 2003 survey of NFL stadiums rated it ahead of 20 natural grass fields and every other artificial surface. Seven NFL teams are playing on FieldTurf this season and more than half the teams have it at their practice facilities.

While FieldTurf is the choice of the pros, the majority of installations can be found at schools and recreational centers.

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Viessmann Manufacturing Co.

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