ERIC BERRY'S ASTROTURF PROJECT STILL PAYING DIVIDENDS GOING INTO THIRD YEAR

(FAIRBURN, Georgia) - As Eric Berry was cementing his name as one of the greatest safeties in the history of college football, the park where he learned the game was facing a crisis.

The city of Fairburn, Georgia, on the outskirts of Atlanta, had just a reached a population of 3,500.  State law required for Fulton County to halt maintenance on the park at that time.  Fairburn residents filled the gap and pitched in to help, but the park continued to decline.

As prospects of a professional career grew brighter, Eric Berry stepped in to help.  In a world where professional athletes increasingly lose sight of the team concept and exist with a sense of entitlement, Eric Berry is one of the good guys.

Eric, before ever playing a down in the NFL, launched the Eric Berry Foundation and committed to build an AstroTurf field at Clarence Duncan Park in Fairburn, a park managed by former University of Tennessee running back James Berry, Eric’s father.

“You won’t meet any finer people than the Berry family,” said Bryan Peeples, President of AstroTurf.  “This has been one of the most rewarding projects we’ve ever worked on.”

The field was built in 2010, with work commencing just days before Eric departed to don the uniform of the Chiefs.  Now entering its third year, the field at Duncan Park is still making a tremendous impact.

“It’s meant a whole lot to the kids in the area,” said the senior Berry.  “It’s just like a drawing card.”

James Berry says the field is being utilized anytime it’s available and that people come from around the metro are to see it and play on it.  He cites it as a real asset to the community.

Berry also says the field is a source for improved performance among the young athletes in the area and a tool to increase participation.

“Since this field has been installed, we’re getting better practices out of the kids and we’re getting more showing up that want to be there to participate in our program,” said Berry.  “I can see that participation has picked up, so overall, AstroTurf has done us a great favor by installing this field and just working with us in the community.”

Berry said installation of the field put a lot of activity into motion, which will help the Eric Berry Foundation achieve its long-term 6.5-year renovation goal at Duncan Park.  Berry says that because of the installation of the field, “we can actually see the park coming back to life.”

It goes without saying that James Berry has a tremendous amount of pride for his son on and off the field.

“It’s truly a blessing that the opportunity came along and that he really wanted to just give back to the community,” said Berry.  “This was one of the things he did.  We all feel blessed and privileged that he took the opportunity and showed us the love that he did by partnering with AstroTurf and bringing this field to us.”

For Eric Berry, it’s still not enough.  Improving opportunities for young people is a personal mission he carries far beyond Duncan Park.

"I wanted to be different,” said the younger Berry.  “I wanted to be the one who said I would come back after I made it and actually come back and show them. That's always something I wanted to do."

Berry recently completed a series of four youth football camps for kids in Fairburn, Knoxville, Kansas City, and Chattanooga.  The camps drew hundreds of kids and proceeds will go to the Eric Berry Foundation to help with projects similar to Duncan Park in areas like Knoxville and Kansas City.

Berry did football drills and talked with the kids about life lessons he has learned.  He also stayed afterward until every kid or parent got an autograph or a photo.

Molly Haynes, a Tennessee fan from Chattanooga, brought both her sons to the recent camp in Chattanooga.

“I’ve been really impressed that he stayed the entire time,” said Haynes.  “He was out there on the field with them and talking to them.  I think it says a lot about him in that he wants to give back to the community and that the cost was really low for the kids to get to do all this.”

His willingness to give is something he learned from his father.

"I've seen my dad do it. He didn't always have the money to give back but he always gave his time to the younger kids. He's always out in the community teaching them fundamentals and teaching them about life," said Berry.

Not only is the third year of the Duncan Park AstroTurf field approaching, but so is Berry’s third year in the NFL.  If his work ethic and desire to be a part of his community is any indication, Duncan Park, the NFL, and anyone who comes into Berry’s orbit will certainly benefit.

After completing the camp in Chattanooga, Eric returned home to Fairburn that night to visit with family before departing for training camp.

That night he posted a simple message on Twitter.  It said, “Back where it started from.”  Attached to the message was a photo of the AstroTurf field at Duncan Park under the lights.

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CARROLL COLLEGE AND SAINT XAVIER UNIVERSITY WILL PLAY FOR THE NAIA NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP ON ASTROTURF

(ROME, Georgia) - The combatants for the 2011 NAIA National Championship football game are set to play on the AstroTurf at Barron Stadium in Rome, Georgia.

Defending champion and six-time national champion Carroll College will take on Saint Xavier University, which is making its first-ever national championship game appearance.

“We’re excited about these two great programs competing for the national championship,” said Bryan Peeples, President of AstroTurf. “The AstroTurf field at Barron Stadium is one of the finest in the country and a major reason the NAIA has chosen to host the championship game in Rome through 2015.”

The Fighting Saints of Carroll College, a Helena, Montana school, are looking to tie Texas A&I for the most national championships in NAIA history. Carroll won four straight titles from 2002-2005, as well as in 2007 and again in last year’s game in Rome.

In the semi-final game, the Saints racked up 447 yards of total offense and converted on nine-of-14 third-down attempts in defeating previously unbeaten Georgetown (Kentucky) 35-3. The Carroll College defense has not given up a second half score in four games.

Saint Xavier, from Chicago, beat top-ranked Marian University 30-27 in the semi-finals. Freshman strong safety Clayton Fejedelem intercepted a pass in the end zone with eight seconds remaining to seal the deal for the Cougars.

The Russell Athletic – NAIA Football National Championship will kick off this Saturday, December 17th, at 4:30 p.m. EST in the 56th installment of the game.

The game will be broadcast in HD by the CBS Sports Network. CBS Sports Network is available across the country through local cable, video, and telecommunications providers. It is also available via satellite on DirecTV Channel 613 and Dish Network Channel 152. For more information, including a full programming schedule and how to get CBS Sports Network, go to www.cbssportsnetwork.com.

The AstroTurf surface at Barron stadium has been credited with keeping the game in Rome after a couple of muddy games on natural grass. Barron Stadium also hosts the high school football games of the Rome Wolves, as well as numerous other events. The heavy usage sometimes made the old natural grass surface susceptible to the weather.

“The new field was really important,” said Bill Peterson, Athletic Director at Shorter University and part of the host committee. “Without the AstroTurf, I doubt that we would have been able to secure a long-term bid. With AstroTurf, the weather becomes irrelevant, even late in the year. ”

In addition, playing the game on the AstroTurf surface generates approximately $2 million per year in economic impact for the community.

The field features the revolutionary new Horseshoe fiber. This new fiber is enjoying unprecedented success in the sports field marketplace, due to factors such as its unique shape. The fiber is an “Omega” shape with two end columns with a thicker diameter. The design imparts mechanical memory so that the fiber remains upright longer, unlike other fields whose fibers quickly flatten and split or shred at the spine. The Horseshoe fiber continues to spring back to its original configuration, even after years of heavy foot traffic or exposure to ultra-violet radiation.

The field has a face weight of 60 ounces of fiber per square yard, the highest in the industry. This adds to the durability provided by the fiber shape.

In extensive testing, the Horseshoe fiber performs most like natural grass from ball roll, to slide
resistance, to the biomechanical function of cleats penetrating and releasing properly. A study at Michigan State University, funded by NFL Charities, found that AstroTurf GameDay Grass systems looked and performed more like natural grass than any other synthetic product measured, also making it the safest option.

The Horseshoe fiber’s shape also allows it to reflect light and heat away from the surface. That, in combination with AstroFlect heat reduction technology, can lower surface temperatures by as much as 18%.

The field features a RootZone, a thatch layer which holds the sand and rubber infill in place for less splash and migration, making for a more consistent playing surface.

The Horseshoe fiber was introduced in 2010 and is already in use on game fields for teams such as Kansas State University; practice fields at schools such as Stanford University, University of Tennessee, and Auburn University; baseball game fields for the Tampa Bay Rays, Wake Forest, Duke, and Ohio State; and numerous high school football fields around the country.

About AstroTurf
For many athletes and sport enthusiasts, the AstroTurf brand has redefined the way the game is played. The company offers advanced, state-of-the-art, multi-sport and specialized synthetic turf systems with proprietary engineered technologies, leveraging the industry’s first vertically integrated manufacturing system. A growing number of high schools, colleges, professional sports teams and municipalities continue to select AstroTurf-branded products for their premium quality, technical superiority and safety. Recent innovations from AstroTurf include GameDay Grass 3D with RootZone, a system which most closely replicates natural grass; a non-chemical antimicrobial shield protecting against MRSA and other infectious bacteria; and AstroFlect technology which significantly reduces turf surface temperatures. To learn more, visit www.astroturfusa.com.