(HOUSTON, Texas) -
The Harris County Sports & Convention Corporation (HCSCC) has completed installation
of a new, removable AstroTurf system
for Reliant Stadium.
The new surface will enable Reliant Park to increase the
level of event activity, thereby increasing revenue and economic impact through
hosting numerous sporting and other events on a world-class playing field
without sacrificing its existing natural grass surface.
Reliant Stadium features the NFL’s first, retractable-roof
football and rodeo stadium with a portable natural grass playing surface. The field is comprised of eight-foot square trays,
which hold sections of grass that are pieced together for games. These trays are removed after Texans games to
be properly exposed to sunlight, water, and fertilization.
However, to maintain the quality and performance of
the portable natural grass turf system, the hosting of other non-NFL events at Reliant
Stadium has been kept to a minimum.
“We're trying to save the natural grass field for the NFL so
it will stay in better condition, and yet we're trying to generate new
revenue,” said Mark Miller, General Manager of SMG – Reliant Park. “Revenue from the synthetic turf system can
recover the cost in very short order.
Anything that is not the NFL, we will try to play it on the AstroTurf if
the schedule allows. This would include
high school and college football playoff games, the Offense-Defense
All-American Bowl, and others.
“AstroTurf was selected because of its flexibility--and
particularly because of AstroTurf’s root zone system, which guarantees a very
uniform, predictable field of play,” said Miller.
While the new AstroTurf field offers performance, durability,
and aesthetic benefits, it will allow Reliant Park to create an innovative
business model, which will generate income for the facility and provide Houston
the economic benefit that comes with the ability to host more events.
With the flexibility that the artificial turf provides, SMG-Reliant
Park plans to pursue hosting numerous additional events. One such event is the Texas high school
football championships, an event not hosted in Houston since 2008. Currently, with the existing grass surface,
multiple games cannot be held without extensive wear and tear to the natural
grass.
“There are several factors in the process of deciding on a
host city,” said Dr. Mark Cousins, Athletic Director of the University
Interscholastic League (UIL), the governing body of high school sports in
Texas. “First, we have to have the
ability to control the climate. Second,
we require a quality playing surface.
Third, we have to have four suitable locker rooms. Any facility meeting those qualifications
would be in the mix for the possibility of hosting the championships.”
The addition of AstroTurf allows Reliant Stadium to meet all
these qualifications for the events. It
also provides leverage for hosting other events and bringing people to the area.
Reliant Stadium
puts up significant attendance numbers at sporting events. Approximately 5.7 million people live within
an hour of the stadium, and approximately 6.9 million people live within a two
hour drive. San Antonio, Austin, and
Dallas are within 300 miles, further increasing the number of potential event
attendees.
Forty-six
years ago, Houston, Texas turned the sports world on its ear when the Astrodome
introduced a revolutionary concept to the world of sports—the first full-sized synthetic
grass playing surface. And today,
Reliant Stadium, successor to the Astrodome, has been outfitted with an innovative
artificial turf playing field.
“We take great pride
in being able to provide Reliant Stadium with the most technologically advanced
and highest performing artificial surface in the world,” said Bryan Peeples,
President of AstroTurf. “But, we take
more pride in contributing—through our innovative AstroTurf removable system—to
the ability of Houston to provide more sports events and the growth of a
vibrant economy.”
The AstroTurf system being utilized is known as the AstroHopper
system, similar to the one used by the Toronto Blue Jays. The system will utilize 59 separate sections
of AstroTurf that are 15’ wide to allow them to be able to be rolled up and
stored in the Astrodome between events.
Conversion to and from usage of the AstroTurf field takes approximately
seven minutes per panel, with an overall conversion time of less than a day.
The AstroHopper system creates a better packaged roll and
allows for more consistent and efficient conversions, maximizing storage
capacity by eliminating wrinkles, bagging, or telescoping that can lead to
increased product wear and tear or damage.
The system will feature an AstroTurf GameDay Grass 3D60
Xtreme field. This surface contains the
Horseshoe fiber, an Omega-shaped fiber that has better mechanical memory and
remains upright longer, with a more grass-like ball roll, and offers the best
aesthetics of any field. The
Horseshoe fiber’s shape also enables 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 Horseshoe
monofilament is combined with the AstroTurf XP fiber. XP is a slit-film fiber that offers better
infill encapsulation, resistance to wear, and pile density. The field also has a face weight of 60 ounces
of fiber per square yard, one of the highest on the market. This adds to the durability provided by these
fiber shapes. The 94,380 square foot
field weighs approximately 351,000 pounds.
The Xtreme product also features a texturized nylon RootZone. The patented RootZone acts as a “thatch layer”
that encapsulates the rubber infill to provide minimal rubber splash, uniform traction,
and better shock absorbency.
Regarding safety, a study at Michigan State University, funded
by NFL Charities, found that AstroTurf GameDay Grass systems had performance
values more like natural grass than any other synthetic product measured,
making it the safer option.
Specifically, the study discovered that the greatest reduction in torque
(the twisting force that contributes to lower limb injuries) was achieved with
AstroTurf’s RootZone. The
researchers attributed this statistically significant finding to the fact that AstroTurf
required less infill to stabilize the turf system. With less rubber, the AstroTurf system
resisted infill compaction that could lead to cleats locking into the playing
surface and exerting excessive torque on lower limbs.
The AstroTurf surface is backed with soy-based polymers,
which are polyurethane polymers manufactured with a portion of the polyol
derived from the soybean plant, a renewable resource. A typical AstroTurf field will use a
significant amount of soybeans for its coating, which helps support the 600,000
soybean farmers in the United States.
In 2010,
BASF did a study comparing AstroTurf fields to natural grass fields. In 11 environmental categories, AstroTurf had
a lower environmental footprint than natural grass. Factors contributing to this include reduced
maintenance and mowing, which cause a variety of emissions. Other factors include elimination of
fertilizers and pesticides, as well as the need for water. Also, the use of soy-based polyols in the
backing of products reduces dependence on foreign oil.
According
to BASF’s study, from an economic standpoint, projected over 20 years,
AstroTurf fields are, on average, 15% less expensive than natural grass fields,
even when the cost of turf replacement is considered.
