Riders Catch Up to the Rest of the League

CFL Talk
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http://www.riderville.com/

FIELDTURF SELECTED FOR MOSAIC STADIUM

The Saskatchewan Roughrider Football Club and the City of Regina announced today that they have selected FieldTurf as the new synthetic grass surface for Mosaic Stadium.

Today’s announcement caps the search to find the best turf solution for Mosaic Stadium, which hosts the Saskatchewan Roughriders; university, junior, and high school football; and a number of other sports including soccer and field hockey.

“We are very excited to make this announcement,? stated Riders President/CEO Jim Hopson. “After looking at a number of different proposals, FieldTurf was selected as it best met the needs of the City and the Riders.?

Removal of the old turf at Mosaic Stadium is expected to start soon, while the installation of the new FieldTurf is expected to be complete when the Riders open training camp on June 3rd.

“The City of Regina is extremely pleased to be providing this important enhancement to such a vital facility in our community. The installation of FieldTurf will not only benefit the variety of community organizations that use Taylor Field, but will also help ensure the sustainability of Mosaic Stadium,? said Regina Mayor Pat Fiacco.

The FieldTurf product is the result of years of research -- evident in the patented: infill mix of silica sand and cryogenic rubber, monofilament spined fibres and infill layering process, which together deliver a system that emulates natural grass with reduced maintenance costs. Additional benefits include improved safety for players, improved drainage and flexibility for hosting a variety of sporting, concert and other special events.

“We couldn’t be more delighted that the Roughriders have chosen FieldTurf for Mosaic Stadium,? said FieldTurf CEO John Gilman. “The Roughriders are one of the most historic franchises in the CFL and Mosaic Stadium is one of the league’s venerable venues. I want to thank Jim Hopson and Head Coach Kent Austin for their support. They really did their homework before selecting our product. FieldTurf is the world leader in artificial turf, and as a Canadian-based company, it means a lot to us to partner with the Roughriders on this project.?

Mosaic Stadium is the fifth CFL stadium to install FieldTurf, and 21 of the NFL's 32 teams currently use FieldTurf at their stadiums and/or their practice facilities. FieldTurf is a privately held company based in Montreal.

Once removal of the old turf from Mosaic Stadium is complete, it will be delivered to Ipsco Place where the turf will be used for various functions.

It is hoped that a limited amount of the old turf will be made available for sale to the public, but full details are not currently known.

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Yeah, they have had that planned for a couple years now. It was originally supposed to be ready for last year, i believe.

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this should help cut down on the injuries.

Ricky Wiliams broke his arm on that old sask.turf, and i'm sure it didn't help Kerry Josephs knee last season.

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This is old news. They chose fieldturf a long time ago. And no jman this was the year they planned to bring it in. Its good they are finally doing it.

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i think they should paint the old 'S' logo center field......would look real nice.

http://www.logoserver.com/football/SaskatchewanRoughRiders6485.GIF

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Great news! Now if only we could get FieldTurf in Edmonton we'd be set.

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I don’t think Edmonton will. The grass surface is what makes it so well known for soccer.

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Edmonton Field turf? No way ! C'mon there has to be at least some grass involved in football, otherwise how will anybody know what the artificial field turf is mimmicking.

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Good! Finally the Riders are on board :slight_smile:

How is this only the fifth stadium to install Fieldturf? As far as I know, the only stadiums that don't have it are Olympic Stadium and Commonwealth ... or are there two different brands out there?

Also, 2 months doesn't seem to be much time to put it in - I have the impression it took Calgary longer than that - but I'm sure it's enough.

I think FIFA is OK with soccer games being played on Fieldturf.

I suspect you'll see a "Mosaic" logo at centre, not a Riders logo ... unfortunately :frowning:

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There is more than one brand.
Not sure who has the other kind.
The Riders just had the bad luck of replacing the turf a few years ago, when FieldTurf was a brand new company and having been burned with the sandtrap, were unwilling to risk an unproven commodity.
The sand base was fine turf initially, but when the company goes bankrupt, problems develop…

2 months seem like a tight schedule to me as well, but one of the advantages of FieldTurf is that you can roll it up like a carpet so installation must be a little easier.

And when the “Mosaic” logo goes in at centre field, it will prove the lie Hopson has been spoon feeding everybody…

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While Edmonton features the lone CFL stadium with real grass, Hamilton and Winnipeg also have in-fill systems similar to FieldTurf’s so-called “artifi- cial grass.”

[url=http://www.canada.com/saskatoonstarphoenix/news/sports/story.html?id=369c6e4d-9241-42a8-b3a7-feb57e79cc88]http://www.canada.com/saskatoonstarphoe ... b57e79cc88[/url]
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The field turf is not going to help the way Kerry Joseph plays.

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Becareful now Miss lock it up! Will lock this thread as well! :lol:
The Field turf has been great since they installed it at McMahon Stadium. And removing that god awful turf at Taylor field will help any player. No more fear of serious injury.

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Time to grow up now RW05!

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Absolutely the FieldTurf will be a huge improvement, just like it was at McMahon which had the exact same god awful turf as Taylor Field previously.
As did most stadiums before FieldTurf was invented.

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Ya it is pretty bad when the concrete shows through the carpet.

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Riders old turf in my new games room.....yesssss

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Deflated just paint the concrete green!

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na redwhite2005...the new games room turf will be easier on my cleats and a football spike and dance after a Riders TD will feel much more authentic on turf.....Long live Tillman

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:lol: good one deflated now just add the booze and the cheerleaders and put the invite in the mail I will be there! :lol: