04-08-2003, 08:04 PM
Field to get facelift with artificial turf
by Kyle Veazey
DM Sports Editor
April 08, 2003
When Ole Miss football begins its 2003 home season Sept. 13 against Louisiana-Monroe, the Rebels won't have any natural grass for their cleats to chew.
The playing surface at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium/Hollingsworth Field is getting a makeover this summer, courtesy of a $420,000 installation of Field Turf.
The change will mark an end to 19 seasons of natural grass at the facility since the previous AstroTurf was ripped up and replaced by prescription athletic turf in 1984.
But before fans go conjuring up images of the ugly and hard carpets at such stadiums as Veterans Stadium in Philadelphia and the Astrodome in Houston, Ole Miss Athletic Director Pete Boone says this is different.
"It's really a nice surface, it holds up very well," Boone said. "The kids loved it when they played on it. Time will prove it to be the right choice."
Indeed, the Field Turf is a hybrid surface that employs fake grass as its main component, rather than just a cushioned surface that is painted to look like grass. Independence Stadium in Shreveport, La., where the Rebels beat Nebraska in the Independence Bowl last December, is outfitted with the new turf.
Players, coaches and reporters alike agreed that Field Turf was a much more agreeable surface than regular artificial turf. The NFL Players Association recently voted the new surface as their field of choice.
Boone pointed to both financial and logistical benefits in the replacement of the grass. The field's condition had grown worse toward the end of last season, and "it looks like a sandlot now," Boone said.
"We would have to spend probably $30,000 just to get it back to shape for this fall," Boone said.
Boone estimated the cost of maintaining the natural turf as $30,000 to $35,000 in upkeep and around $15,000 to $20,000 to paint the field prior to home games.
At a total cost of around $50,000 a year, Boone expects the Field Turf to pay for itself in about eight years. The manufacturer expects a lifespan of around eight to 10 years for the new surface.
Vaught-Hemingway previously had an Astroturf field from 1970 to 1984. At the time, it was the only such surface in Mississippi.
When the switch is made in time for the upcoming season, Ole Miss will have the only artificial surface in the conference. Vanderbilt Stadium was the last SEC school to have artificial turf, and it was ripped up after the 1998 season.
by Kyle Veazey
DM Sports Editor
April 08, 2003
When Ole Miss football begins its 2003 home season Sept. 13 against Louisiana-Monroe, the Rebels won't have any natural grass for their cleats to chew.
The playing surface at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium/Hollingsworth Field is getting a makeover this summer, courtesy of a $420,000 installation of Field Turf.
The change will mark an end to 19 seasons of natural grass at the facility since the previous AstroTurf was ripped up and replaced by prescription athletic turf in 1984.
But before fans go conjuring up images of the ugly and hard carpets at such stadiums as Veterans Stadium in Philadelphia and the Astrodome in Houston, Ole Miss Athletic Director Pete Boone says this is different.
"It's really a nice surface, it holds up very well," Boone said. "The kids loved it when they played on it. Time will prove it to be the right choice."
Indeed, the Field Turf is a hybrid surface that employs fake grass as its main component, rather than just a cushioned surface that is painted to look like grass. Independence Stadium in Shreveport, La., where the Rebels beat Nebraska in the Independence Bowl last December, is outfitted with the new turf.
Players, coaches and reporters alike agreed that Field Turf was a much more agreeable surface than regular artificial turf. The NFL Players Association recently voted the new surface as their field of choice.
Boone pointed to both financial and logistical benefits in the replacement of the grass. The field's condition had grown worse toward the end of last season, and "it looks like a sandlot now," Boone said.
"We would have to spend probably $30,000 just to get it back to shape for this fall," Boone said.
Boone estimated the cost of maintaining the natural turf as $30,000 to $35,000 in upkeep and around $15,000 to $20,000 to paint the field prior to home games.
At a total cost of around $50,000 a year, Boone expects the Field Turf to pay for itself in about eight years. The manufacturer expects a lifespan of around eight to 10 years for the new surface.
Vaught-Hemingway previously had an Astroturf field from 1970 to 1984. At the time, it was the only such surface in Mississippi.
When the switch is made in time for the upcoming season, Ole Miss will have the only artificial surface in the conference. Vanderbilt Stadium was the last SEC school to have artificial turf, and it was ripped up after the 1998 season.
