Marshall University continues its winning relationship with the company that invented artificial turf over half a century ago. The school is resurfacing the field at Joan C. Edwards Stadium with high-tech AstroTurf®.
DALTON, Ga., July 12, 2022 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ — Marshall University continues its winning relationship with the company that invented artificial turf over half a century ago. The school is resurfacing the field at Joan C. Edwards Stadium with high-tech AstroTurf®.
Marshall University’s latest field upgrade makes the school one of AstroTurf’s best customers. All the other artificial turf intercollegiate athletic surfaces on campus are also AstroTurf®, including Veterans Memorial Soccer Complex, home to the men’s and women’s soccer teams. The men’s team captured the 2020 National Championship.
The previous football field at Joan C. Edwards Stadium was an AstroTurf® system as well.
This installation project gives the Thundering Herd an industry-leading playing surface in time for the start of fall camp in August.
While the old AstroTurf® was a high-performance turf system, the new one is even better.
It’s a RootZone 3D3 Trionic Blend turf system. This state-of-the-art field features a texturized layer of fibers that encapsulate the infill – this RootZone layer makes playing safer by improving shock absorbency. It also ensures a longer-lasting product. With less infill migration, the turf will look and feel like new for years.
The new football field also comes with a few aesthetic changes.
In preparation for the start of the installation project, Marshall Football asked Herd fans to vote for their favorite color combination on social media. The winning design has black endzones with ‘Marshall‘ written in white and outlined in green.
“We did something somewhat unique with this field replacement project, said Christian Spears, Marshall’s athletic director. “We asked our fans to vote on the design. They did that and then we went back to AstroTurf to incorporate their voted upon outcomes. AstroTurf was tremendously helpful to us and made sure our fans got heard.”
In addition to the new endzone colors, the number 75 is an important part of the design. Both sidelines have a green ’75’ outlined in white and black. This look is a replica of the helmet graphics the Marshall University football team wears each year in remembrance of the 75 players, coaches, supporters, and flight crew members who died together in a plane crash in 1970 while flying home after a game.
“As a longtime partner of AstroTurf, Marshall proves that working together on facilities projects can provide teams with the highest performing systems designed specifically for each individual sport,” said Carl Capellas, AstroTurf’s Manager of Soccer Sales for North and South America. “As a former Herd student-athlete and coach, there is a great personal satisfaction in providing top level service to the university that gave me my education and first job in athletics.”
There’s also a major logo change. Instead of the Conference USA logo, the Sun Belt Conference (SBC) logo appears at the 25-yard lines. Marshall University officially joined the Sun Belt Conference East Division on June 22, which means the Herd will play in the SBC starting this season.
The freshly installed AstroTurf® field and refreshed colors and turf design will help the team transition to a new conference with a relatively new coach. This season will be the second season at Marshall for Coach Charles Huff. Last year, the team went 7-5 in the regular season under Coach Huff. They also played in the New Orleans.
“The field is where Marshall football plays, but our fans created it,” added Spears. “The Marshall athletic department sincerely appreciates what AstroTurf did to make that happen for us.”
The first game on the new AstroTurf® at Joan C. Edwards Stadium will be on September 3 against Norfolk State. The Thundering Herd will also play Gardner-Webb on October 1 and Louisiana on October 12. Other home games for the 2022 season include a match-up with Coastal Carolina on October 29, and Appalachian State and Georgia State in November.
About AstroTurf®
For athletes and sports enthusiasts, AstroTurf® has redefined the way the game is played. The brand offers advanced, multi-sport, and specialized synthetic turf systems with proprietary engineered technologies. 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. To learn more, visit AstroTurf’s website at http://www.astroturf.com.
Media Contact
Chris Stephens, AstroTurf, 706-218-5394, [email protected]
SOURCE AstroTurf
