March 22, 2007
NORMAL, Ill. -
For the last few days construction traffic has picked up around Illinois State's Hancock Stadium with the start of the FieldTurf installation. The project is scheduled to be completed by June 1 and will definitely be ready for ISU's football season opener against Drake on Aug. 30.
The new FieldTurf at Hancock Stadium will replace the facility's previous AstroPlay. Hancock was the first football stadium in the state of Illinois to play on artificial turf when the school first installed it in 1969.
"We are excited about having the latest and best generation of FieldTurf installed in Hancock Stadium," said Illinois State head football coach Denver Johnson. "FieldTurf is the industry leader in synthetic playing surfaces and I know our players and staff are looking forward to the final product. Not only will the playing surface be state-of-the-art, but the facility will be safer for the student-athletes with the elimination of the concrete aprons surrounding the field."
Illinois State Director of Athletics Dr. Sheahon Zenger is pleased to be starting the upgrade of Hancock Stadium.
"This is an exciting moment for our football program and our entire athletics department," said Zenger. "Installing FieldTurf is the first step toward making Hancock Stadium what it needs to be to showcase a football team of a high national caliber."
FieldTurf CEO John Gilman looks forward to the partnership with Illinois State Athletics.
"Getting the contract to install FieldTurf at Hancock Stadium was very important to us," said Gilman. "We are very active in marketing our product throughout Illinois, and to have a school like Illinois State show their confidence in us speaks volumes about FieldTurf. Every university that is in the market for a new turf for their football stadium does an enormous amount of research before selecting their product of choice. I know that Dr. Zenger and Coach Johnson really did their due diligence before they made their decision. Every time that a university football coach and athletic director chooses FieldTurf, it is a nod in our direction that we are doing things right. We're very excited about this installation, and I know that the Redbird players, coaches and fans will be very pleased with the product they see on the field at Hancock Stadium this fall."
In addition to its growing popularity in the college ranks, FieldTurf has already established itself as the turf of choice in the National Football League. Twenty-two of the NFL's 32 teams currently use FieldTurf at their stadiums and/or their practice facilities. Also, three Major League Baseball teams will use FieldTurf at their stadiums in 2007.
Over the past few years, the quality and performance of FieldTurf's patented system has resulted in over 1900 installations in more than 40 countries, and has made it the first choice for top stadiums around the world. FieldTurf is a privately held company that has revolutionized the artificial turf industry with its patented products and installation technologies. FieldTurf also offers a full range of artificial grass solutions. For more information on FieldTurf, please visit www.fieldturf.com.
