FOXBOROUGH, MA (February 22, 2010) - The New England Patriots, the New England Revolution and FieldTurf have jointly announced that Gillette Stadium will be resurfaced with FieldTurf Duraspine PRO, the new standard in artificial turf and the latest turf innovation from FieldTurf. The installation of FieldTurf's Duraspine PRO system is scheduled to begin today. Gillette currently plays host to the Patriots and the Revolution in addition to a variety of other activities including high school and NCAA championships.
The new FieldTurf system will be in place when the Revolution play their 2010 home opener on April 10 against Toronto FC. The first event on the new surface will be the New England Lacrosse Classic on April 3.
"The Patriots and Revolution have enjoyed great success on FieldTurf at Gillette Stadium," said Jonathan Kraft, President of The Kraft Group. "When we heard that FieldTurf was finalizing the development of Duraspine PRO, we wanted to be one of the first to have it. The surface will set the stadium apart, particularly for soccer events, which pay close attention to the differences in playing surface dynamics when choosing venues."
"We are delighted to maintain our strong relationship with the Patriots, the Revolution and the Kraft family," said FieldTurf President Eric Daliere. "The field has served the stadium and its teams extremely well, and it is only fitting that one of the elite facilities in all of professional sports has the safest, highest performing and most durable playing surface in which to showcase its teams. This latest-and-greatest version of FieldTurf is truly the new standard in artificial turf."
The field is designed with international soccer in mind and is expected to meet and exceed the tenets of FIFA's 2-star rating system. Certification testing will be conducted after installation.
FieldTurf Duraspine PRO provides the ultimate surfacing solution. FieldTurf's spined fiber, long renowned for its durability and resistance to matting, is now coupled with the latest in polymer technology. This patented combination delivers perfectly natural characteristics and the softest, most durable turf system ever introduced. FieldTurf, the world leader in artificial turf, has set the new standard with the introduction of Duraspine PRO.
Duraspine PRO marks another historic offering for synthetic turf customers around the world. It represents a turning point in the progression of the artificial turf industry towards setting the absolute highest of quality standards and measurements for safety, performance and durability.
About FieldTurf
FieldTurf offers industry-leading engineering and manufacturing resources and leads the synthetic turf industry with regard to setting higher environmental standards. FieldTurf is the global market leader in terms of synthetic sports fields with more than 3,500 fields installed. Additionally, FieldTurf has attained more than 15,000 satisfied customers in high quality pet, residential, commercial and municipal landscaping solutions, playground surfacing and has a complete range of golf and tennis products. FieldTurf synthetic turf customers enjoy the benefits of significantly reduced water consumption, the elimination of fertilizer and pesticides, superior durability and drainage and a product that looks and feels real. The positive environmental impact of FieldTurf provides the added benefit of LEED building contributions.
FieldTurf is part of Tarkett Sports, a Division of the Tarkett Group. Tarkett Sports is the largest entity in the sports and landscape surfacing industries. Included within the Tarkett Sports portfolio is an impressive range of performance sports flooring products. This product range includes: synthetic and hardwood basketball; volleyball and gymnasium flooring; squash and racquetball courts; floor protection and covering systems; weight room flooring; and high performance indoor and outdoor running tracks, featuring Beynon and Atlas track surfaces. All Tarkett Sports surfaces are developed, produced and installed with a concentration on sustainability and a commitment to protecting the environment, providing additional LEED contribution opportunities for customers. The company calls this focus on sustainability and the environment 'Environmental Intelligence' and all company personnel strive to exemplify this philosophy in all aspects of the business.
About Gillette Stadium
Gillette Stadium, home to the three-time Super Bowl Champion New England Patriots and the 2007 U.S. Open Cup Champion New England Revolution, is New England's premier sports and entertainment venue. Patriots fans have sold out every home game at the 68,756-seat stadium since it opened in 2002. In addition to NFL and MLS games, Gillette Stadium regularly hosts major concerts, sports events and special events, which in recent years have included U2, Kenny Chesney, the NCAA Men's Lacrosse Championships and a public address by the Dalai Lama. The stadium, which features two 60,000-square-foot clubs and 87 luxury suites, is home to hundreds of corporate and private events each year. Gillette Stadium is located in Foxborough, Massachusetts. For more information, please visit www.gillettestadium.com.
