Friday, May 19, 2000Nippert Stadium's new turf 'like grass'
The Cincinnati EnquirerThe Cincinnati Bearcats will not be playing in a new stadium when they open their 2000 football season, but they will have the pleasure of competing on a new field.
UC is tearing up the old artificial turf at Nippert Stadium and replacing it with FieldTurf, a new form of artificial turf the school believes will be a significant improvement.
UC associate athletic director Paul Klaczak said FieldTurf “looks like grass, feels like grass and plays like grass.”
The Nippert field renovation is part of a facilities improvement project budgeted at $2.3 million. It includes replacement of the playing field at the Meyers Field soccer/track complex with a FieldTurf surface. Also, new lights will be installed at Meyers Field, and the concrete wall between the field and stands in Nippert Stadium will be spruced up with a brick veneer.
Excavation has begun at both sites. The project is expected to be completed before the soccer and football teams are scheduled to begin preseason practice.
A conversion to natural grass is not a realistic option for Nippert because of its multiple uses by the UC community. In addition to varsity football, Nippert is used for intramural and recreational sports. With Meyers switching to FieldTurf, it also will accommodate intramural activity.
FieldTurf is more like grass than typical artificial turf because its blades are longer and it is set atop sand and ground rubber rather than a concrete or asphalt surface. It is produced by a company based in Montreal and has been installed at such sites as Tropicana Field in St.Petersburg, Fla., and Memorial Stadium in Lincoln, Neb.
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![[img]](/bearcats/img/photos/2000/05/turf_300x375.gif)