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at the Edward Jones Dome
A new sports surface is being installed at the Edward Jones Dome for the upcoming St. Louis Rams football season. The FieldTurf product, touted in its marketing materials as "The Greatest Turf on Earth," will be in use starting with the August 12 Rams' pre-season opener against the Chicago Bears. The installation takes approximately three weeks as pieces are sewn into place on site. Work is being done by TTI Sports, one of FieldTurf's St. Louis-area installers.
"The Dome's original ‘Magic Carpet' system turf is being retired because of improvements in sports surface technology," said Bruce T. Sommer, Vice President of Facilities for the St. Louis Convention & Visitors Commission (CVC). The CVC markets and manages the America's Center convention complex which includes the Edward Jones Dome. According to Sommer, the Rams lease with the CVC requires that the facility's turf be in the top tier of NFL stadiums by July 2005, which means that the original surface must be replaced.
In May 2005, the St. Louis Regional Convention & Sports Complex Authority (RSA), the St. Louis Convention & Visitors Commission (CVC) and the St. Louis Rams jointly announced the selection of FieldTurf as the new, temporary artificial playing surface for the Dome.
A temporary installation allows the CVC and the Rams to agree, in the future, on a convertible field that will be newly introduced or one that will be improved upon during the next year. A convertible field is designed to be removed and stored away when not in use, thus allowing the potential opportunity for events such as conventions, trade shows and other economically important activities to take place in the Dome during the football season.
FieldTurf is known for its grass-like surface, with soft fibers designed to eliminate the abrasions of traditional turf. A "synthetic earth" mixture of rounded silica sand, rubber granules and "Nike Grind" ground-up athletic shoe material surrounds the fibers. It is in use at the following professional venues: Giants Stadium, Georgia Dome, Ford Field, Paul Brown Stadium, the MetroDome, the Toronto Blue Jays stadium, Tropicana Field and approximately 80% of the NFL artificial practice fields - including Rams Park.
"We're excited about getting FieldTurf installed at the Edward Jones Dome and look forward to playing on it in a few weeks," said Rams head coach Mike Martz. "I think it will help a lot of our veterans, reducing the wear and tear on their bodies. It's much the same as playing on grass, and a majority of our players prefer playing on this instead of grass. FieldTurf is the same surface we practice on indoors at Rams Park. I'm very pleased that the RSA and CVC were able to make it happen."
MEDIA NOTE: For more information or photography of St. Louis, send an e-mail to pr@explorestlouis.com or call Becky Sharp at 1-314-992-0652. For up-to-date information about St. Louis, your readers should call the St. Louis Convention & Visitors Commission at 1-800-916-0040 or check out our website at www.explorestlouis.com. This news release is also available in electronic form. To obtain an electronic version, e-mail your request to pr@explorestlouis.com or go to St. Louis’ online media center at www.explorestlouis.com/media.
