SUBAIR SPORT FOCUSES ON NATURAL TURF AND ATHLETE SAFETY
COLLEGE & NFL STADIUMS, PRACTICE FIELDS, PERFORMANCE CENTERS RECEIVE NEW SYSTEMS
Graniteville, SC (Jan. 9, 2024) – Natural turf is having a moment and there’s no better endorsement than the health and well-being of athletes who compete on this surface.
Professional soccer is an early adopter and advocate for natural grass. To start the new year, SubAir Sport is actively working in the brand-new CPKC Stadium in Kansas City. The “first stadium in the world” built for a women’s professional sports team—the National Women’s Soccer League Kansas City Current—includes a SubAir Sport Elite system with SubAir Hydronics. The Current will train and play in the $120 million facility starting this spring. It will seat 11,500 fans when it opens but can expand to 22,000 in the future.
Previously, SubAir Systems installed eight SubAir Sport Systems at each of the 2022 World Cup venues, all of which were played on natural grass. The ability to cool subsurface temperatures with SubAir’s aeration mode supported turf recovery and overall health through the multi-week event.
Closer to home, SubAir completed six U.S. field installations and three international projects during 2023. SubAir Sports and SubAir Hydronics are in at the Chicago Fire FC (MLS) Performance Center/practice field. The NFL’s Tennessee Titans installed their second practice field last July, following Practice Field 1 in 2022. Both fields utilize SubAir Sports Systems with forced heat that provides the most consistent, uniform, sub-grade heating method beside hydronic heating to moderate temperature extremes.
At the University of Alabama, the inclusion of a SubAir Sport Elite Forced Heat System with TurfWatch™ Technology at Bryant-Denny Stadium is considered a “home turf” advantage. As part of field renovation work, the SubAir Sport System was installed to facilitate rapid water drainage and push air into the root zone to enable turf growth on the natural grass playing turf. This patented control system uses 14 in-ground, wireless sensors that relay subsurface conditions 24/7 to the central control through a secured communications network. The data automatically engages the SubAir Sport System to maintain ideal subsurface conditions.
“The competitive advantages, let alone the emphasis on athlete safety, that come with natural turf fields empower us to encourage sports turf managers to consider transitioning to or installing these systems,” said Trey Crabill, Vice President, Sales for SubAir Systems. “And, advanced technology allows managers to remotely respond to changing or adverse field conditions.”
2023 also saw two legacy SubAir Sport fields upgrade their equipment and technology. Empire Field, home to the Denver Broncos, replaced an 18-year-old SubAir Sport System and Lincoln Financial Field, home of the Philadelphia Eagles, replaced a 13-year-old system with updated SubAir Sport mechanical equipment and TurfWatchTM Technology. The new systems improve the air delivery to the fields and Turf TurfWatchTM Technology provides 24/7 monitoring of subsurface conditions.
Installations are scheduled throughout 2024, including new hydronics for the Chicago Fire FC Performance Center and a new SubAir Sport system for Boston’s historic Fenway Park.
For additional information, access the website at www.subairsystems.com or call 866/641-6663.