Crews from the Sports Construction Group L.L.C. of Brecksville, Ohio, began synthetic turf replacement at Youngstown State's Beede Field/Stambaugh Stadium on Monday. The project will move quickly and is expected to be completed in early June.
SCG will install a Shaw Sportexe PowerBlade HP+ synthetic turf system, which combines the appearance of natural grass with the engineered performance of modern synthetic turf. It is specially designed to enhance player speed and performance while providing for maximum player safety.
In addition, SCG recently installed Shaw Sportexe PowerBlade HP+ synthetic turf in YSU's Watson and Tressel Training Site, an indoor practice facility for several YSU athletics teams.
The Penguins will be one of four Division I football programs to play on the surface. Arkansas's Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium, Middle Tennessee State's Johnny "Red" Floyd Stadium and UC Davis's Aggie Stadium are the only other PowerBlade HP+ Division I fields.
Youngstown State Athletic Director Ron Strollo said he is impressed by the Candy and Eddie DeBartolo and Family Field in the WATTS, and the surface in Stambaugh Stadium will be just as immaculate.
"Nobody builds quality athletic fields like Sports Construction Group. Their experience at the pro, collegiate and high school levels is unparalleled," Strollo said. "We saw this first hand with their work on our new Watson and Tressel Training Site. It made SCG the obvious choice for the field construction at Stambaugh Stadium."
Stambaugh Stadium is home to the YSU football and soccer programs and plays host to high school football games, numerous intramural events and Health and Physical Education classes.
Through careful planning, the funding for the project comes from a reserve plant fund dedicated solely for the replacement of the stadium's turf.
"We are thrilled to have received our second contract from YSU," said Paul Franks, president of SCG. "We look forward to continuing this partnership and contributing to the future success of Penguins football and the entire athletic program."
This surface replaces the SprinTurf synthetic field that was installed in May 2002. It marks the fourth time turf has been installed since the Stadium opened in September 1982. The original turf was replaced in March 1991. That AstroTurf surface was then removed and SprinTurf was installed in May 2002.
Graphically, Beede Field will feature a Pete the Penguin at midfield with red end zones and the word "Penguins" in white outlined in black. The WATTS features a red "Y" at midfield and "Penguins" in the end zone.
Sports Construction Group is a sports field specialty contractor that handles all phases of natural turf and synthetic turf jobs, from excavation and sub base through installation and maintenance. SCG has more than 50 years of construction experience, including more than 20 years of expertise building high-performance sports fields.
SCG's clients include one-fourth of National Football League teams, one-fifth of Major League Baseball teams and scores of top-tier collegiate and high school teams. On the SCG roster are some of the most recognizable sport facilities in the nation: Yankee Stadium, Citizens Bank Park, Progressive Field, Soldier Field, Heinz Field, Cleveland Browns Stadium, Notre Dame Stadium and Northwestern's Ryan Field, along with dozens of minor league, collegiate, high school and community systems. More information is available at
www.SCGfields.com.
Established in 1989, Sportexe is the oldest synthetic turf company in the United States. Sportexe manufactures its own synthetic turf products, and they are installed by trained and certified Sportexe installation teams. Sportexe has installed approximately 400 full-sized athletic fields in North America.
