A Grand Day It Is

[tmcmurph]

http://www.mlsnet.com//news/team_news.jsp?ymd=20091127&content_id=7722094&vkey=news_t280&fext=.jsp&team=t280

Ahhhhhhhhhh

I can't wait to see the field next spring. So "Canada's National Stadium" is finally earned its title.

Thanks to Stalteri, Dero and especially to all the players who declined to sign for TFC because of the fake turf.

[RS]

[Tuscan]

^ Isn't that a pretty sight. Sort of not happy with how Hunter calls them "FC" during the interview, had a head shake over that one.

[RS]

Yeah, that annoyed me as well.

Hunter is a building ops guy, so it doesn't bother me too much, though. Everyone involved with the sporting side of MLSE uses the proper nomenclature.

[Tuscan]

^ Lord Bob, that's your cue

[Chaos]

As someone that played on that field, I say good riddance.

[ag futbol]

^ It was truely bad. In fact, because of the high volume of use it wasn't even as good as the Cherry Beach fields on the other half of downtown.

The turf fields when they are new are quite nice. The issue is that you simply can't keep them that way without replacing the whole thing. All the fake blades get matted down and the trushed tire bits seem to be unable to be applied .. leaving the surface just as hard and flat as the orginal monsters.

[RS]

quote:Originally posted by ag futbol

^ It was truely bad. In fact, because of the high volume of use it wasn't even as good as the Cherry Beach fields on the other half of downtown.

The turf fields when they are new are quite nice. The issue is that you simply can't keep them that way without replacing the whole thing. All the fake blades get matted down and the trushed tire bits seem to be unable to be applied .. leaving the surface just as hard and flat as the orginal monsters.

Lamport's turf is also currently better than the stuff they are pulling out of BMO.

As someone who has played at BMO Field in the past month, and had the "fortune" of playing on old school Astroturf about a year ago, I'd take the matted down, over-used BMO FieldTurf any day of the week.

Nothing, and I mean NOTHING, is as bad as Astroturf. I wanted to go on a murderours rampage after playing on that **** last year, whereas after playing at BMO I was only annoyed to the point of bitching about it, then forgetting abouit it an hour later.

[The Ref]

quote:Originally posted by ag futbol

^ It was truely bad. In fact, because of the high volume of use it wasn't even as good as the Cherry Beach fields on the other half of downtown.

The turf fields when they are new are quite nice. The issue is that you simply can't keep them that way without replacing the whole thing. All the fake blades get matted down and the trushed tire bits seem to be unable to be applied .. leaving the surface just as hard and flat as the orginal monsters.

So much for turf fields. At least grass is alive and will straight itself up. I am surprise at the high cost of 3.5 million to put grass. How much would have been saved had they put grass in the first place.

[RS]

quote:Originally posted by The Ref

So much for turf fields. At least grass is alive and will straight itself up. I am surprise at the high cost of 3.5 million to put grass. How much would have been saved had they put grass in the first place.

Not much.

Most of that cost is in the heating/drainage system, which would have to be included anyway.

I doubt the demolition costs are substantial at all.

[Bxl Boy]

Which kind of heating system is it ? How does it work ?

[BearcatSA]

I wonder how much it costs to re-sod a playing field.

[RS]

quote:Originally posted by Bxl Boy

Which kind of heating system is it ? How does it work ?

It's essentially an underground system of pipes that runs hot water and anti-freeze under the pitch, which allows the grass to grow even in cold temperatures.

[CanadianSoccerFan]

In addition to undersoil heating they are also getting this vacuum drainage and aeration system.

http://www.subairsystems.com/SubAirSport/SportsField.htm

[earlimus]

That is a beautiful pic. No one is happier than me that we're FINALLY getting grass at BMO/National Stadium, but I do feel the need to defend artifical grass a bit. I think that it's a great thing for city fields. It offers the public a chance to play on a flat surface, and given the weather we get in Canada it's better 90% of the time than grass. They use it extensively in Glasgow and I played on it all winter long the year I spent there, while the grass fields are covered in puddles (although they are a beautiful green). Likewise here in Spain, where we get around 290 days a year of sunshine, they still use either dirt, or preferably artificial turf in the fields. I play in a beer league now that has a kickass artificial turf field.

Grass is the god-sent surface for the game, but for us mere mortals, I'll take the turf over a puddle filled, uneven battle ground.

[Guest speedmonk42]

Turf is especially useful in Raincouver.

[tmcmurph]

Even the synturf.org group is "less opposed" to corkonut infill than to rubber or silica. If you have to go with fake you might as well go with the good stuff. Save all the worry about heat island effect, silicosis, other pollutants.

For me, I live with a soccer field (middle school) right close (I'm talking 1 minute walk!) so grass is great. [8D]

http://www.synturf.org/alternativeinfill.html

[No. 02] Corkonut alternative infill is catching on. SynTurf.org, Newton, Mass. November 21, 2009. Headlines like this are bound to be viewed as advertising for the company that makes the “corkonut” – cork and coconut – variety of infill for artificial turf fields. An item like this may even give the impression that SynTurf.org is straying from its mission that is to oppose artificial turf fields on principle. Neither impression is correct. We do not advertise. We report; in this case the product is called Geo Turf by Limonta of Italy. Nor have we abandoned our opposition to the desecration of green grasslands by installing plastic fields. There is, however, something to be said about making this obnoxious amendment to urban, suburban and rural landscape as safe as possible for child play. On that score, we applaud the communities who move away from the use of crumb rubber infill for something less toxic along the spectrum.

Recently, we received word from two communities in which the decision-makers opted to go with the corkonut. A news story in the Bowen Island Times Edition (October 2, 2009) described the process by which Bowen (British Columbia) became the first community in Canada to jilt the crumb rubber option for corkonut. Click here for the story. For a praise and testimonial of the installation by The Canadian Soccer Association (November 6, 2009) click here. In October 2009, Riverdale High School in the Bronx, NY, complted its full five-sport artifcial turf with corkonut infill.

[kcisoul]

damn would it ever be sad that after the 3 year wait that lines painted every say 5 yards end up on this new grass. Sorry to be a downer, on a positive note TFC and the Natiobal team deserves this grass field.

I have played on turf and never understood why there was such negativity about the turf but I realized that I liek the turf because I live in Saskatchewan where our grass fields are very hard. Plus the fact that I am not where close to a Professional and professionals deserve to play on what the game is suppost to be played on.

[Tuscan]

^ Yup you're a hacker

[kcisoul]

Hey Tuscan my Fellow 306 Voyageur, I havent seen you on msn for awhile. Hey man i hope your comment was not regarding the way i play soccer if so i will set the record striaght I jumped higher then you and headed the ball and i just happened to give ya a little competative bump, its not my fault you go down easy like ladycakes haha.

[RS]

BMO Field of dreams takes shape

http://www.thestar.com/NEWS/article/735528

quote:The 7,850-square metre playing field will be the first major sports field in Canada to employ a SubAir System, which acts like a huge underground vacuum to pull away excess water. The technology, used on the greens of such renowned golf courses as Augusta National, Pebble Beach and TPC Sawgrass, also forces air from pipes underneath the soil to the surface, increasing the rate at which the field will dry.

In addition to the SubAir technology, an elaborate heating coil system that warms the soil is being installed. It will ensure BMO Field is ready no matter the conditions during the long Major League Soccer season, which begins in March and can stretch to November.

[RS]

Update:

The piping is being installed.