Kansas University’s Memorial Stadium could have a new playing surface as early as this fall — and it wouldn’t be natural grass.
A contingent of KU representatives — athletics department officials, football coaches and players — toured two facilities last week to look at two rival brands of grass-like synthetic surfaces.
The group — “We had a planeload,” KU coach Terry Allen said — visited the University of Nebraska’s Memorial Stadium, which installed FieldTurf last summer, and St. Louis’ Lindenwood University, which recently installed AstroPlay.
“I’m interested in exploring our options,” Allen said. “It’s still early. There are so many things that go into it.”
The fact-finding mission was prompted by officials’ discovery that the AstroTurf carpeting KU’s Memorial Stadium — which was installed in 1990 — had deteriorated more than expected since last season.
“We were shocked at its condition,” Kansas athletics director Bob Frederick said.
KU had planned to lower the field, move the seats closer to the field and install natural grass. But that project — officially Phase III of the Memorial Stadium renovation plan — is at least a couple of years away.
But the AstroTurf’s state could force Kansas’ hand.
Part of the allure of the synthetic grass, Frederick said, was that it could be installed quickly, then removed and re-installed after the field is lowered.
And unlike natural grass, the synthetics don’t require extensive maintenance.
The Kansas contingent was impressed, Frederick said, with both synthetic surfaces, which are designed to be a replacement for grass, especially in cold-weather climates.
“It looks just like grass,” Frederick said. “At Nebraska, they had just raked it, and it looked like it had just been mowed. We had some players run on it, and they liked the look and feel of it. Fans in the stands would never tell the difference, and there are no carpet burns, no turf toe. I really think it’s the cutting-edge new surface.”
Both synthetic brands are similar, with blades around two inches tall made of polyethylene or polypropylene with subsurfaces of rubber or rubber and sand.
The synthetics are billed to have all the benefits of grass — like a softer, less injury-inducing surface — with the low cost and maintenance of artificial turf.
Kansas was first turned onto the synthetics by David Gillespie, a former KU assistant now the running backs coach at Nebraska.
“He was here last season,” Frederick said, “and he said everybody at Nebraska, the players and coaches, really liked it.”
NU paid about $250,000 for its new surfaces at Memorial Stadium and the Huskers’ indoor practice facility at Cook Pavilion.
Frederick and Allen estimated installation could take just over a month.
“We do have some time to decide,” Allen said. “I don’t want to rush anything, but I’m certainly looking at the possibilities.”
— Andrew Hartsock’s phone number is 832-7216. His e-mail address is ahartsock@ljworld.com.
