Cal State L.A. Partners With LAFC to Build Elite Training Facility with FieldTurf Surface
One month removed from their inaugural MLS match, the Los Angeles Football Club becomes the latest professional team to adopt FieldTurf. Located on California State University, Los Angeles’ campus, the LAFC Performance Center will serve as the club's headquarters and training complex. The new facility will feature one of the most technologically advanced synthetic turf fibers, FieldTurf CORE, designed to meet the most stringent FIFA standards.
“I can’t say enough. In terms of our organization setting the bar so high. To have a professional place where we come every day, where the field is perfect, we are so fortunate to be able now to come here every day.” said Bob Bradley, Head Coach of LAFC, who added “The appreciation for our ownership, for having the vision to do things the right way, at such a professional level, it speaks volumes and says what this organization is all about. We’re very excited to be here. Whenever an organization does things the right way from the top, the facilities, the stadium, the kind of surface that you play on every day, all of those things are important.”
CORE: THE SUPER FIBER
Built from FieldTurf’s 20+ years of industry-leading innovation and unmatched expertise, CORE, the first multi-layer dual-polymer fiber ever, rewrites the playbook for sports turf, reinvents the playing field, and redefines the player experience. Engineered for elite level facilities, CORE is designed to deliver a more realistic, textured, grass-like shape with optimal durability and resiliency.
CORE’s performance and safety is backed by multiple independent certified sources. Labosport, a global leader in sport surface certification, tested CORE using the rigorous Fiber Performance Index — which measures durability, resilience and softness. The surface emerged with Labosport’s highest-ever Fiber Performance Index score of 89. The system was tested to 200,000 cycles on the fiber wear test by Penn State’s Center for Sports Surface Research and meets FIFA Quality Pro and World Rugby certifications. Unlike imitation blended polymer fibers, CORE backs its performance with results.
"This is a big win for our students and our athletics program," said Cal State LA Executive Director for Athletics Daryl J. Gross. "With these upgrades to our athletics complex, our student-athletes will benefit from some of the finest facilities in California."
BUILT FOR PLAYER SAFETY
You can't stop injuries but you can limit them. Keeping athletes safe has and will always be FieldTurf’s first priority. Every day, FieldTurf pushes the boundaries of research and innovation to engineer the most advanced artificial turf systems in the industry. While no sport can ever be completely injury-free, FieldTurf continues to find new ways to reduce the risk and severity of injuries. Our focus on safety has led to numerous injury-reducing innovations and improvements. As a result, we have the products and experience to provide the safest playing field possible.
A 6-year independent study of collegiate men’s soccer, published in the American Journal of Sports Medicine by Dr. Michael C. Meyers compared injuries on FieldTurf vs natural grass.
The study showcased that FieldTurf systems led to:
- 25% Fewer Total Injuries
- 15% Fewer Injuries due to player-to-surface collisions
See the full study Here
FIELDTURF & MAJOR LEAGUE SOCCER
The world’s most beautiful game has been steadily growing in popularity in North America and FieldTurf is being adopted to revolutionize the future of the sport. Designed to embody the key characteristics of a pristine natural surface, FieldTurf has developed ideal systems for soccer by ensuring proper ball performance, optimal safety and energy return for players. FieldTurf is a select member of the FIFA Preferred Producer Program, having met the high quality standards required to deliver elite-level pitches worldwide. Our team of experts has finely tuned our systems to deliver soccer-specific functionality, resulting in a surface that sets the stage for optimal performances and game-changing moments.
This season, FieldTurf is installed at five MLS home stadiums (Portland Timbers, Seattle Sounders, Atlanta United FC, New England Revolution and Minnesota United FC) and at over ten training complexes around the league, clearly making it the preferred surface of North America’s top league. Read more about FieldTurf’s soccer fields HERE
Become the next program to upgrade to CORE. Get started Here.
