Every outdoor synthetic field at the University of Southern California is now surfaced by FieldTurf — thanks to the back-to-back installation in January of FieldTurf’s Classic HD system at Cromwell Field and Brittingham Field.
Both fields receive “massive usage,” according to Jeff Fucci, USC’s Associate Athletic Director, with the surfaces accommodating recreational sports and physical education programs, marching band practices, training for various Trojan sports teams, special events and even use by the general public.
FieldTurf’s relationship with USC dates back to 2005: The new turf at Cromwell Field replaced an earlier-generation FieldTurf surface, while turf from a different manufacturer was in use at Brittingham Field.
FieldTurf’s durability and customer service played in the decision to purchase. “Having all three surfaces be FieldTurf definitely provides consistency and reliability from a maintenance standpoint,” Fucci says. “Given our positive experience with FieldTurf in the past, it made sense for us to have the same provider for every field. We know what we’re getting.”
USC officials included coaches and trainers of all sports in the decision-making process. “We got the stakeholders buy-in, and now everyone has a better understanding of synthetic turf and how it works,” Fucci says.
They know what they’re getting, because USC installed FieldTurf’s Revolution 360 on Brian Kennedy Field, one of the Trojans’ practice fields, in 2015. “That was the first time we opted for a synthetic surface for our football practice facility,” Fucci says, adding that the turf has been well received by coaches, players and athletic trainers — not to mention maintenance crews who no longer need to keep replacing new sod in stressed areas of the field. “That represented a philosophical shift for the department. We look back on it now and are very satisfied with the decision.”
FieldTurf dominates the Pac-12 with installations at 10 of the 12 Universities. FieldTurf is the trusted home stadium surface at the University of Arizona, University of California, Berkeley, University of Oregon, Oregon State University, University of Utah, University of Washington and Washington State University