FieldTurf To Be Installed at McMahon Stadium

Mother Nature, what with the late-arriving spring and all, certainly isn’t being a team player.

Nevertheless, the McMahon Stadium Society crew is proceeding with the task of pulling up the old artificial turf to make way for a new synthetic surface that will be in place for the 2014 Canadian Football League season.

The toil was scheduled to begin on Apr. 1 but some wintry weather — not-so-Happy April Fool’s! — forced a delay of a day or two.

“We weren’t sure how frozen the ground was going to be but it turned out to be much better than expected and we were able to get started,” said McMahon Stadium manager John Haverstock. “With the weather expected to warm up over the weekend, we’re really going to be able to pick up the pace.”

The outgoing turf was installed in 2006 and had reached the threshold of the expected lifespan of eight-to-10 years when replacement is recommended.

“The turf certainly saw lots of use, not just from Stampeders games and practices, but also from the other teams that play at McMahon and all the amateur events that are put on here,” said Haverstock.

The new surface, like the old, is manufactured by industry leaders FieldTurf and consists of a polyethylene fibre mat together with infill material made up of silica sand and granulated rubber to create a soft and forgiving surface.

FieldTurf was one of four companies bidding for the contract and was selected after consultation with a specialist as well as the Stampeders.

“We went and visited other facilities with the surface and we also received input from (Stamps equipment manager) George Hopkins and (assistant general manager) Mike Petrie based on the players’ experience with turfs in other CFL stadiums,” said Haverstock. “FieldTurf does many, many fields across North America and in fact I believe its market share is greater than all of its competitors combined.”

The installation of a new surface will be welcomed by players and fans.

The springy new turf will be more forgiving and reduce the wear and tear on players’ bodies while the fresh green surface is sure to be very pleasing to the eye.

Barring a dramatic weather-related setback — and this being Calgary, the possibility can’t be entirely dismissed — the new McMahon carpet is scheduled to be installed in time for the start of the Stamps’ rookie camp on May 29.