Teal Turf is down!
The colorful facelift of Benton Field at Brooks Stadium, the home for Coastal Carolina football and women's lacrosse, has been completed as Shaw Sports Turf has laid "Teal Turf" on the field and in both bronze end zones.
The installation has received attention from numerous national media outlets, including USA Today, Yahoo!, CBS and Fox.
"When the decision to install an artificial turf field was made, it only made sense that the turf be teal," said Coastal Carolina Director of Athletics Matt Hogue. "In addition to our winning tradition, we are known nationally for our distinctive color scheme. And it's not just the color our teams wear, but a campuswide identity. We felt this would be a great opportunity to further build that brand."
The turf installation project began in January with the stripping of the natural grass and continued with the installation of drainage systems through the months of February and March before the first pieces of "Teal Turf" were laid on April 2.
The project has a budget of $1.2 million and will give the sports programs more versatility and options for both practice and game days.
Artificial turf versus a grass playing surface will help alleviate practice space challenges as well as provide a safe and durable option if there is inclement weather. Also, the quality of the playing surface will remain consistent throughout several seasons including postseason football, and in the spring, women's lacrosse which is typically contested on artificial turf. The more versatile surface also provides the University the opportunity to host non-athletic special events.
Replacing the grass with turf will allow more student athletes and sports teams to use the field, since turf doesn't get damaged during bad weather.
There were a few hurdles CCU had to go through to get the rights for the "Teal Turf." DeCenzo said Boise State actually has a patent on its blue turf football field so CCU had to prove that Chanticleer Teal was much different than Bronco Blue.
Other notable schools with colored turf fields include Boise State and Eastern Washington which has a red field.
