SOUTH BEND, Ind., Aug. 14, 2008 (PRIME NEWSWIRE) -- Notre Dame, one of the most storied athletic programs in collegiate sports, has selected FieldTurf for installation on three of its key athletic fields. FieldTurf, the world leader in artificial surfacing, will be placed on two of the Fighting Irish's football practice fields, as well as at Arlotta Stadium, the school's new lacrosse facility. This announcement was jointly made by Notre Dame Assistant Athletic Director Mike Danch and FieldTurf Tarkett CEO Joe Fields.
The two football practice fields are both lighted and are located adjacent to the Guglielmino Athletic Complex. They will be utilized by Head Football Coach Charlie Weis and his squad, and will also be available for use by Notre Dame's men's and women's soccer teams. The lacrosse stadium will be the home for both Head Coach Kevin Corrigan's men's team and Head Coach Tracy Coyne's women's team.
"Our players are very happy practicing on the new FieldTurf fields," said Head Football Coach Charlie Weis. "The footing is excellent and has allowed the pace of practice to increase."
"FieldTurf is an industry standard, and we look forward to years of play on the great turf fields they are preparing for us," said Corrigan.
"I am very happy that the University has chosen FieldTurf as the playing surface in Arlotta Stadium," said Coyne. "Our players love playing on this surface. They like the feel of the surface and the quickness it gives them in practice and games."
"Certainly, Notre Dame is one of the most prestigious names in all of college athletics," said Fields. "FieldTurf is proud to commence our association with this great university and its incredible history of athletic excellence, while also bringing our own version of athletic excellence to their facilities. We are excited about installing our state-of-the-art FieldTurf system for Fighting Irish football, lacrosse and soccer. We are confident that Notre Dame's athletes will find that FieldTurf gives them tremendous playability and safety in a surface."
More than 50 major NCAA universities have FieldTurf in their stadiums including Nebraska, Ohio State, Michigan, Wisconsin, Indiana, West Virginia, Washington, Oregon, Boston College, Rutgers, Kansas State, Louisville and Missouri. Twenty-one of the NFL's 32 teams use FieldTurf at their stadium and/or practice facility. In addition, MLB's Tampa Bay Devil Rays, Minnesota Twins and Toronto Blue Jays have FieldTurf at their respective stadiums.
FieldTurf Tarkett is the largest entity in the sports surfacing industry and provides unparalleled leasing capabilities, engineering and manufacturing resources. In addition to its world-renowned FieldTurf and Prestige brands of artificial turf, FieldTurf Tarkett provides an equally impressive range of sports flooring products that includes synthetic and hardwood basketball, volleyball and gymnasium flooring, squash and racquetball courts, floor protection and covering systems, and weight room flooring. Also in the range of FieldTurf Tarkett products are indoor and outdoor running tracks including the high performance Le Monde track system, the Resisport track system, the Beynon track surfaces, playground surfacing, commercial and residential landscaping, and a complete range of tennis and golf surfaces. For more information, visit www.fieldturftarkett.com.