Article submitted by Artificial Turf Supply
Athletic fields and parks across the nation are making the switch to outdoor artificial turf as a safe, durable surface for sports. Mansfield News-Mirror reports that the City Council voted Jan.31, 2011 to begin talks with Big League Dreams to install artificial turf on the facility’s eight sports fields.
According to the article, Big League Dreams along with local hotels asked the city to help fund the bill to install wholesale artificial turf on the Major League Baseball replica fields. The city approved negotiations.
CEO of Big League Dreams USA Scott LeTellier told the Mansfield News-Mirror that the organization has lost nearly $1 million since they opened the park in 2008, mainly due to the aftermath of the rain. According to LeTellier, the current clay content of the fields takes a very long time to drain.
“When tournament promoters have unpredictable fields, the tournament gets canceled and hotel rooms get canceled,” he told the paper. “Once this happens, they won’t come back. The tours that do come are smaller and so we have fewer room nights.”
Unlike residential artificial grass, athletic artificial turf will need to be replaced every eight years — a responsibility that will fall on the shoulders of Big League Dreams.