FOXBOROUGH, MA (September 29, 2011) – Gillette Stadium's FieldTurf surface has now earned FIFA 2-Star recommended status – for the second consecutive year. It is now the only field in the United States to have successfully passed FIFA 2-Star tests in back-to-back years. When the FieldTurf was initially tested in 2010, Gillette Stadium’s surface marked the only field in the United States to have FIFA 2-Star status.
Home to Major League Soccer's New England Revolution for soccer matches and the New England Patriots for football, Gillette Stadium has proven to be the ideal multi-purpose venue with a field that has been designed specifically to mirror the playing characteristics of professional soccer, in addition to football.
The FIFA Recommended 2-Star designation is the highest synthetic turf rating from FIFA and is issued after a battery of tests are performed by a FIFA approved testing agent. FIFA final round competitions and top UEFA competitions have the FIFA Recommended 2-Star in their respective competition regulations.
“We are very pleased but not surprised that Gillette Stadium’s FieldTurf surface has once again passed the stringent testing to receive FIFA’s 2-Star designation,” said FieldTurf President Eric Daliere. "Passing a FIFA 2-Star test for the second consecutive year is another testament to the FieldTurf system’s durability and long-term performance.”
“We are proud to have the only field in the United States that has passed FIFA 2-Star testing in consecutive years,” said Jim Nolan, Sr. Vice President of Finance, Administration and Operations for Gillette Stadium. “FieldTurf provides for the best possible surface for our home teams while also setting us apart in competition for international soccer events. Our now long-standing relationship with FieldTurf has been beneficial both to our business and to the quality of the competition New England sports fans get to see on the field.”
In addition to being the home of the New England Patriots (NFL) and the New England Revolution of Major League Soccer (MLS), Gillette hosts a variety of other special events, including concerts and NCAA championships.
FieldTurf was the very first artificial surface to attain FIFA Recommended status due to its superior grass-like performance, which soccer players prefer. FieldTurf was the 1st artificial pitch to host a UEFA Cup Qualifying Round (Torpedo, Moscow); and the 1st to host a FIFA Soccer Tournament (Jeux de la Francophonie).
About FieldTurf
FieldTurf offers industry-leading engineering and manufacturing resources and leads the synthetic turf industry with regard to setting higher environmental standards. FieldTurf is the global market leader in terms of synthetic sports fields with more than 7000 fields installed. Additionally, FieldTurf has attained more than 15,000 satisfied customers in high quality pet, residential, commercial and municipal landscaping solutions, playground surfacing and has a complete range of golf and tennis products. FieldTurf synthetic turf customers enjoy the benefits of significantly reduced water consumption, the elimination of fertilizer and pesticides, superior durability and drainage and a product that looks and feels real.
FieldTurf is part of Tarkett Sports, a Division of the Tarkett Group. Tarkett Sports is the largest entity in the sports and landscape surfacing industries. Included within the Tarkett Sports portfolio is an impressive range of performance sports flooring products. This product range includes: synthetic and hardwood basketball; volleyball and gymnasium flooring; squash and racquetball courts; floor protection and covering systems; weight room flooring; and high performance indoor and outdoor running tracks, featuring Beynon and Atlas track surfaces. All Tarkett Sports surfaces are developed, produced and installed with a concentration on sustainability and a commitment to protecting the environment, providing additional LEED contribution opportunities for customers. The company calls this focus on sustainability and the environment ‘Environmental Intelligence’ and all company personnel strive to exemplify this philosophy in all aspects of the business.
For more information, please visit: FieldTurf Artificial Grass & Synthetic Turf Products
About Gillette Stadium
Gillette Stadium, located in Foxborough, Massachusetts, is the premier sports and entertainment venue in New England. The 68,756-seat stadium is the full-time home of the NFL’s New England Patriots, which have sold-out the stadium for every home game since it opened in 2002. Gillette Stadium is also the home field of the New England Revolution of Major League Soccer, and hosts a variety of other marquee sports events, including international soccer matches, NCAA championships and high school football super bowls. In December 2009, Billboard magazine ranked Gillette Stadium among the top 10 grossing concert venues in the world over the last decade. The stadium, which is equipped with two 60,000-square-foot club spaces and 87 luxury suites, also hosts hundreds of corporate and private events each year. For more information, please visit GilletteStadium.com, Facebook.com/GilletteEvents or Twitter.com/GilletteEvents.
