The FieldTurf Revolution surface, which will boast temperature-controlled features that provide a difference of up to 15 degrees Fahrenheit, is slated to be completed by the Terrapins football team’s Sept. 1 home opener, according to an athletics department press release. The end zones will continue to have a design “reminiscent of the Maryland state flag,” the release stated.
“I think [the field] is going to give us a competitive edge,” Athletic Director Kevin Anderson told The Diamondback last night. “It’s for the health and safety of all our student-athletes; they have new technology … that can reduce the possibilities of concussions. We’re very excited about that, very excited that it’s going to allow us to not only have more student-athlete events, but also having a field available for the student body and hosting different intramural events.”
While athletic officials said they could not release the cost of the field, which is funded entirely by donors, Anderson said everything is running “as planned and on time.”
University President Wallace Loh said the field is a beneficial investment in student-athletes’ and the university’s future.
“I don’t know how many millions it cost, but whatever that initial cost, the return on investment is dramatic,” Loh said. “Simply in terms of what you’re going to invest, where else can you get this kind of a return?”
Officials said they also hope the new field will help generate added revenue for the struggling department — which will cut eight teams June 30 unless they can raise the funds needed for eight years of competition or they have worked out new deadlines with the department to help alleviate an $83 million debt — by hosting concerts, outside athletic events and high school games.
Anderson noted because the field will be capable of hosting multiple games and teams will be able to practice on it without worrying about its wear and tear, he expects it to help in recruiting the nation’s best athletes.
“I think just from a recruiting standpoint, it will be very attractive and help us in the recruiting process,” he said. “Having this state-of-the-art field will show that we’re committed to not only our football program, but to our other programs as well.”
Deputy Athletic Director Nate Pine said officials looked at several different options for the color of the field — many speculated it would be red, black or pewter — as well as its special features, and chose a design that would best suit student-athletes for several years to come.
“When you’re looking at the life of a turf field, you’re looking anywhere at five to seven years of playing time on that surface,” Pine said. “So you have to make a smart decision of not only at the current time, but into the future, so that’s a challenge.”
This university’s teams will join more than 70 other NCAA Division I teams that practice on FieldTurf, as well as 22 NFL teams, according to the release.
Pine said he expects the field to help student-athletes and the department as a whole by providing a more reliable space to play and practice on.
“At the end of the day, it’s going to be a better playing surface, it’s going to drain much better than we had and it’s going to hold up better,” he said. “Just because the surface holds us a little bit better, you don’t have to worry about what it’s going to do in your grass.”
