It was time.
The faded, worn-out turf at Arizona Stadium is being replaced. A new synthetic surface will be installed in May and will be ready for use before the Wildcats begin training camp in early August.
The turf will cost more than $1 million, UA athletic director Dave Heeke told the Star. The projected budget on the UA planning, design and construction web page is $1.4 million.
“We’ve done all the tests,” Heeke said in a phone interview. “It’s reached its full life span, and it’s time for a replacement.”
A FieldTurf CoolPlay surface was installed in 2013 at a cost of $1 million. It replaced a natural-grass surface.
Many UA fans were pining for a return to a grass field. Heeke said the university strongly considered that option but elected to stick with turf, which is less expensive to maintain.
“We evaluated both grass and turf,” Heeke said. “The grass is a really significant overhaul, and you have challenges with that seasonally.
“There’s limitations when you put grass in. ... There’s significant upkeep and costs with grass surfaces.”
Having turf at Arizona Stadium enables the football team to utilize it for practice and conditioning — even in the immediate aftermath of summer monsoons. The stadium also is able to hosts summer camps and university events such as graduation ceremonies.
The new turf surface will be technologically superior to its predecessor. Ideally, it will be easier on athletes’ joints and not quite as hot under the Southern Arizona sun.
“It’s improved so much over these last 8-10 years,” Heeke said. “The performance and safety levels are so much better than they were.”
Heeke said he and his staff “continue to talk through” what the field will look like, but they have the basic concept. The turf will be green and will feature UA colors. It also will continue to “incorporate the ‘Bear Down’ theme,” Heeke said.
The new turf will be paid for fully through the athletics operations budget, Heeke said.
