Georgia Tech to Install Artificial Turf at Bobby Dodd Stadium – Football — Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets

THE FLATS – Georgia Tech Athletics will install an artificial playing surface at Bobby Dodd Stadium, home of Georgia Tech football, this summer. Removal of the former natural turf from historic Grant Field began in late May, and installation of a state-of-the-art Geofill-infilled Legion NXT turf system, manufactured by Shaw Sports Turf of nearby Calhoun, Georgia, is expected to be completed in late July .

By installing an artificial surface, Grant Field can be used much more regularly than is currently possible. The new interface will expand the ability for Georgia Tech student-athletes and teams to train and practice at Bobby Dodd Stadium. Additionally, tech athletes can host many other non-soccer events at the stadium that are of interest to the Georgia Tech and Atlanta communities, including campus events, concerts, and other sporting events. Financially, installing an artificial surface at Bobby Dodd Stadium will reduce the cost of maintaining a natural field while providing opportunities for significant sales increases related to hosting external events. No state funds are used for the project.

Planning for the artificial turf switch began in earnest last winter after Georgia Tech announced that BTS and Guns’ N Roses concerts would be held at Bobby Dodd Stadium in May and August respectively (the concerts were later canceled due to the Covid-19 Pandemic postponed). At those concerts, Georgia Tech should have replaced the natural grass surface less than a month before the Yellow Jackets kick off against Clemson on September 3rd.

“I’d like to thank our long-term partners at Shaw for working with us to make this project a reality,” said Georgia Tech, director of athletics Todd Stansbury said. “Georgia Tech and Shaw have been working together on a variety of projects for a long time, and we are excited and grateful to be working with them again.

“While our stellar ground team has consistently produced the best natural grass soccer field in the country, Shaw Sports Turf’s Legion Shaw NXT turf system provides our athletes with the safest, most consistent playing surface available today,” continued Stansbury. “By installing an artificial surface, we can use Grant Field 365 days a year, as opposed to the very limited number of events, exercises and workouts that can be safely performed on a natural surface. By moving to an artificial field, Bobby Dodd Stadium can continue to be considered one of the best stadiums in college football and become a place the entire campus community can enjoy more often and is becoming one of the best entertainment venues in the Southeast. ”

The installation of the state-of-the-art Legion NXT surface marks the return of artificial turf at Bobby Dodd Stadium, the oldest on-campus venue for great college football. Grant Field had an artificial surface for 24 seasons from 1971 to 1994, including the Yellow Jackets’ fourth national championship campaign in 1990. Willie Clay, Marco Coleman, Bill Curry, John Davis, Eddie Lee Ivery, Robert Lavette, Randy Rhino and Pepper Rodgers , Bobby Ross, Lucius Sanford, Ken Swilling and Pat Swilling were among the Georgia Tech legends who played and trained on Grant Field’s man-made surface during their time as Yellow Jackets.

“I am grateful to our Athletics Administration, led by Todd Stansbury, and our friends at Shaw Sports Turf for everything they have done to enable us to install a state-of-the-art playing surface at Bobby Dodd Stadium,” Georgia Tech soccer head coach Geoff Collins said. “On an artificial turf field, we can train and train regularly in the stadium all year round. This is a huge perk as we prepare to play in the best setting for college football, with Bobby Dodd Stadium in the heart of Midtown Atlanta! “

The Legion NXT turf system is the latest fiber system from Shaw Sports Turf. With the exemplary ThunderBolt fiber, Legion NXT is a hybrid system that offers realistic aesthetics with an electrifying level of durability. The system is designed for strength, presses on the envelope and offers endurance even in the toughest matchups. It is 20 percent more robust and shows minimal signs of wear and tear of up to 80,000 Lisport cycles. The Geofill fill system is 100 percent natural and plays naturally, resulting in a perfect balance between vertical deformation, resistance to rotation and energy return. The geofill filling is made from coconut shells and fibers, which are a rapidly renewable resource. The filling also requires much less water than natural grass, which results in a significant degree of conservation.

The National Football League’s Cincinnati Bengals (Paul Brown Stadium) and Indianapolis Colts (Lucas Oil Stadium) both have Shaw Sports turf surfaces in their respective stadiums.

The new playing surface is one of several enhancements to be unveiled at Bobby Dodd Stadium when Georgia Tech football welcomes Clemson to the highly anticipated Yellow Jackets season opener on national television on Thursday, September 3. Other improvements include a new fan- and power-friendly LED lighting system, a new sound system, improved stadium signage, fresh paint throughout the facility and a refresh of the toilets throughout the stadium.

Georgia Tech Football season tickets for 2020 are available now. The Yellow Jackets’ home game schedule for seven games is one of the best in program history. It includes matchups at Bobby Dodd Stadium against Clemson, Miami, Virginia and UCF as well as the first showdown “Mayhem at MBS” against Notre Dame at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on November 14th. Season tickets start at just $ 229 and include the Mayhem at MBS contest versus Notre Dame. For more information and to buy tickets online, visit ramblinwreck.com/footballtickets.

Alexander Tharpe Fund

The Alexander Tharpe Fund is Georgia Tech’s athletics fundraising arm, providing scholarships, operations, and assistance to Georgia Tech’s 400+ student athletes. Be part of the evolution of Georgia Tech’s Everyday Champions and help the Yellow Jackets compete for championships at the highest level in college athletics by supporting the AT Funds Annual Sports Scholarship Fund, who provides direct scholarships to student-athletes at Georgia Tech, and Athletics Initiative 2020Georgia Tech Athletics’ ongoing $ 125 million initiative that enables tech to recruit the best student-athletes in the country, build a better student-athlete once they get to The Flats, and ultimately win! To learn more about the yellow jackets support, visit atfund.org.

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