Local aspiring athletes soon won't have to wait for college or the pros to play on artificial turf.
Two of the new fields Queens University of Charlotte plans to construct at Marion Diehl Recreation Center will be covered with a synthetic surface made from an alchemy of rubber, sand and plastic.
The $1.5 million fields will operate as part of a regular park open to the public — though Queens' soccer and lacrosse teams will have first dibs on the field with taller "grass." The Diehl Center will run programs for seniors and people with disabilities on the short-turf field.
If the fields are as durable and weather-resistant as supporters say, turf could begin growing beneath the cleats of athletes across the county. Such a move would put Charlotte in league with Los Angeles, New York, Asheville, Greensboro and other communities turning to turf to relieve well-worn natural fields.
This isn't the same stuff you remember cropping up in the late '60s and '70s that was blamed for injuries and came in colors found nowhere in nature.
The new breed of fake weed is made of a plastic blend, which turf makers say is as soft as real grass blades. The "grass" is held in place by a mixture of silica sand and rubber granules, made from old tires and sneaker rubber.
The result, industry officials say, is a turf able to withstand constant use for years without tearing. It drains water quickly, so rain rarely cancels games. And maintenance is occasionally raking or hosing down the surface to make sure the fake "earth" is evenly distributed.
FieldTurf Inc., a major turf manufacturer, estimates its product costs about double what sod costs to install, but sod is 10 times more expensive to maintain — $52,500 a year for grass vs. $5,000 for turf. A Mooresville-based company, Medallion Athletic Products, just installed public turf fields in Asheville that Medallion Vice President Pat Underhill said will pay for themselves in three years.
Mecklenburg Park and Recreation Director Wayne Weston said his calculations show public turf fields in Charlotte could recoup installation costs in five years.
This type of turf is still so new that no one knows how long it will last, but industry estimates range from 10 to 15 years.
After more than three years of daily stomping, the two outdoor fake-grass fields at UNC Chapel Hill have some stressed seams, but no other signs of wear. The fields cost nearly $1 million.
"But for what we got out of it, there's no comparison" with grass fields, said Mary Pomerantz, director of campus recreation. "It's the best thing we've ever done on this campus."
Appalachian State University has had artificial turf for more than 25 years. But when school officials traded AstroTurf for the more grass-like FieldTurf in Kidd Brewer Stadium last year, the difference was immediate, Athletic Director Roachel Laney said.
"The biggest problem we've had with it is too many people want to use it," he said. "It's truly an unbelievable product."
The $560,000 field is used by varsity teams, club and intramural teams, physical education classes and even the band. A natural grass field could never serve so many purposes without turning into a large brown spot.
"I can't imagine why more people don't go to it, especially if you have high-traffic use," Laney said.
The traffic is always high on Mecklenburg County's fields. Officials rarely erect lights around fields anymore because it will only increase use, Weston said.
"Just in soccer, we are 91 fields behind where we should be of like-sized cities across America," he said. "That first facility (at Marion Diehl) is going to be our pilot that we're going to generate a lot of numbers out of."
If the numbers add up, Weston intends to put fake fields across the county. Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools officials are researching artificial turf as well.
Construction money likely would come from bonds or partnerships, such as the one with Queens, park and recreation officials said.
The university is paying $15 million to build tennis courts, a track, walking trails, a baseball field, a softball field and the two turf fields, among other amenities. The county is providing the land.
Maintenance costs for the complex will be split between Queens and the county, said Patton McDowell, vice president of university advancement.
The $6 million first phase — which includes the turf fields — is expected to start this fall, once Queens raises the money and gets its building plans approved by county and Charlotte officials.
Construction is expected to take less than a year.
