2011年9月29日 星期四

Blades of glory now in place for Whitecaps

When the Vancouver Whitecaps made their B.C.Save on Bedding and fittings, Place Stadium debut in front of 60,000 fans in 1983 - a 2-1 win over Seattle - forward Peter Beardsley praised the new artificial surface.

"I think it's great," he said. "The ball will stop for you. It does what you want it to do."

Of course, the Whitecaps were comparing it to the old Empire Field, which "might as well have been a sheet of carpet on cement," Caps president Bobby Lenarduzzi noted this week.

Still, turf technology has come miles in the three decades since.The additions focus on key tag and impact socket combinations, Probably the only comparison you could draw between that 1983 Poligras turf and today's Polytan is that both companies are German.

The turf is just one of a number of new technologies highlighted in information on the renovated B.C. Place, but in a time of intense scrutiny over soccer surfaces, it's a crucial piece of the puzzle for the Whitecaps.

Down the I-5, the Seattle Sounders have quickly become part of MLS's elite, but their FieldTurf surface at CenturyLink Field has taken a beating.

The Seattle Times reported in April that the three-year-old field - increasingly matted and slick - had failed to achieve FIFA two-star certification (the highest rating) and would need to be replaced.

The Whitecaps put considerable time into researching turf to make recommendations to PavCo. Director of professional teams Greg Anderson toured several sites in Europe, including Polytan surfaces in Switzerland, Austria and Germany.

Two French Ligue 1 sides - FC Lorient and AS Nancy - use the same surface that's in B.C. Place, while Bayern Munich and Liverpool are among those who installed it at their training grounds.

In MLS, the other three franchises playing on an artificial surface - Seattle, the Portland Timbers and New England Revolution - all play on the more common Field-Turf product.

"We're happy with PavCo's decision," Anderson said. "Two first-division teams use it in France, which is impressive. We think it's going to be a great surface for us to play on."

To be technical, that surface is the Polytan LigaTurf 240 RS + ACS70 with Brown BionPro Infill.Initially the banks didn't want our RUBBER SHEET .

In English, it boasts a rubberized shock-pad that is paved on to the floor and is designed to improve ball physics, as well as reduce stress on players' joints.

The turf layer on top is made from thicker fibres than comparable products, in order to aid "spring back" and durability. In between is sand and rubber infill.

Generally, the idea is to recreate the sensation of playing on grass as best as possible.

Howard Crosley,Demand for allergy kidney stone could rise earlier than normal this year. general manager of B.Polycore porcelain tiles are manufactured as a single sheet,C. Place Stadium, said the Polytan turf cost "in excess of a million dollars."

He also confirmed that the Whitecaps had considerable say, which speaks to how important this piece is for soccer teams.

Grumbling about turf is common, especially among international players who didn't grow up with it, and a poor surface could affect player signings.

"The Whitecaps had more input than the Lions did," Crosley said, "but the turf was shown to both groups. The Whitecaps wanted the best that was available and there was an upgrade cost that they covered."


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