![Olympic Stadium Pitch Ready for Women’s World Cup Semi-Final]()
by Shelby Becker
Xtreme Turf pitch at Olympic Stadium Montreal.
World-class Xtreme Turf pitch set to host USA and Germany in momentous semi-final match.
From design to manufacturing to installation, the synthetic turf pitch at Olympic Stadium Montreal has been expertly built to host the world’s greatest football talent. Tonight, it will stage a momentous match, as USA and Germany kick-off game one of the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2015 semi-finals.
“To see two of the top football teams in the world play here will be fantastic,” said John Baize, managing director of Act Global. “We’re honored to have supplied this world-class field with partner Carpell Surfaces, which has received excellent reviews regarding quality, aesthetics and performance.”
The artificial turf from Act Global – called Xtreme Turf DX—features the latest generation in 3G turf technology. The pitch was professionally installed by Carpell Surfaces and Certified FIFA Two Star, which is benchmarked against top natural grass in terms of ball bounce, ball roll, foot interaction, skin abrasion and shock absorption.
“We focus new turf developments on the latest player safety research, biomechanical standards, and best natural grass benchmarks,” said Baize. “Performance is confirmed through independent testing and third-party certifications.”
In addition, Carpell is actively monitoring and maintaining the condition of the Olympic Stadium pitch throughout the tournament, including for tonight’s match. The turf is groomed to keep the synthetic grass blades standing upright, and the infill is checked and topped off to precise levels. Seams, edges and line markings are inspected to ensure a consistent, safe surface for all Women’s World Cup players.
Paul Caron, president of Carpell Surfaces, said this attention to detail, quality and follow-up are fundamental to providing the best playing conditions.
“Our crews have worked extremely hard to ensure the world’s top players would enjoy playing on the very best surface for the tournament,” said Caron.
These advancements in synthetic turf quality, installation and maintenance practices have driven its sustained growth in both men’s and women’s elite sports around the world. The latest 3G turf provides a consistent, equal playing surface, proven similar in performance, fatigue levels, injury rates, and match statistics when compared to natural grass.
“As demonstrated by synthetic’s continued acceptance within professional clubs, tournaments and governing bodies of sport, it has secured a place among the elite sporting community,” said Baize. “Some of the best pitches in the world are synthetic.”
Germany and USA kick off tonight at 19:00 local time at Olympic Stadium Montreal. The winner will advance to the Women’s World Cup Final to be played July 5.
“We look forward to the final matches of the Women’s World Cup tournament, and sharing in the excitement of the fans and players around the world,” said Baize.
**The Olympic Stadium pitch features Act Global Xtreme Turf, with an exclusive MN Global Bonar Yarns fiber blend. The pitch was installed by Carpell Surfaces, over Schmitz Foam ProPlay shock pad and finished with eco-friendly performance infill.
ABOUT ACT GLOBAL
Act Global is a world leader in synthetic turf technology, with manufacturing facilities in USA, Europe and Asia, and sales in more than 70 countries. The company carries a full range of artificial turf products for sports (Xtreme Turf), landscaping (Xtreme Lawn), aviation (AvTurf) and land reclamation (LiteEarth). Act Global is notable for currently being the first company in the world that is a FIFA Preferred Producer for Football Turf, Synthetic Turf Council Certified Manufacturer, World Rugby Preferred Turf Producer, and holds an ISO 9001 certification. Its products have undergone hundreds of independent laboratory tests for quality, durability, safety, environmental soundness, and performance. For more information, visit http://www.ActGlobal.com.
Shelby Becker is a creative content creator and marketing specialist at Act Global. She’s an animal rights activist, avid concert-goer, and scary movie enthusiast. Follow her on LinkedIn .
For more information, contact marketing at sbecker@actglobal.com
![Olympic Stadium Pitch Ready for Women’s World Cup Semi-Final]()
by Shelby Becker
Xtreme Turf at Montreal Olympic Stadium
Photo credit: Tamsin Bussières © 2015 Carpell Surfaces
Artificial turf pitch from FIFA Preferred Producer for Football Turf Act Global is installed by Canadian partner Carpell Surfaces.
The football turf pitch at Montreal Olympic Stadium has been successfully installed and certified to FIFA Two Star status, to be categorized as an elite level playing surface.
As the established surface for the FIFA Women’s World Cup Canada 2015, synthetic turf will be used throughout all six tournament venues, to provide a consistent, equal, all-weather playing surface. The Montreal Olympic Stadium will host Spain against Costa Rica June 9 at 16:00 local time, and be used throughout the tournament, including the quarter-final (June 26) and semi-final (June 30) matches.
“We are honored at the opportunity to provide a world-class football turf field to host some of the game’s top talent,” said John Baize, director of Act Global.
The synthetic turf—named Xtreme Turf—was produced at Act Global’s ISO 9001 USA facility to ensure the highest quality and latest turf technology. An exclusive monofilament yarn blend, developed in collaboration by Bonar Yarns and Act Global, offers an ideal balance of performance, skin friendliness and durability. The dual-fibre system has been tested to greatly exceed the needs of a top international stadium.
“By identifying the needs of the player and how natural grass performs, we have developed a synthetic turf playing surface proven to have similar performance and safety measurements to top natural grass pitches,” said Baize.
The artificial turf was expertly installed by Carpell Surfaces over a Schmitz Foam ProPlay shock pad and finished with eco-friendly infill. The underlayer and infill provide the optimal amount of shock absorption to deliver an ideal, safe playing surface. The high-profile installation required Carpell to complete the work within a tight installation schedule and to the highest standards to meet FIFA’s tournament requirements.
The Montreal Olympic Stadium field has passed rigorous laboratory and field testing for qualities such as tuft bind, durability, UV stability, ball behavior, traction, deformation and shock absorption to meet FIFA Two Star criteria. A FIFA Two Star Recommended pitch will offer the highest level of performance, tailored towards the specific needs of elite football and international sport.
“I look forward to attending the games at Montreal Olympic Stadium, and sharing in the excitement with fans from around the world,” said Baize. “Best wishes for a memorable tournament to all players and teams!”
The FIFA Women’s World Cup Canada 2015 will take place from June 6 to July 5. For more information visit Fifa.com.
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About Act Global
Act Global has invested heavily in R&D, testing and ISO 9001 manufacturing facilities to produce artificial turf fit for top athletes and competitive play. The company is a world leader in synthetic turf manufacturing, with installations in over 70 countries. Act Global’s artificial turf products replicate natural grass for use in international stadiums, indoor sport centers, synthetic lawns, airports, landfills and other synthetic grass uses. Act Global is a FIFA Preferred Producer for Football Turf, World Rugby Preferred Turf Producer and Synthetic Turf Council Certified Manufacturer.
Shelby Becker is a creative content creator and marketing specialist at Act Global. She’s an animal rights activist, avid concert-goer, and scary movie enthusiast. Follow her on LinkedIn .
For more information, contact marketing at sbecker@actglobal.com
![Olympic Stadium Pitch Ready for Women’s World Cup Semi-Final]()
by Shelby Becker
Xtreme Turf at Montreal Olympic Stadium
Photo credit: Tamsin Bussières © 2015 Carpell Surfaces
Demonstrated by the growth of synthetic turf in elite football, alongside numerous studies, high quality artificial turf provides performance and safety advantages for both training and tournaments.
For years, synthetic turf has had a place in both male and female elite football. Last year’s U-20 Women’s World Cup, 2007’s U-20 Men’s World Cup, FA Cup, Champions League and other top clubs across Europe have progressed to synthetic turf as the surface’s popularity continues to grow. Today’s synthetic turf, used by the NFL, FIFA, World Rugby, the International Hockey Federation, and other international sports groups, combines the playing characteristics, look and feel of natural turf, with the advantages of increased frequency of usage, extra revenue generation, less maintenance and water usage, better climatic resistance and fewer canceled games.
As the established surface for the FIFA Women’s World Cup Canada 2015, synthetic turf provides a consistent and equal playing surface across all tournament venues, while offering performance and safety characteristics benchmarked to the best natural grass.
While previous generations of artificial turf felt abrasive and hard, the synthetic turf industry has heavily invested in research, technology and testing to improve performance and safety features. Extensive research has benchmarked natural grass for qualities such as traction, slip resistance, ball behavior, surface abrasion and foot stability. By choosing high quality synthetic yarns and turf systems from a FIFA Preferred Producer for Football Turf, customers are reassured that the product is engineered, installed and tested to match, if not beat, these benchmarks.
Act Global recognizes the need for a safe, durable, and high-performing playing surface for all men’s and women’s sporting events – which is why we prioritize quality in every single detail involved in doing so. From raw materials, to quality control, to installation partners, we ensure best-in-class performance is consistently delivered to end users. Synthetic turf fibres from Bonar Yarns feature the highest-grade polymers, which undergo stringent quality checks before, during and after the production process. World-class synthetic turf manufacturing from Act Global and professional installation ensures the pitch is executed to the highest international standards of play.
For the 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup an independent consultant has tested all six host stadiums to ensure the playing surfaces meet stringent performance criteria. Each pitch is FIFA Certified, meaning it is benchmarked against natural grass characteristics in terms of ball bounce, ball roll, skin abrasion and shock absorption.
The Montreal Olympic Stadium Xtreme Turf pitch, installed by Carpell Surfaces, passed stringent field testing to be certified to FIFA Two Star elite level.
Synthetic turf provides a reliable, all-weather surface that is fit for training, games, elite sporting competitions, tournaments, community events and much more. With an emphasis on synthetic turf quality and performance, players, coaches and fans can focus on the game at hand, not the surface.
Let the World Cup games continue!
** The Montreal Olympic Stadium will showcase Act Global’s highly durable Xtreme Turf DX system, which contains an exclusive fibre blend from Bonar Yarns. The artificial turf has been expertly installed by Carpell Surfaces over a Schmitz Foam ProPlay shock pad and finished with eco-friendly infill.
Shelby Becker is a creative content creator and marketing specialist at Act Global. She’s an animal rights activist, avid concert-goer, and scary movie enthusiast. Follow her on LinkedIn .
For more information, contact marketing at sbecker@actglobal.com
![Olympic Stadium Pitch Ready for Women’s World Cup Semi-Final]()
by Shelby Becker
Today’s synthetic turf is designed to simulate the experience of practicing and playing on the best natural grass.
Natural grass simply cannot remain lush and resilient if used more than three to four days a week, in snow or drought, or during months when grass doesn’t grow. This, coupled with an escalating need for durable fields that accommodate multiple teams and activities, the high cost of maintaining a grass sports field or landscape, and the need to conserve water, have prompted a rising number of schools, parks and municipalities to turn to synthetic turf to meet their needs.
ENVIRONMENT: Synthetic turf has a measurable, positive impact on the environment.
WATER SAVINGS
– A typical natural grass sports field requires between 500,000 and 1 million gallons water per year.
– Every square meter of natural grass replaced with synthetic saves 2,200 gallons per year.
– Synthetic turf conserves 4 to 8 billion gallons water annually.
REDUCED PESTICIDE USE
– Synthetic turf eliminates the need for harmful pesticides and fertilizers, a principal cause of water pollution,
which can lead to Algal Bloom, depleted oxygen and damage to wildlife.
LESS POLLUTION
– Helps reduce noxious emissions from maintenance equipment and mowers.
– A push mower emits as much pollution in one hour as 11 cars. A riding mower emits as much as 34 cars.
RETURN ON INVESTMENT: Synthetic turf has been proven to be a highly cost-effective investment.
– A synthetic turf field pays for itself over 3-4 years.
– The cost of installing and maintaining a synthetic turf field over a 20-year period (including one replacement field) is over 3x less expensive per event than the cost of a grass field.
VERSATILE: Maximize land use with the same surface space.
Synthetic turf promotes greater utilization of land than natural grass, as you can achieve more with the same surface space. This is especially useful for highly urbanized environments with limited access to recreational areas, maximizing event spaces, or areas in drought.
ALL WEATHER USE: Ideal for inclement weather climates.
Preparing and maintaining natural turf can be particularly challenging in cold or very hot climates. Natural turf is generally in poor condition after long winter months, requiring extensive maintenance and re-leveling. Hot climates experiencing drought face significant water shortages. Synthetic turf playing fields fields remain uniform and consistent, season after season, and can be used within hours of installation–without worry of damage.
RESILIENT: Far more durable than natural grass.
– Natural grass should not be used more than 20 – 24 hours per week or 680 – 816 hours per year.
– Synthetic turf can be utilized around 3,000 hours per year with no “rest” required.
SAFETY AND PERFORMANCE: Player well-being is at the forefront of product development.
Hundreds of studies have shown that the risk of injury is no different on high quality synthetic turf than natural grass. FIFA Quality Turf, in particular, has been extensively benchmarked and tested against natural grass for player safety and performance measures.
Shelby Becker is a creative content creator and marketing specialist at Act Global. She’s an animal rights activist, avid concert-goer, and scary movie enthusiast. Follow her on LinkedIn .
For more information, contact marketing at sbecker@actglobal.com
![Olympic Stadium Pitch Ready for Women’s World Cup Semi-Final]()
by Shelby Becker
A reliable, high-quality playing surface performs an important part in the making of a successful team. It keeps athletes safe and training year round, with consistent practice conditions to allow athletes to play their best and hardest at game time.
Congratulations to these 2015 teams playing on Xtreme Turf for their hard work, training, dedication and wins!
MERTHYR TOWN FC
With the motto “Progress Through Stability”, Merthyr Town FC is a genuine example of a winning team. Following several years of financial hardship, they have steadily climbed ranks after an outpouring of fan support, and the subsequent installation of a new synthetic turf field. Merthyr Town FC were crowned Champions of the Evostik Southern League South and West Division, and have secured their place in the Southern League Premier Division for next season.
LLANDUDNO FC
After a memorable season for Llandudno Football Club, the team was declared Champions of the Huws Gray Alliance and clinched promotion to the Welsh Premier League! Team Captain Tom Dix gives his review of the new synthetic turf pitch as “brilliant” in a recent interview. “It’s so much better turning up to games knowing that the surface is going to be nice and allow you to play football,” said Dix.
CRUSADERS FC
Well done to Crusaders Football Club on winning Danske Bank Premiership! Crusaders are a Northern Irish football club playing in the NIFL Premiership.
NEWTON STEWART FC
Newton Stewart FC are in the South of Scotland League, playing out of Blairmount Park on their new 3G synthetic turf pitch. The Club finished 3rd in the league in 2014, and after a great season they were unlucky to finish the 2015 season in 2nd.
QUEEN OF THE SOUTH FC
The Doonhamers have had another very positive season in the Scottish Championship, with a new woven pitch installed last August, they will finish in the play-offs. With Rangers and Hearts in the Division it was always going to be a tough hill to climb but once again they have given themselves a chance of reaching the Scottish Premiership. Keep watching for further news…!
AFC BOURNEMOUTH
The Cherries play in the English Championship and have a chance to secure a place in the richest league in the world, The Premiership, alongside Chelsea, Manchester Utd and City, Arsenal and Liverpool. While they play their matches on a natural surface, their pitch surround is Act Global woven turf.
For those who have completed their seasons we are proud to have played a small part and for those still involved we wish them all the best.
Shelby Becker is a creative content creator and marketing specialist at Act Global. She’s an animal rights activist, avid concert-goer, and scary movie enthusiast. Follow her on LinkedIn .
For more information, contact marketing at sbecker@actglobal.com
