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AstroTurf is a brand of artificial turf. Though the term is a registered trademark, it is sometimes used as a generic description of any kind of artificial turf. The original AstroTurf was a short pile synthetic turf, known today as a "classic system". more...

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Though it still the preferred surface for field hockey, classic systems are being replaced in many stadiums with newer generation artificial turfs whose materials have properties much closer to natural grass. Players have said that playing on AstroTurf was similar to playing on concrete.

History

AstroTurf was invented in 1965 by employees of Monsanto, patented in 1967, and originally sold under the name "Chemgrass". It was renamed AstroTurf after its first well-publicized use at the Houston Astrodome stadium. Monsanto later sold the AstroTurf brand to Southwest Recreational Industries (SRI), who held the rights until filing for bankruptcy in 2004. The development of the turf is now property of Dalton, Georgia based Textile Management Associates, Inc. It is sold by General Sports Venue, LLC.

No National Football League or Major League Baseball stadiums currently use AstroTurf. The last NFL stadiums to use AstroTurf were the RCA Dome (Indianapolis Colts) and the Edward Jones Dome (St. Louis Rams) in the 2004 season. The last NFL game played on AstroTurf was a playoff game at the RCA Dome between the Denver Broncos and the Colts on January 9, 2005. The last MLB stadium to use AstroTurf was SkyDome (now Rogers Centre), home of the Toronto Blue Jays, during the 2004 MLB season.

As of 2006, Ralph Wilson Stadium, home of the Buffalo Bills, is the only NFL stadium to use AstroPlay, an artificial grass surface (similar to FieldTurf) manufactured by SRI. This AstroPlay surface was installed for the 2003 Bills' season. A few colleges (such as the University of Mississippi's Vaught-Hemingway Stadium) use AstroPlay. One noteworthy installation is Bronco Stadium, the home field of Boise State University's football team and home of the MPC Computers Bowl, which is famous for its blue turf.

Astroturf remains the preferred surface for field hockey.

See Also

Artificial grass; FieldTurf;

Read more at Wikipedia.org