Folsom Field is getting a makeover.
The University of Colorado is replacing its natural grass turf and going to an artificial surface at Folsom Field for the first time since 1998.
Installed by AstroTurf, CU’s new field will be similar to the artificial surfaces that are used around the country at all levels of athletics. The project will start shortly after the Bolder Boulder, which takes place May 26, and is expected to be completed before July 1 – weather permitting. Folsom Field is hosting three Phish concerts July 3-5.
“I think putting turf down there gives us flexibility, certainly with the change in the College Football Playoff,” CU athletic director Rick George told BuffZone. “Being a northern school, you don’t grow grass after October, and having a game in December (for the CFP) was a big part of that consideration. Plus, it gives us another field that we can practice on daily that will benefit our football program.”
Concerts played a role in the decision, as well, because now Folsom can host non-football events during the fall or other times of the year. With a grass field, concerts have been limited to summer months because of the process of keeping the field in good shape for football game days.
“It gives you flexibility on timing on when you could host an event, and it’ll give us an opportunity to potentially host an event in the fall that we wouldn’t ever be able to do because with grass,” George said. “And, look, we’re one of the few schools in the north that have had grass this long. So I think the timing is right for us to do that.”
Last year, 69.4% (93 of 134) of the schools in the Football Bowl Subdivision played on artificial surfaces. Of the 41 schools that used natural grass, 31 are located in the South, California or Arizona. (North Carolina has been using an artificial turf but announced in January it is going back to natural grass this year.)
CU played five of its seven away games on artificial surfaces last year. Folsom Field will become the 11th football stadium in the Big 12 with artificial turf.
The cost to make the switch will be about $1 million, but CU expects to save money on field maintenance over the life of the surface. CU is hoping to get 12-15 years out of the surface before replacing it.
Folsom will feature AstroTurf’s RootZone 3D3 system, which has a layer of fibers designed for better shock absorbency and to minimize rubber splash. According to the AstroTurf website, the RootZone 3D3 field also “improves safety, playability and durability.”
Underneath the AstroTurf will be a 20-millimeter thick shock pad manufactured by Brock, a Boulder-based company that started in 1998 to make artificial surfaces safer for athletes.
CU’s field will have the “Ralphie” logo at midfield, Big 12 logos, and the word “Buffaloes” across the end zones, which will be black.
The 101-year-old Folsom Field has had natural grass for most of its existence, but there was a 28-season period (1971-1998) in which the football team played on a now-outdated version AstroTurf. During those 28 seasons, CU had three different AstroTurf surfaces.
CU went back to natural grass in the spring of 1999, while also installing a bio-thermal heating, drainage and sub-air system.
Now, Folsom Field will become the latest venue to install a synthetic field, which is used in thousands of stadiums around the world. The Buffs practice on artificial turf frequently in their Indoor Practice Facility (IPF) at the Champions Center.
“I think AstroTurf has improved a lot over the last 15-20 years,” George said. “We think it’s a really good surface for us to play on, and particularly as we get into late November and potentially hosting (playoff games) in December. It just makes a lot of sense to do that.”
According to CU, the switch to the artificial surface will not impact the ability of Ralphie, the school’s live buffalo mascot, to make her traditional runs in pregame and halftime of home football games.
