Glass Bowl’s New FieldTurf Surface Project Complete
New surface will debut in home opener vs. Maine on Sept. 10
TOLEDO, OH - The University of Toledo football team will be playing on a brand-new field when the Rockets run onto the gridiron in the home opener vs. Maine in the Glass Bowl on Sept. 10. Installation of the new FieldTurf playing surface was completed last week.
Some UT’s players got a chance to test out the new surface today and gave it their enthusiastic approval.
“It’s nice, a lot different from the old turf,” said junior quarterback Logan Woodside. “It’s thicker and softer. It feels more like real grass. It’s not as hard so I think that could help prevent injuries.”
“I think it’s going to be faster,” added junior linebacker Ja’Wuan Woodley. “I think our cleats will sink into it better and give us better traction.”
The new FieldTurf surface is called Revolution 360 and features the latest in cutting-edge playing surface technology. The new surface will replace a FieldTurf surface that was installed in 2008. The project took about a month to complete.
“Any time you can make improvements to your stadium, it’s good for the program,” said head coach Jason Candle. “Our players are excited about playing on a new FieldTurf surface next fall.”
The look of the new field did not change dramatically. “We made a few tweaks but overall we felt we wanted to stay with our current look,” said assistant athletic director for operations and events Tim Warga Warga. “The bench areas are solid blue and the numbers on the field are outlined in blue, but otherwise from a fan’s perspective it looks very similar to our current field.” Other changes include a new angle for the Rocket logo at midfield so it fits inside the interior yard markers per NCAA rules. Also, the words “Glass Bowl” are stitched into each sideline.
The Glass Bowl was built in 1936 and had a grass playing field until Astroturf was installed in 1974. The Rockets played on Astroturf until 2001 when a new surface called Nexturf made its debut. That surface was replaced by Field Turf in 2008.
Toledo opens the 2016 season on the road at Arkansas State on Sept. 3 before returning to the Glass Bowl to take on Maine onSept. 10. Season tickets are available at the UT Athletic Ticket Office, online or by calling 419-530-GOLD (4653).
