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New Orleans Saints Press Release
posted 07/20/99
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| Louisiana Superdome |
The New Orleans Saints and the Green Bay Packers will contest their August 28th preseason game in the Louisiana Superdome on natural grass, it was announced today by Saints President/General Manager/Chief Operating Officer Bill Kuharich and SMG's General Manager of the Superdome Doug Thornton.
This specially developed natural grass rug, which will be five to six months in age at the time of the game, will be installed directly on the floor of the Superdome. STN2000 is the name given for the complete process that includes the growth, installation and removal of the natural grass. Approximately 40 trucks will begin delivering the grass to the Superdome on Tuesday, August 24 and the field should be completely installed by early Wednesday morning of that week.
For the first time since the introduction of artificial turf, indoor natural grass will be the foundation for NFL players in the Superdome. Every NFL team will be watching this game in anticipation whether other indoor stadiums will adopt this technology. This natural grass system is a product of southern turf nurseries.
"We are pleased to participate with the Saints organization and southern turf nurseries on this experimental project," said Thornton. "The Louisiana Superdome has been consistently on the cutting edge of technology for indoor stadiums."
For more than four decades, southern turf nurseries has provided superior sports field construction services for sports arenas worldwide. This remarkable indoor grass from southern turf nurseries' STN2000 system, is transportable, thick and has been trial tested by the NFL for strength and durability.
"This opportunity is exciting for the Saints but even more exciting for the NFL because it provides them with an avenue to further explore the reality of bringing grass indoors to all other stadiums," said Kuharich. "Our players are definitely looking forward to this particular game."
Southern turf nurseries have provided the grass for numerous major football, baseball and soccer fields as well as some of golf's finest courses. The STN2000 System developed by southern turf nurseries was designed specifically for indoor stadiums but is tough enough to be perfect for outdoor stadiums and arenas.
Kuharich added, "We put the STN2000 through a trial run in our parking lot with a few of our players and the grass at that time was only 70-days old." The December 18th trial was performed in front of representatives from the National Football League office, NFL Players Association as well as NFL turf experts.
"This is a new day for us because we have not only taken our natural grass and created a rug, but have also designed the equipment for installation and removal in record time. We have built a natural grass system that provides an excellent alternative as a tough playing surface," said southern turf nurseries President Eddie Woerner. "August 28th will certainly be an exciting day for southern turf nurseries and the other Woerner companies."
courtesy New Orleans Saints