Asheville, NC – Back in 2006 there was no such thing as an iPhone, Shaq was still winning championships, and Harry Potter could only be found in books. It’s also the year that the John B. Lewis Soccer Complex (JBL) had its first AstroTurf® soccer fields installed. That’s a long time ago in pop culture years, and a long life for artificial turf. After eleven great years, the City of Asheville, in partnership with the Ashville Buncombe Youth Soccer Association, is having those pitches resurfaced this summer with brand new artificial turf from AstroTurf.
The four soccer fields with synthetic surfaces at JBL are being replaced with AstroTurf’s RootZone 3DSF turf system. This signature product features slit film fibers for the ultimate in durability. The premium surface also contains AstroTurf’s patented RootZone technology, a thatched sub-layer of fibers that stabilize the infill and deliver enhanced safety and performance.
“It did not go unnoticed that our last AstroTurf fields gave us over ten years of great performance under very challenging conditions,” said Mike Rottjakob, Executive Director of the ABYSA, which oversees programming at several soccer parks in the area including JBL. “When it finally came time to replace them, we knew we wanted AstroTurf’s RootZone 3DSF turf system. AstroTurf synthetic surfaces are well-engineered and their product has an excellent track record on our flood-prone and heavily used facility.”
The new AstroTurf fields were contracted through the National Intergovernmental Purchasing Alliance (National IPA), a cooperative purchasing organization that enables public entities to utilize contracts that were competitively solicited by a lead agency, thereby saving time and money. Work on the project is well underway, with completion slated for the end of July.
The ABYSA is a nonprofit organization that manages both recreational and competitive soccer programs for area youth, including rec leagues, competitive programs and summer camps. The ABYSA also hosts numerous soccer tournaments throughout the year that attract teams from throughout the southeastern United States, and the John B. Lewis Soccer Complex is the flagship venue for tournament play.
About AstroTurf®
For athletes and sport enthusiasts, AstroTurf® has redefined the way the game is played. The brand offers advanced, state-of-the-art, multi-sport and specialized synthetic turf systems with proprietary engineered technologies. A growing number of high schools, colleges, professional sports teams and municipalities continue to select AstroTurf-branded products for their premium quality, technical superiority, and safety. To learn more, visit AstroTurf’s newly redesigned website at www.astroturf.com.