Buffalo, NY – Many inside the University at Buffalo athletics department have called the opening of the Murchie Family Fieldhouse a real game changer for the university. Two years in the making, the facility provides the athletic program with the luxury of being able to practice indoors on campus during the winter months while also helping with recruiting future Bulls.
Named in honor of former Buffalo hockey player Tunney Murchie and his family, the facility features a full AstroTurf football field with two goalposts, four motorized suspended softball hitting tunnels and two multi-level indoor filming/viewing towers at 24 and 36-feet high.
The centerpiece of the new facility is AstroTurf’s RootZone 3D3 Blend turf system. This premium product is AstroTurf’s most popular stadium turf due to its combination of long-lasting performance and game day good looks. The RootZone 3D3 Blend integrates three unique fibers – the slit film, monofilament, and patented RootZone – into one cohesive system.
Along with the 74,958 square feet of AstroTurf, the facility also includes 6,000 square feet of Rekortan track for sprints, hurdles and jumps. The Rekortan G-13 track was installed by ATT Sports Inc, a certified Rekortan Distributor. Rekortan is a sister company of AstroTurf under the SportGroup brand.
The fieldhouse will be available to every varsity athletic team, house university events, expand student recreation programming and used for intramurals.
The $18 million facility has over 4 million cubic feet of indoor space and is situated just beyond the north end zone of UB Stadium.
“This is a tremendous game-changer,” said Athletic Director Mark Alnutt. “It’s important to dispel the notion that this is a football-only facility. It’s a facility for athletics and recreation. Alumni Arena is busting at the seams and this gives us another opportunity to spread the wealth and have a facility where, when those winters come about and teams need to get a practice in, they don’t have to commute to another indoor facility somewhere else. This is something that benefits the entire Division of Athletics, which includes athletics and recreation.”
“It’s a very exciting time for us to get a fieldhouse,” said football head coach Lance Leipold. “This has been a topic of conversation for 15 to 20 years and to finally have this opportunity to provide our student-athletes with an off season place where they can work on their skills is tremendous. It’s going to benefit the whole athletic department, whether it be in a practice setting, a strength-and-conditioning session or student-athletes working out on their own. The new facility and AstroTurf field is going to benefit each team in very unique ways.”
Track and field head coach Vicki Mitchell said her team is very excited to have the new facility. “For us, as a cross country and track-and-field program, the benefits and impacts are going to be enormous. Our student-athletes are going to have the ability to train inside on a good user-friendly surface. We’ll be able to do field-event work that has previously been limited in the winter time. It’s going to open up a whole new opportunity to develop as a team.”
Buffalo plays in Division I and is a member of the Mid-American Conference (MAC) in all sports. The Bulls have been a member of the MAC since 1998.
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 website at www.astroturf.com.