Fargo, North Dakota – The Fargodome, home to the FCS champion North Dakota State Bison football program, installs a new AstroTurf® Magic Carpet system, giving one of the most active indoor athletic stadiums in the country an advanced underlayment system that makes converting the field easier and faster. With the new Magic Carpet II, the Fargodome turf can be rolled out and installed in as little as 27 minutes.
The previous Magic Carpet II was installed in 2012 and has reached its expected end of life. The new AstroTurf® conversion system will benefit Bison football, as well as the other student-athletes that play and practice at the Fargodome, because it has a stronger underlayment system and backing, enabling the turf to hold its shape well and remain in place even with heavy usage.
It’s also one of the softest and most durable synthetic football fields on the market today – the Magic Carpet II comes with the RootZone 3D Series turf, which features the RootZone, a texturized layer of fibers that hold in the rubber infill, and a combination of slit and monofilament fibers that mimic the texture of natural grass.
It’s also a great fit for such a high-demand stadium event space. Fargodome has a history of hosting some of the biggest names in the music industry, such as Taylor Swift, The Rolling Stones, and Fleetwood Mac. It’s also used for conventions, high school and youth sports, and other sporting events.
“The Magic Carpet II is one of our most high-tech products, and it’s a perfect fit for such a high-demand facility,” said [name], AstroTurf’s [role]. “The Fargodome regularly hosts major events like Monster Jam and music concerts, so being able to roll the football turf on and off the field and have confidence that the turf looks great and performs flawlessly is going to streamline everything in a big way.”
AstroTurf® has been pushing the synthetic turf industry forward since inventing artificial turf in the 1960s. The company introduced conversion systems in 2008 to help stadiums that want to host multiple events yet still offer players the cushioned support of rubber infill and the soft feel of polyethylene blades.
The Magic Carpet is one of the most high-tech conversion systems and is capable of successfully rolling up tall-pile turf without spilling the infill. The system relies on pneumatic blowers to minimize friction and smoothly roll the turf onto a single metal core so it can be stored underneath the stadium floor.
The Fargodome upgrades were finished in June, so Gate City Bank Field is ready for action.
North Dakota State University opened the 2022 season in the Fargodome on Sept. 3 vs Drake. Other home games include North Carolina A&T (Sept. 10), Youngstown State (Oct. 1), South Dakota State (Oct. 15), Illinois State (Oct 29) and North Dakota (Nov. 19).
The Bison are coming off a 14-1 season, that included a 9-0 mark at home. Three of the home wins were during the FCS playoffs against Southern Illinois (38-7), East Tennessee (27-3), and James Madison (20-14).
The Bison defeated Montana State 38-10 to win the FCS championship game. The win marked the Bison’s ninth championship in the past 11 seasons.
Overall, that makes 17 national championships for the Bison football program. North Dakota State is 9-0 in FCS title games.
The Bison draw 100,000 fans each year to Gate City Bank Field at the Fargodome, ranking them in the top 10 nationally in the FCS.
About AstroTurf®
For athletes and sports enthusiasts, AstroTurf® has redefined the way the game is played. The brand offers advanced, 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.