Lynchburg, VA – Liberty University continues its trusted relationship with AstroTurf and SCG Fields with resurfacing of Williams Stadium ahead of the college football season.
The school is resurfacing the field with high-tech AstroTurf, the company that invented artificial turf more than a half century ago.
Also, this summer, Liberty upgraded the field hockey field with AstroTurf’s Poligras Platinum system.
AstroTurf® products are recognized worldwide for their durability, safety, and performance. Integrating advanced engineering and superior construction, AstroTurf® fields feature grass-like traction and incredible stability, enabling athletes to play with confidence.
While there are numerous colleges, universities and high schools across the country that feature AstroTurf® products, and many that have two or even three, Liberty has more than a dozen, including Worthington Field at Liberty Baseball Stadium and Kamphuis Field at Liberty Softball Stadium.
AstroTurf®, SCG Fields® and Liberty have partnered together on numerous fields on campus through the years, including recreation fields, the baseball field, practice football field, softball field, indoor soccer field, the football stadium, indoor football field, lacrosse fields and the new Williams Stadium berm work. On many of these projects, SCG has handled both the original installation and replacement installations.
This football stadium installation gives the Flames an industry-leading playing surface in time for the 2022 college football season.
While the old AstroTurf® was a high-performance turf system, the new one is even better. The new field is a RootZone 3D3 Trionic Blend turf system. This state-of-the-art field features a texturized layer of fibers that encapsulate the infill. This RootZone layer makes playing safer by improving shock absorbency. It also ensures a longer-lasting product. With less infill migration, the turf will look and feel like new for years. This new RootZone 3D3 Trionic Blend 52 System will serve the Flames well for years to come.
The RootZone, a texturized layer of fibers that draw down to encapsulate infill, results in minimal rubber splash, better shock absorbency and less infill migration than basic systems. 3D3 Trionic Blend, in addition to the RootZone, also includes Trionic Monofilament, and ultra-durable slit film.
This RootZone 3D3 Blend offers both durability and aesthetics. This system improves safety, playability and durability, making 3D systems the top choice for athletes and field owners alike.
The new football field also comes with a few aesthetic changes. In anticipation of the best home football schedule in program history, Liberty Athletics has made several other renovations to Williams Stadium prior to the season.
The renovation plans feature new seating options, including a seating upgrade for nearly every non-student seat in the stadium. All seats on the West side of the stadium will be upgraded to chairback seating, and all seats on the upper East side of the stadium will be upgraded to benchback seating. At the South end zone, 23 cabanas will be added above a newly graded berm with additional space for students and overflow seating.
Complete with seating for eight and a roof to keep the sun and weather out, each cabana will be furnished with a TV, fan, heater and waiter service. A cabana could be the perfect space for your family or clients to cheer on the Flames.
“The 2022 football season will be the most anticipated in Liberty history,” commented Ian McCaw, Liberty Director of Athletics. “Between welcoming Virginia Tech and BYU to Williams Stadium, coupled with regular and premium seating and hospitality improvements, Flames fans will be in for a treat.”
The new turf installation also features branding for Conference USA. The Flames are set to join the conference in time for next season.
The first game on the new AstroTurf® at Williams Stadium will be on Sept. 10 against the UAB. The Flames will also play Akron on Sept. 24 and Gardner-Webb on Oct. 15. Other home games for the 2022 season include a match-up with BYU on October 22, Virginia Tech on Nov. 19 and New Mexico State on Nov. 26.
Also completed for the fall season was the new installation at the Liberty Field Hockey pitch. The Poligras Platinum system that the Lady Flames will be playing on was used at the Olympic Games in London in 2012 and in Rio in 2016, and it’s one of AstroTurf®’s most widely-used products worldwide. Consisting of tufted polyethylene fibers, the field features a multidirectional closed surface that demonstrates unbeatable ball rolling behavior. It also comes with a high stitch density, which creates a much more compact appearance than other modern field hockey systems.
Liberty, the 2021 NCAA Field Hockey Championship national runner-up, finished last season with a 20-3 overall mark, 7-0 BIG EAST record and won its first BIG EAST title. The Lady Flames finished the year ranked No. 9 in the final national poll and No. 7 in the NCAA Field Hockey RPI.
Liberty’s highest ever national ranking is No. 4, achieved on March 23, 2021. The mark is the highest ranking of any sport for Liberty Athletics at the NCAA Division I level.
The No. 6-ranked Lady Flames will play their first home game on Sept. 4 against William & Mary on the new turf at the Liberty Field Hockey Field.
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.