Baseball has a long history in the Philippines with the sport’s introduction dating back to 1898. Today baseball continues to be one of the most popular sports in the Philippines with league teams participating in the Asian Baseball Championship and a gold medal win for the Men’s team at the Southeast Asian Games in 2019.
Taguig City choose AstroTurf
To support the development of the sport in the Philippines the Local Government of Taguig City are building the country’s first artificial baseball field, as part of a 150,000-square-foot
baseball/softball development.
And it is little surprise that for their inaugural artificial baseball field, the Taguig City Government chose AstroTurf, the world’s most famous synthetic turf brand which made its debut at the Astrodome in Texas, United States over 50 years ago.
AstroTurf’s Diamond Series is baseballs No. 1 turf
AstroTurf is the global leader in baseball fields and has been trusted and chosen as the preferred surface since 1965. With 12 World Series and 8 Major League Baseball teams under its belt, AstroTurf continues to lead the way with the most natural playing and looking synthetic turf systems on the market.
Made in the United States, the AstroTurf Diamond Series, which was chosen for the Taguig Baseball Field, is baseball’s first dedicated world-class system and is the most chosen turf system by USA Division I College programs.
The ball bounce, natural speed and realistic sliding distances have even the most ardent baseball purists impressed.
Installed by E-Sports
Sport Group partner, E-Sports International, was awarded the contract to complete the project based on their extensive experience with sports surfacing and installation in the Philippines.
“The Taguig City Government chose AstroTurf over other options because of its remarkable simulation of a natural baseball field,” states Audris Romualdez, CEO of E-Sports International.
“Competitors were presenting football turf, however, we explained to the client that football turf simply would not withstand the constant sliding of the game. The client understood that the Astroturf Diamond Series system was especially made for the demands of a baseball game.”
Built to World Baseball Softball Confederation standards
The new $3 million stadium will adhere to the World Baseball Softball Confederation specifications and standards. The venue will play host to major national baseball and softball games and act as a national training hub for senior athletes and grass roots programs.
“There has not been a baseball field in the Philippines that has met international standards, aside from the one owned by the Philippine Sports Commission,” Romualdez explained. “The purpose of this project is to develop baseball as sport in this country and provide a venue that will encourage potential baseball players to pursue the sport and be the best in it.”
USA-born, Guam-based consultant – Bill Bennett, was employed as the technical design consultant to the Taguig City government to assist with the design of the facility. As the co-founder of the Guam Amateur Baseball Association, Guam Baseball Academy and Guam PONY Baseball and Guam PONY Softball, Bennett has extensive experience in the baseball industry in Asia and USA.
“I enjoyed working on this project,” Bennett said “New technology introduced on the artificial playing field was a great challenge when merging the installation of the synthetic turf infield with natural turf outfield.”
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.