San Jose, CA – Last August, San José State University’s Spartan Stadium got a new name. Just before the winter chill, Spartan fans heated up with the return of San Jose native and former Spartan assistant coach Brent Brennan as the new football head coach. This summer, there is a new state-of-the-art AstroTurf® playing surface inside CEFCU Stadium.
When the 2017 season kicks off on Saturday, August 26 in a nationally televised game vs. preseason #21-USF (South Florida), San José State will be playing on AstroTurf’s Rhino Blend turf system. This product combines slit film and High Micron monofilament fibers for a surface that is engineered to deliver outstanding durability and premium aesthetics. The new turf will sit atop a newly established Brock pad for enhanced safety and performance.
“It is important that we invest annually in our football program and the new AstroTurf playing surface reflects that commitment,” says San José State University director of athletics Marie Tuite. “The field looks incredible and I know our student-athletes and fan base are ecstatic about the new surface.”
For the first time in the Spartans’ 124-year history of college football, they will be playing their home games on a two-toned, alternating light and dark green design from goal line to goal line.
“For starters, aesthetically, it looks incredible. Our players notice it. Everyone who flies over CEFCU Stadium into Mineta San Jose International Airport notices how the colors pop, how bright it is and how good the Spartan head logo looks (at midfield),” says head coach Brennan, whose players say the surface plays “fast.”
“We’ve practiced on it. Our players are flying around. It’s so much better than where we were a year ago and in the springtime before the new surface came in. It’s outstanding to have our stadium coming together before the first game. It’s going to be a great surface for our opener against South Florida. We can’t wait to show our fans what we can do.”
Valley Precision Grading of Rancho Cordova, California, a certified AstroTurf installer, tackled the site work and artificial turf installation at the stadium. The new playing field is part of a multi-year renovation plan for the stadium that will be funded in part by revenue from the sale of naming rights.
San José State is one of only three major college football programs in California to play their home games on artificial turf, but the turf market is expanding in the Golden State. AstroTurf is experiencing huge growth in the state, with annual field installations increasing by 400% between 2010 and 2015.
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.
About San José State Athletics
San José State University sponsors 20 (seven men’s and 13 women’s) NCAA Division I intercollegiate sports programs for approximately 470 student-athletes annually. In football, the Spartans are a member of Division I’s Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS), the NCAA’s highest level of competition.
The Spartans’ primary conference affiliation is with the Mountain West.
San José State has 10 NCAA team championships and 52 NCAA individual titles. Sixty-two (62) Spartans competed in one or more Olympic Games. San Jose State athletes have won seven gold, six silver and seven bronze medals at the Olympics.
Annually, about one-third of the student-athlete population earns either an institutional, conference or national recognition based on outstanding academic performance.