Calgary eyes replacing turfgrass soccer fields with synthetic
31 Jan, 2009 Athletic Turf NewsCALGARY, CANADA — This city of about one mllion people, the third largest city in Canada, is considering spending $8 million to covert four exisiting soccer fields in its Soccer Centre from natural grass to synthetic turf, reported the Calgary Herald, Jan. 30.
Some city legislators are concerned that Calgary, a destination for sports and tourism about 50 miles east of the Canadian Rockies, is falling behind other Canadian communities in the quality of its athletic facilties and its ability to attract tournaments, the newspaper reported.
Putting in a new artificial fields costs $2.5 million, compared to $1.5 million for a natural pitch. Converting an existing field to artificial would cost about $2 million. However, the number of hours an artificial turf field could be used is about 1,320 a year, compared to 550 hours for a natural field, the Herald reported.
"Artificial turf on Calgary's public soccer fields?" by Kim Guttormson, Calgary Herald, Jan. 30, 2009
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