OCC installs artificial turf

A $1.3 million project is underway at Orange Coast College, where new

artificial turf is being installed on the school’s soccer field.

For the past three weeks, workers have been installing FieldTurf

on the north end of the campus, off Adams Avenue. The field is

actually much larger than a regulation soccer field. OCC’s new

artificial-turf field measures 120 by 500 feet.

OCC’s soccer field project is being funded through the passage of

Measure C on the November 2002 ballot. That ballot measure succeeded

with a 64.8% voter approval.

The artificial surface is being installed in OCC’s LeBard Stadium,

as well, and will be used for both football and soccer.

FieldTurf can be found in found in every NFL stadium that has

artificial surface, and in dozens of major university stadiums and

practice fields around the country. FieldTurf is said to have a shelf

life of 20 seasons.

The turf is believed to be a reliably level surface in all

conditions and also helps to reduce the chance of injury associated

with traditional turf surfaces.

Washington, Nebraska, Washington State, Pittsburgh, Michigan and

Oregon are major universities that play football on FieldTurf.

The manufacturing process of the turf includes the utilization of

recycled tires in the FieldTurf infill (mixture of silica sand and

crumb rubber) that supports the grass fibers.