Memorial Stadium, the first collegiate stadium in the world to use artificial turf in an outdoor setting, was resurfaced in the Spring of 2018 with Revolution 360, the leader in high-performance sports turf.
Built in 1924, Memorial Stadium has recently undergone a slew of major enhancements to improve its playing and spectating experience. Replacing the playing surface with Revolution 360 was crucial to the project's success, said Indiana State's Dennis Darke.
"Our goal was to provide the highest quality surface for our student-athletes at Memorial Stadium and we felt that FieldTurf could help us in providing that," Darke said.
The replacement of the FieldTurf surface at Memorial Stadium is a major part of Elevate -- The Campaign For Sycamore Athletics.Â
Elevate is the first-of-its-kind athletics only fundraising campaign in the history of the department. Indiana State Athletics has identified key fundraising projects that will address immediate needs and create lasting hallmarks for the program. The first three projects have already been completed that the gifts to Elevate support include the brand new Sports Performance Center and Nutrition Station; the Sycamore Fuel Initiative -- which provides extra healthy meals to our student-athletes; and the Sycamore Track and Field Interactive Display, which celebrates the rich history of the program.
Â
Additionally, through the generous support of former Indiana State University President Dr. Daniel J. Bradley as well as current president Dr. Deborah J. Curtis, the university provided additional funds for the first two completed projects that are also part of Elevate. The first was the John McNichols Training Track and the second was upgrades to Memorial Stadium. New state-of-the-art lights were installed at Memorial Stadium in the summer of 2017 and the old playing surface was removed and the ground was leveled before the new surface was installed.
Â
The most important aspect of Elevate is that these different projects will benefit every student-athlete on every team through the funds that are being raised.
Â
The installation marks the second FieldTurf surface to cover the 12,764-seat stadium, home to the Sycamore football team and the women's soccer program. The university chose to install Revolution 360 for its durability and safety, and decided to partner with FieldTurf again to build on the positive experience the first FieldTurf installation nearly a decade ago, Darke said.
"We are excited to continue our relationship with FieldTurf with the installation of the Revolution 360 product," he said.
REVOLUTION 360
Since its introduction in 2015, FieldTurf's elite monofilament fiber, Revolution 360, has been the choice of over 300 programs, quickly becoming one of the most popular systems in North America.
Named after the concept of completeness, FieldTurf's Revolution 360 fiber features optimal durability, resilience and feel. Quickly becoming the most popular surface in North America, Indiana State University will join an impressive list of current users, which includes CenturyLink Field, home of the Seahawks & Sounders; Mercedes-Benz Stadium, home of the Falcons and United; Providence Park, home of the Portland Timbers; as well as several NCAA D1 university programs including the University of California - Berkeley, University of Iowa, Toledo University, University of Texas at El Paso and over 200 High School and community fields.