GTR Turf installs Shaw Sports Turf at Canadian stadium

GTR Turf and Shaw Sports Turf have completed installation of a synthetic turf field at Commonwealth Stadium in Edmonton, Alberta.

GTR Turf of Saint-Colomban, Quebec, was selected to complete the field installation at Commonwealth Stadium. Shaw Sports Turf of Dalton, Ga., is the manufacturer of the product.

“This is a great honor for GTR Turf,” says Luc Rochon, president and chief executive officer of GTR Turf. “To have been selected to provide the field for such a prestigious stadium says a great deal about the quality of our work.”

Commonwealth Stadium, the focal point of the project, is the host stadium for the Edmonton Eskimos of the Canadian Football League (CFL). This summer, the stadium will host 11 matches during the FIFA Women’s World Cup Canada 2015.

The Shaw Sports Turf system used for the installation is the PowerBlade Elite 2.5 system. PowerBlade Elite is made with an HP+ monofilament fiber.

The field at Edmonton will also feature Shaw Sports Turf’s HydroChill product. As its surface is heated by the sun, moisture stored in the turf is released, leaving a cooler, more comfortable surface for athletes, according to Shaw.

The technology is applied to a field where components react and form a coating on the infill. The field is watered to activate HydroChill and then energy from sunlight drives out water, removing heat from the surface. The cooling effect of HydroChill after watering can last two to three days. Watering alone can result in some short-term cooling, but a flash-effect means temperatures can rise and quickly exceed uncomfortable levels of heat.

The research behind HydroChill was conducted for three years, both in laboratory tests and in real-world field applications currently in use by athletes, says Shaw. Tests on a variety of outdoor surfaces were conducted with thermocouples, an infrared thermometer and by a certified thermographer with a forward looking infrared (FLIR) camera.

“This field is used for elite teams and events,” says Chuck McClurg, vice president of Shaw Sports Turf. “We believe the quality of the field must meet the level of play and that makes our PowerBlade Elite system the perfect match.”