Rose Bowl Stadium names new equipment provider

Sidekick USA, a manufacturer of natural turf installation machines, has been named the official equipment provider and partner of Rose Bowl Stadium. The award-winning Sidekick machine is now the exclusive supplier of thick-cut sod installation services for field replacement projects deployed by the facility.

“This partnership goes far beyond turf replacements,” said Paul Carlson, CEO of Sidekick. “The Rose Bowl team truly understands the playability, safety and stability benefits of the Sidekick – and how it’s revolutionizing the industry. They’ve seen us evolve, so it’s exciting to know that they’ll be with us as we continue to grow and enter a new phase of the company.”

The Sidekick is optimized to gently push thick-cut sod together during the installation process. The cut is typically about two inches thick, and 48 inches wide, and weighs 10 pounds per square foot.

“It’s been a night-and-day difference since integrating the Sidekick into our field replacement process,” said Will Schnell, head groundskeeper of the Rose Bowl Stadium. “The Sidekick improves the overall quality of the install, reduces cost and speeds up the install. It’s one of the biggest innovations in turf field replacements since the introduction of big-roll sod.”

Previously, crews of 10 or more would push and pull the sod together. This could cause rips and tears in the sod, or damage to the edge. These occurrences have been eliminated because the Sidekick doesn’t touch the grass.

The Sidekick also speeds up the installation process considerably, freeing up field management teams to focus on other important areas of the install, the company said in a recent release. Prior to the Sidekick, a full field replacement took about three days. Now, the entire process typically only takes one day with the Sidekick. After completion, the field can be ready to use the same day.