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The Honolulu Advertiser

Posted on: Saturday, August 16, 2003

FieldTurf to be ready for Aug. 23 high school game

By Brandon Masuoka
Advertiser Staff Writer

Work on the new playing surface at Aloha Stadium is expected to be completed by Thursday, just two days before the first scheduled game, according to a National Football League field consultant.

The NFL's George Toma yesterday said he didn't foresee any on-field problems that would jeopardize the high school football Father Bray Classic next Saturday.

"We'll make it," said Toma, who is helping oversee the project. "I want this thing to be finished by Thursday at the latest."

The $1.3 million FieldTurf project started April 1 and has suffered several delays, including a three-week shutdown following a contract disagreement. The installation was expected to be completed by the end of May.

The new playing surface has been a key issue in keeping the NFL Pro Bowl in Hawai'i. The NFL prefers grass or FieldTurf because its players have complained about injuries suffered on AstroTurf. The replacement turf was part of a contract in 2000 between the Hawai'i Tourism Authority and Pro Bowl to keep the annual all-star football game here.

University of Hawai'i football coach June Jones has advocated a new playing surface at Aloha Stadium, saying that AstroTurf sometimes causes turf burns.

"The field is done," said FieldTurf CEO John Gilman yesterday. "Everything is done, they just have to paint it."

Workers yesterday swept up excess rubber from the field in preparation for the painting of the field either tomorrow or Monday, Toma said. Painting is scheduled to take about two days, he said.

Toma yesterday said the FieldTurf surface — which has blade-like material that is stabilized by sand-and-rubber infill — will take about two weeks to reach optimal playing consistency.

"What this field needs now is game after game," Toma said. "We need June Jones to come with his 100-plus players and work out over here. You need to play on it to work the rubber in."

Toma downplayed concerns yesterday about loose infill that could get into players' faces. On a recent ESPN "Outside the Lines" broadcast, host Bob Ley asked the Detroit Lions' Desmond Howard on the possibility of getting a face full of loose infill after getting tackled. Detroit's Forbes Field has a FieldTurf surface.

Howard told Ley that a lot of players talk about the loose infill, but added that he wore a face shield when he played. Howard compared the situation to "driving through a rainstorm" and the particles "bounced right off my shield."

Toma said it's natural for the FieldTurf surface to "splash" infill early on, but the condition should be lessened as the field gets worked over. Toma said a little splash signifies good traction, but too much could cause slippage.

"If a little rubber pops up, you can't get excited," said Toma, who added that he's never heard of a player getting injured by the loose infill. "Some people who see the splash might get worried. Eventually, (the splash) will go down."

Toma said work crews plan to water the field to reduce static electricity that causes the rubber particles to stick to players.

Toma said the field would be "safe" and that NFL teams, such as the Detroit Lions and Seattle Seahawks, have played on the same surface.

"The field's a safe field," Toma said. "My first objective is to give the kids from preschool all the way up to Roger Clemens or Bo Jackson or a Ted Williams the same field. The cheapest insurance for an athlete is a good, safe playing field. That's what we're giving them."

Gilman has said Aloha Stadium is the second FieldTurf stadium capable of hosting football, baseball and soccer games. The Tokyo Dome was the first FieldTurf stadium to be constructed for all three sports, he said.