Football | 4/26/2016 9:11:00 AM
STATESBORO - When the Eagles took to the turf of Paulson Stadium for their Spring Game on April 16, it marked the first sporting event on the new turf playing field for Glenn Bryant Field. The project, which started in February and was completed just days before the Spring Game, saw the grass removed and replaced by synthetic turf provided by Sports Turf out of Calhoun, Georgia. Installation of the new turf - Shaw's Legion 41 system, a two-inch, dual fiber system that combines slit film, the most durable synthetic fiber turf, and a monofilament film, which gives the field excellent performance and aesthetic qualities - cost $775,000 to complete.
The base of the field is comprised of highly-compacted stone, along with a Brock Powerbase pad for safety and drainage. Over 320,000 pounds of sand and 230,000 pounds of crumb rubber - a material made from recycled tires - were used as the turf's infill.
Early on, the field is getting rave reviews from the Georgia Southern players.
"I think it gives you better footing and makes you feel more explosive out there," receiver BJ Johnson III said. "It's a lot softer. The beads (crumb rubber) mess with you a little, but other than that, it's pretty cool."
To keep the field cool in the South Georgia heat, Shaw Sports Turf went in the day after the Spring Game and installed HydroChill, an evaporative cooling system applied to the infill to help cool the field in the same way the body cools itself through sweating. That system can lower the temperature of the field as much as 30 degrees from a conventional turf field.
With spring practice wrapped up, the Eagles will not return to the field in an official capacity until August when camp begins. GS is expected to continue to use the Beautiful Eagle Creek practice facility but also be able to use Paulson Stadium if needed.
The Eagles will open their 2016 schedule on Saturday, Sept. 3 against Savannah State. Football season tickets and parking for the 2016 season are on sale and can be purchased by visiting GSEagles.com/tickets, calling 1-800-GSU-WINS or visiting the Ticket Office Monday through Friday between 8:30 a.m. and 5 p.m. in the Cowart Building located at 203 Lanier Drive in Statesboro. Tickets start as low as $75 per person for the season.
