Cal installs new turf at Adamson Stadium
The new turf at Adamson Stadium at California University of Pennsylvania features black end zones with thick red lettering and a cursive “Cal” logo in red lettering at midfield.
Cal hired FieldTurf for installation of the new surface at Adamson Stadium.
California University recently completed installation of a new synthetic turf surface at Adamson Stadium.
California University recently completed installation of a new synthetic turf surface at Adamson Stadium.
Athletic director Dr. Karen Hjerpe said the main decision to replace the old turf was for safety concerns.
“The last couple of seasons when we walked the field, there’s been tears that have occurred that we’ve had to patch prior to games,” Hjerpe said. “The base of the turf had gone down to where it felt like concrete right underneath it in multiple places on the field. So it was coming to a point with the life of the field that it was becoming a safety hazard.”
Hjerpe said the old turf was in place for about a dozen years with the assistance of yearly outsourced maintenance to preserve the turf. She also said the athletic department started noticing “significant wear and tear” of the field three years ago.
“We were looking at it and walking it every year, whether it was my staff, our equipment managers, our coaches, just pointing to different areas of concern,” Hjerpe said. “We had a crew that came out every year that ran maintenance on it and would sew pieces together and put the additional padding in some areas. But it was getting worse every year, to the point where we couldn’t repair it and it was becoming a safety issue.”
Hjerpe said the university decided to wait for the end of the track and field season to install the new turf, as the track surrounds the football field. The installation took about four weeks.
The turf field is used by more than just the football team. It is used by club teams like rugby and lacrosse, as well as various intramural programs. Hjerpe also said other sports, like the baseball team, can use the field for practice if there’s inclement weather.
“It’s used by the entire student body,” Hjerpe said. “Anytime you put a turf field in that students can use all the time, it’s a benefit.”
The university hired FieldTurf for the installation, but Hjerpe said she could not comment on the price of the new turf or how long it’s expected to last. She did say turf typically goes through an eight- to 10-year cycle, which she hopes to again extend through yearly maintenance.
“The only thing the athletic (department) was involved with was the design of the field,” Hjerpe said.
The new Adamson Stadium turf features black end zones with thick red lettering. The old turf had red end zones with white lettering. At midfield, the new turf features the cursive “Cal” logo in red lettering, whereas the previous turf had the Vulcan logo with cursive lettering in black overtop.
“(It’s) very nice,” Hjerpe said. “It’s a real different look for us, and we’re excited to get our season started this summer and some of our camps out there as well.”