The Santa Clara Stadium Authority and the San Francisco 49ers have selected West Coast Turf’s Bandera Bermuda for the playing field at Levi’s® Stadium. Installation of 2.5 acres of sod began April 17.
“Once you step foot on newly planted grass within a newly built stadium the entire experience is suddenly a little more tangible,” said West Coast Turf’s local representative Greg Dunn.
After extensive research and side-by-side simulated turf trials, Bandera Bermuda was selected as the go-to variety. Many factors influenced the selection of Bandera Bermuda: environmental conservation, macro/micro-climate, frequency of additional event scheduling, and player safety. Bandera Bermuda uses up to 50% less water than the average turf varieties prevalent in this market area. It holds its green color longer and has a longer growth period than any other available bermuda. Bandera Bermuda also exhibits the quickest growth regeneration in worn areas when compared to other varieties of grass.
“The vision of Levi’s® Stadium has always been to provide a world-class experience for everyone who steps inside the building,” said San Francisco 49ers President Paraag Marathe. “Just as we strive to provide our customers the greatest viewing experience from their seats, so to do we strive to provide the athletes who compete on this field a tremendous playing experience. A great deal was considered during the selection process, but player safety and performance topped the list.”
When the 49ers take the field for their first preseason game later this year, the countless hours of planning, mowing, fertilizing, watering, and painting will have all been completed. Head groundskeeper Matt Greiner can be confident in the fact this field will match the standard of performance the 49ers are accustomed to.
“Our long-standing relationship with West Coast Turf dating back to Candlestick, and their great reputation throughout the Bay Area, made them an easy selection to supply the playing field,” said Matt Greiner, 49ers Sports Turf Manager/Head Groundskeeper. “We ultimately chose Bandera Bermuda turfgrass sod because after closely monitoring it for a couple years, we found it has a faster recovery rate, as well as the tendency to stay green longer into the season. Most importantly, the Bandera Bermuda has good tensile strength so when a player plants his cleat, it holds together better.”
All 21st century professional athletic fields are formulated with a United States Golf Association or similarly engineered sand as the base upon which the sod is installed. The base is largely coarse and medium sand with trace amounts of clay, silt and organic peat. This scientific base promotes deep, vigorous root growth. When coupled with a state of the art drainage system, this synergy allows for movement of water through the field when heavy rainfall typically would have inundated previous soil based fields and ensuing play would have exacerbated the damage. The field at Levi’s® Stadium was chosen to minimize the factors which jeopardize solid footing and playability.
Although the 49ers home opener has not yet been scheduled, the field’s first action will feature another home-town team – the San Jose Earthquakes – in a soccer match versus the Seattle Sounders FC on August 2.
About West Coast Turf
West Coast Turf is a full-service sod, stolonization and hydroseeding company with 5 offices including Livingston, CA and headquarters in Palm Desert, CA. West Coast Turf grows more than 20 varieties of turf. Clients include:
· The San Diego Padres, Arizona Diamondbacks, Los Angeles Dodgers, Anaheim Angels, Oakland A’s, Kansas City Royals and San Francisco Giants in Major League Baseball.
· The San Diego Chargers, Miami Dolphins and Oakland Raiders of the National Football League
· The National Football League for eight Super Bowls.
· The San Jose Earthquakes, who are installing Bandera Bermuda this year.
For more information please visit www.westcoastturf.com or www.facebook.com/westcoastturf.
About Levi’s® Stadium
Levi’s® Stadium will not only be the new home to the San Francisco 49ers, but it will also serve as one of the world’s best outdoor sports and entertainment venues. It was designed by HNTB and is being built by Turner/Devcon for the Santa Clara Stadium Authority. The $1.2 billion venue will have 1.85 million square feet, seat approximately 68,500 and will feature an expected 165 luxury suites and 8,500 club seats. It was designed to be a multi-purpose facility with the flexibility to host a wide range of events, including domestic and international soccer, college football, motocross, concerts and various civic events, and will be expandable for major events such as the Super Bowl. For more information, go to http://www.levisstadium.com/.