Orchard Lake St. Mary's field was just the third red turf field in the nation at the time of its installation. (Mike Mulholland | MLive.com)
SAGINAW, MI — Synthetic turf has become more popular in recent years with fields being installed all over Michigan. artificial turf grass football
Some were paid for through bond issues approved by voters, and other fields were paid for by community-driven fundraisers.
According to numbers provided by the MHSAA, there are roughly 100 synthetic turf fields in use for games.
Here are a few interesting facts about the playing surface.
1. Green isn’t the only color you can choose
Most grass is green, but synthetic turf can be made in a variety of colors.
The majority of fields are still installed green, but blue and red fields have also been installed.
In 2011, the community of Oxford held fundraisers to install a blue synthetic turf field at the high school, which then brought about a legal discussion with Boise State.
The university informed Oxford the term "blue turf" was trademarked by Boise State University for its renowned field. Oxford can call its field navy turf or true blue turf, but not blue turf.
Orchard Lake St. Mary installed a red turf field in 2012, which at the time, was just the third red field in the country along with Canyon High School's Cougar Stadium in Texas and Eastern Washington University's Roos field.
Riverview Gabriel Richard is installing burgundy turf.
2. Artificial turf allows schools to share stadiums
Synthetic turf fields aren’t cheap.
According to Aaron Klotz of ProGrass Turf, fields start out at $450,000 and can run up to just short of a million.
Every school can’t afford its own turf field, but some districts can. And they’ve taken to having multiple schools share a field to maximize use of the facility.
In 2004, Midland Community Stadium was upgraded with new turf. The field is at Midland High School, but the Chemics share the field with cross-town rival Midland Dow for football.
Jackson High School and Jackson Lumen Christ also share time at Withington Community Stadium, but Jackson Lumen Christi has added turf at its practice field. It has held one game each of the last two years at its "practice field."
Houseman Field in Grand Rapids is also host to home games for multiple high schools.
3. Two is greater than one.
While the majority of high schools still play on natural grass, some schools and districts have been fortunate enough to have not one, but two synthetic turf fields.
Saline, Ann Arbor Huron, Ann Arbor Skyline and Ann Arbor Pioneer have two synthetic turf fields.
Pioneer installed a turf field for football in 2003, and it added a turf field for its field hockey, soccer and lacrosse teams in 2011, according to the school website.
Novi Community Schools installed a synthetic turf field for the football program and is scheduled to add synthetic turf to its baseball and softball fields this fall.
4. Artificial turf isn’t just for big schools
It’s no surprise that larger schools and districts were among the first to invest in synthetic turf fields, but smaller schools have been getting in the game in recent years.
Clare, a small Northern Michigan town of fewer than 4,000 people, spent months raising money through fundraisers to install synthetic turf at its Brookwood Athletic complex in 2013.
The Pioneers are a small Class B school with an enrollment of 445, according to the MHSAA. They compete in Division 5 for football.
Muskegon Oakridge (501) is a similar sized school, and Holton (258) is even smaller, but both schools play on synthetic turf fields.
5. Greenville takes the cake for safety
With injuries, specifically concussions, a hotly-debated topic, Greenville didn't skimp when it came to building Legacy Field in 2012.
While the stadium has key features such as bonfire pits, Centennial clock and a brick wall, the synthetic turf surface sits on top of a special pad designed to limit the impact when players hit the ground.
“Our field is one of the only ones in Michigan to have a pad,” Greenville athletic director Brian Zdanowski told MLive.com when it was installed. “We were very cognizant of all the concussions and head injuries and we wanted to address that as much as we could.”
The 4,200-capacity stadium cost a total of $6.5 million.
According to Aaron Klotz of ProGrass Turf, a typical turf field contains 6 inches of sub-base beneath the 2 1/8 inch turf surface.
Is there a great story we should be aware of? Email me at cbutzin1@mlive.com or message me on Twitter: @CoryButzin.
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