Nearly 50% of the 2010 Top 25 BCS Teams Use Synthetic Turf to Score a Winning Season

"Over the past decade, we have seen a steady increase in the amount of winning teams that play and practice regularly on synthetic turf,” noted Rick Doyle, President of the Synthetic Turf Council. "These fields have created more opportunities for America’s amateur athletes to play and practice football without worrying about weather disruptions or over-used playing surfaces.”

More than 6,000 synthetic turf playing fields are currently in use throughout the United States. Each year, its usage conserves billions of gallons of water, millions of pounds of pesticides and fertilizers and recycles 25 million used tires that would otherwise end up in landfills. About half of all NFL teams currently play their games on synthetic turf, and it was approved by FIFA for the 2010 World Cup soccer competition. The highest ranked college football team in the country with a synthetic turf home field is the University of Oregon (ranked #2 on the BCS list), whose Autzen Stadium seats 54,000.

The formation of the Bowl Championship Series (BCS) in 1998 guaranteed a true national champion by matching up the number one and two teams in the country while preserving the bowl system. Created by the six equity conferences and the University of Notre Dame, the BCS utilizes a combination of two human polls and six computer rankings to determine the standings. The BCS is part of the National Football Foundation, whose mission is to promote the power of amateur football in developing the qualities of leadership, sportsmanship, competitive zeal and the drive for academic excellence in America’s young people. Visit www.footballfoundation.org to learn more.

About the Synthetic Turf Council

Based in Atlanta, the Synthetic Turf Council was founded in 2003 to promote the industry and to assist buyers and end users with the selection, use and maintenance of synthetic turf systems in sports field, golf, municipal parks, airports, landscape and residential applications. The organization is also a resource for current, credible, and independent research on the safety and environmental impact of synthetic turf. Membership includes builders, landscape architects, testing labs, maintenance providers, manufacturers, suppliers, installation contractors, infill material suppliers and other specialty service companies. For more information, visit www.syntheticturfcouncil.org.