Upgrade to playing surface at IG Field

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This article was published 18/01/2024 (642 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

IG Field is rolling out an expensive new carpet for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and Valour FC.

The Winnipeg Football Club (WFC) is spending approximately two million dollars to replace the turf after using the same playing surface since the stadium opened in 2013. The asphalt surrounding the field and the goalposts will also be replaced.

They started pulling out the old artificial grass right after the Western Final, and the rest will be taken out when the snow melts. It won’t be tossed away as the Bombers will reuse a chunk for their tailgate area, while the rest will go to Burton Cumming Theatre’s outdoor concert area and to the University of Manitoba.

The WFC hired a Montreal-based company called FieldTurf to do the initial job and that’s who they’re sticking with this time around. The product is not the same, though, as the facility on Chancellor Matheson Road will be upgrading to a type of turf called Vertex – Core 1, which is the highest quality system they offer.

Last year seven NFL teams played and practised on FieldTurf. BC Place and Toronto FC’s training facility are also clients.

“Every turf system in the industry offers an eight-year warranty. Because of the research and development that went into the launch of our core product back in 2018, our insurers actually agreed to provide a 10-year insured warranty just because the quality of the fibre and the quality of the product that was demonstrated in independent laboratory testing,” said Kevan Pipe, Canada’s regional vice-president for FieldTurf.

“It literally is our leading product that we offer to our clients. Anybody that is looking at trying to get the highest quality turf system in place, that is what we lead with.”

The upgrade includes a type of infill called CoolPlay. Instead of the black rubber pellets that you typically see, it’s a light green colour which makes it more aesthetically pleasing and more importantly, reduces the intensity of heat buildup.

“It helps keep the temperature down in the summer months on the field. The field is much hotter than it is outside, so it will help keep the temperature down for players on game days and in practice as well,” said WFC president and CEO Wade Miller.

“And for all the youth events that we have here, too. There’s been some days where we’ve just had to stop (youth events) because it’s just too hot down there.”

It’ll also be kinder to players’ knees and joints as a 20-mm shock pad will be added underneath. That addition now makes IG Field suitable for rugby if they ever choose to go that route. Unlike soccer and football, to have a certified World Rugby surface, you must have additional padding.

“It’s just under an inch thick and comprised of recycled material, largely from the automotive industry. It’s a spongy, foamy product. It absorbs some of the shock when some of the players fall or get tackled onto the system. It increases the absorbency of the turf’s system to absord that punishment,” said Pipe.

The makeover is scheduled to be completed in early May. To allow for some extra time, Valour’s home opener was pushed to June 2 in an afternoon match with Vancouver FC. The Bombers are holding off on playing in front of their fans until the third week of the preseason when they welcome the Calgary Stampeders on May 31.

Pro soccer players used to playing on natural grass weren’t fond of the previous pitch. Miller believes that will change this summer.

IG Field is hosting the 2025 Grey Cup.

“Obviously, this surface will be brand new, and that ball will bounce more consistently throughout the pitch. It’s definitely going to make a difference when you’re playing on a brand new surface,” said Miller.

“Our soccer team started playing on that surface after it was already five or six years old. And it all goes down every time you cover the field for concerts and everything else. You can only turn up those pebbles so many times.”

The turf will be FIFA Quality Pro certified upon completion.

“All we can say is FIFA has undergone a series of testing systems over the last 20 years in order to allow teams to play on artificial turf… It’s very serious, defined testing requirements and this field will be tested to the absolute highest requirements as demanded by FIFA, which means that ultimately, if Canada wanted to play Mexico or USA in a World Cup qualifying game at IG Field, they are able to,” said Pipe.

“FIFA will look at this field with that certification as equivalent to natural grass.”

taylor.allen@freepress.mb.ca

X: @TaylorAllen31