There’s not much that’s cool at Arizona Stadium in August and September when the desert sun is relentless and temperatures are hovering in the 90s and 100s.
Now there will be — sort of.
The Arizona Wildcats announced this week that they will install synthetic turf at Arizona Stadium, replacing natural grass. The model: FieldTurf CoolPlay, which will cost about $1 million, Arizona athletic director Greg Byrne said.
The University of Maryland was the first school in the country to use the CoolPlay turf when it installed it last year. Arizona Stadium is believed to be just the second major stadium in the country to use it. CoolPlay reduces the on-field temperature 15-20 degrees while still getting the full quality of synthetic turf. It’s still not quite as cool as natural grass, but it provides a more sturdy and consistent playing surface.
“It’s new technology that can cool temperatures, and that’s a big deal at Arizona Stadium,” Byrne said.
Read more about the new playing surface in Friday's Arizona Daily Star.
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