Photo by Doug Pensinger/Getty Images
Folsom Field is getting a controversial makeover.
The Colorado Buffaloes have played their last home game on natural grass, at least for next decade or so.
On Thursday afternoon, it was confirmed by
Brian Howell of the Boulder Daily Camera that Folsom Field will be ditching its natural sod for a brand-new, artificial turf playing surface prior to the 2025 season.
The turf will be manufactured by AstroTurf and will be up to the same standard and quality that’s expected of a Power Four school. A 20-millimeter shock pad made by Brock, a Boulder-based company, will be installed below the playing surface to help minimize injuries.
The decision to replace Folsom Field’s natural grass surface came down to two main reasons, according to athletic director Rick George. The first reason was the possibility of home football games being played in December with the new expansion to the College Football Playoffs.
“I think putting turf down there gives us flexibility, certainly with the change in the College Football Playoffs,” George told Howell. “Being a northern school, you don’t grow grass after October, and having a game in December was a big part of that consideration. Plus, it gives us another field that we can practice on daily that will benefit our football program.”
With the new 12-team iteration of the CFP, the top four schools that didn’t win their conference will play in on-campus first-round matchups. George says he is positioning Colorado to be in a favorable spot if they make the cut, unimpeded by potential weather issues.
The other reason George gave for the new artificial turf surface was Folsom Field’s reemergence as a concert venue over the last two years. Colorado’s stadium has hosted four big-name concerts in the last three years, nearly selling out in every instance. Concerts of that size and scale have the potential to damage a natural grass surface, but will do less harm to an artificial one.
“[The new turf surface] gives you flexibility on timing on when you could host an event,” George told BuffZone and Howell. “It’ll give us an opportunity to potentially host an event in the fall that we wouldn’t ever be able to before because of the grass.”
When replacing a natural grass playing field with an artificial one, there are always going to be a lot of questions and concerns, especially when it comes to on-field injuries. Artificial turf has been
scientifically proven to lead to more serious, surgery-required injuries than natural grass.
Although there may be a higher risk of injuries at Folsom Field going forward, this isn’t the same
bright green turf that fans had grown accustomed to in the 1990s. Science has come a long way, and George acknowledged that turf surfaces are safer than ever.
“I think AstroTurf has improved a lot over the last 15-20 years,” George told BuffZone. “We think it’s a really good surface for us to play on, and especially when we get into late November and potentially hosting [playoff games] in December. It just makes a lot of sense to do that.”
The Buffs have been practicing on a similar surface in their indoor facility since its opening in 2016, so the change won’t come as a shock to the team. 10 of the other 15 teams in the Big 12 conference also have artificial turf surfaces.
The project is slated to be completed by July 1, before Phish’s shows at Folsom Field from July 3-5. According to George, the surface is expected to last for the next 13 to 15 years.
by RylandScholes
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