In 2009, the field crew at the Louisiana Superdome will have to convert the markings on their synthetic turf field on eighteen different occasions in order to host the New Orleans Saints, Tulane Wave, Allstate Sugar Bowl, R&L Carriers New Orleans Bowl, State Farm Bayou Classic, and the Louisiana high school state football championships. Six of these conversions have to be completed in less than 12 hours. With the use of Pioneer Athletics’ GameLine removable synthetic turf paint and Blitz removal system, this tight timeline is not a challenge for the crew.
To date in 2009, the Superdome has already twice hosted a Saturday Tulane University home football game, followed by a Sunday New Orleans Saints game. Pioneer’s paint and removal system allows the field crew to completely remove all paint without any visible markings in only 2 hours. This includes removal of paint in both endzones, the logo on the 50-yard line, the 25-yard line league or conference logos, as well as the appropriate college or NFL hash marks.
“Before we started to use Pioneer’s GameLine paint and removal system, it took a large crew multiple hours of scrubbing on their hands and knees to remove all of the paint,” said Randy Philipson, Director of Engineering & Operations at the Louisiana Superdome. “Now, our streamlined crew is able to remove all of the paint after a game in only 2 hours, with absolutely no ghosting. The simple three-step removal process saves us time and a lot of energy.”
Removal begins when Blitz GameLine solution is applied with a backpack sprayer. Almost immediately, the paint’s bond with the synthetic grass blades will begin to separate. A second field worker then agitates the treated paint with a Blitz Remover machine, but something as simple as a deck brush can get the job done. Finally, any last remnants of paint are removed by spraying the turf with water from a basic garden hose. This process is so effortless that a smaller crew, such as a high school field crew of two, can finish the entire job in 4-6 hours.