In a move that proactively enhances player safety, Boston College has selected Brock International to provide the shock pad and drainage layer used underneath its new Alumni Stadium synthetic turf playing field. Brock PowerBase, the only Cradle to Cradle Certified product in the synthetic turf industry, reduces the likelihood of traumatic brain injury by up to 50%.
“Brock enables us to provide a firm and fast surface for this high level of athletic performance and still deliver safety and resilience,” notes Assistant Athletic Director for Facilities Joe Shirley. “There is real peace of mind in knowing that we have gone the extra step to protect our student-athletes.”
With a capacity of 44,500 maroon-and-gold-clad fans, Boston College’s famed Alumni Stadium is the home of the Eagles. Considered one of the finest football facilities in the nation, the scenic Chestnut Hill stadium is replacing its existing synthetic turf surface with an AstroTurf® GameDay Grass™ 3D60H field. McCourt Construction, helmed by Boston College graduates Ryan and Trevor McCourt, is building the field. Installation of this project will be completed prior to the kickoff of the 2012 season.
As field consultant Patrick Maguire of Activitas explains, “Brock makes sense for this project on so many levels. It allows us to create a simple system of removable turf panels that conceal the grade beam for the seasonal air structure that covers the field in the winter. It also provides improved athletic safety and performance and from a sustainability and life-cycle costing perspective, Brock is clearly a net positive. We expect it to last through several carpet cycles and since PowerBase allows us to use shorter turf and less infill we conserve both resources and money.”
Research firm BioMechanica, LLC studied the estimated risk of head injury on synthetic turf surfaces with Brock underlayment and found the product reduces the likelihood of traumatic brain injury by up to 50%, provides the same G-Max and playability as a pristine natural grass field and mitigates field hardening over time. In evaluating Head Injury Criteria (HIC), also known as critical fall height, Sports Labs LLC found that Brock PowerBase offered significant improvement in HIC when compared to a turf field that featured a stone base.