STMA named innovations from FieldTurf and Pioneer Athletics as its Innovative Award winners. The Innovative Awards program recognizes STMA commercial company members who have developed a product, service, equipment or technology that substantially enhances the efficiency and effectiveness of the sports turf manager and/or makes the playing surfaces safer and/or more playable for athletes.
Chosen by STMA’s Innovative Awards Task Group, entries are evaluated on a wide range of qualities including whether or not they fill a need; are creative; save time and resources; are cutting-edge; make a task easier or more productive; improve quality; protect the environment and improve efficiency.
“Sports Field Managers must account for countless variables on a daily basis,” said Kim Heck, CAE, CEO of STMA. “Pioneer Athletics and FieldTurf have each delivered breakthroughs that streamline efficiencies in ways our industry has not seen before.”
FieldTurf won for its FieldTurf Genius (pictured above), which features technology that allows sports field managers to monitor the number of athletes on a playing surface and the hours of use. This data is used to deliver in-depth reports on executed maintenance and usage along with sending maintenance alerts when needed. This allows sports field managers to track and monitor service via a live dashboard from their desk.
“FieldTurf Genius is more than advanced technology, it is a major breakthrough for field owners,” said Eric Daliere, president of FieldTurf. “This truly reinvents field management and maintenance and we are proud to continue to develop new and innovative solutions for facilities.”
Pioneer’s ready-to-use product was built as a variation of its premium Game Day paint, specifically designed to cure faster, without rewetting the surface. After years of research, the innovation was developed as an alternative for locations with regular high humidity or seasonal cool temperatures and moisture. Noted for generating better grass health, the paint is available in standard and custom Game Day colors.
“Customers, new technologies, and environmental awareness all fuel our commitment to innovation,” said Doug Schattinger, president of Pioneer Athletics. “We are devoted to delivering new products that advance the sports field industry.”
First presented in 2011, recent Innovative Award winners include New Ground Technology (2017), The Perfect Mound (2018) and Echo Robotics (2019).