The Edmonton Eskimos realized that the grass isn’t always greener on the Commonwealth field come November.
But that’s all changing now that a new artificial turf is being installed in the stadium.
“This is a spectacular project that’s a real win-win both for the city and the Eskimos,” said Rob Smyth, branch manager, community facility services.
“From the city’s perspective, the real advantage of this kind of project is extending the use of turf.”
Commonwealth’s natural grass was taking so much abuse between football games, soccer games and concerts that the city had to re-sod it virtually every year, according to Smyth.
The new turf can last up to 10 years and even then, just the top layer of turf gets replaced, the underlay lasts forever.
“This is going to enable us to host a lot more events and be able to transition between football and the other events that are hosted here,” Smyth said.
“The other attraction is that this will free up Clarke Park for more community sport.”
Rick LeLacheur, Eskimos’ president and CEO, said the turf being installed is the top generation of field turf. It’s being used in two-thirds of NFL stadiums and many NCAA stadiums.
The price tag for the artificial turf is about $2.6 million and the cost will be split between the city and the football club.
