North Carolina to Install Synthetic Grass in Kenan Stadium

Chapel Hill – The North Carolina athletics department will install a synthetic grass surface in Kenan Stadium, Director of Athletics Bubba Cunningham announced on Friday. The installation process is expected to commence following Spring Commencement on May 12 and should take about eight weeks.

"Installing synthetic grass at Kenan Stadium not only is the best option for our football team and football game days – it also benefits our other varsity programs that may want to use Kenan as a conditioning space,'' Cunningham said. "With 28 teams and more than 800 student-athletes, we are always looking for ways to create multi-use spaces, and installing synthetic grass at Kenan does that."

Cunningham added that after building and updating multiple facilities in recent years, the department has learned a great deal about what works best in various venues and how the latest synthetic surfaces perform under heavy use.

Made by AstroTurf, the RootZone 3D3 Blend synthetic grass field will mirror those of the indoor and outdoor field at the Indoor Practice Facility. The RootZone system results in minimal rubber splash and better shock absorbency, while improving safety, playability and durability. In addition, research has shown RootZone to reduce torque transmitted to lower extremities.

"I think this is a positive addition for not only our football program, but the athletics department as a whole," said Carolina Football Coach Mack Brown. "This will make the facility more versatile and give us a number of options for workouts and practices."

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University of North Carolina Athletics

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