New FieldTurf at Jeld-Wen

Discussion in 'Portland Thorns FC' started by holden, Dec 20, 2013.

  1. holden

    holden Member+

    Dundee FC, Yeovil Town LFC, Girondins de Bordeaux
    Oct 20, 2009
    Los Angeles
    Club:
    Dundee FC
    410147240431218688 is not a valid tweet id


    So what's the status of this? I haven't seen any news since Paulson's tweet. I checked the Timbers web site, the TA site, the Riveters site, Stumptown footy, The Oregonian. All I found was this post, which just mentions what the tweet says.

    Anybody know any details (such as are they replacing the subsurface or just the blades/infill, any new technology, etc)? Progress report? Pics?
     
  2. WPS_Movement

    WPS_Movement Member+

    Apr 9, 2008
    The Death Star has to get new flooring from time to time.
     
  3. holden

    holden Member+

    Dundee FC, Yeovil Town LFC, Girondins de Bordeaux
    Oct 20, 2009
    Los Angeles
    Club:
    Dundee FC
    Nothing? I thought one of you Portland guys had an inside line to Paulson?
     
  4. Cliveworshipper

    Cliveworshipper Member+

    Dec 3, 2006

    The maintenance of the surface is actually the City of Portland's deal. Their contract with the Death Star says they will maintain it to the best quality two star rating. You probably won't see an announcement until after the first of the year. The last time they did it there was a web cam.
     
  5. WPS_Movement

    WPS_Movement Member+

    Apr 9, 2008
    Let's not forget, there will be all sorts of secrets and conspiracies with the Death Star.
    We will not always get the facts. At least not up front.
     
  6. Cliveworshipper

    Cliveworshipper Member+

    Dec 3, 2006
    #6 Cliveworshipper, Dec 23, 2013
    Last edited: Dec 23, 2013
    Very rarely do you get the facts right.

    That's why they are installing real grass and not telling anyone. Especially Bayern Munich, who agreed to play on Turf in the next MLS all star game.

    Except when Merritt gets drunk and I meet him at the....

    Well, you know.
     
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  7. holden

    holden Member+

    Dundee FC, Yeovil Town LFC, Girondins de Bordeaux
    Oct 20, 2009
    Los Angeles
    Club:
    Dundee FC
    Just because the City owns the field, doesn't mean Paulson is kept in the dark about what's being installed...

    Yes... so why are they downplaying this one so much? That's why I asked if they are replacing the subsurface or just the blades/infill and/or if there is any new technology in the new surface... I guess from the silence of all the parties that they must just be doing new blades/infill.
     
  8. Cliveworshipper

    Cliveworshipper Member+

    Dec 3, 2006

    The key word there is guess.
     
  9. holden

    holden Member+

    Dundee FC, Yeovil Town LFC, Girondins de Bordeaux
    Oct 20, 2009
    Los Angeles
    Club:
    Dundee FC
    Uh yeah... which is why I was asking you Portlanders, who claim to know more about what's going on in Portland.
     
  10. Cliveworshipper

    Cliveworshipper Member+

    Dec 3, 2006
    Maybe there are just fewer tin foil hat conspiracy theorists here at the Death Star. Why is the replacement of the E layer that important to you anyway? Here is what the team and city both said about it last time.

    Let's see how observant you are about a word I highlighted. Do words have any meaning at all to you?

    Now, permanent is a relative thing, but to me, it implies more than TWO YEARS. Do you have evidence or data that a replacement is even necessary?

    The field will receive a highest FIFA two star rating when they are done. It's in the contract. It will be at least as good as Thierry Henry's assessment of it last Spring.

     
  11. holden

    holden Member+

    Dundee FC, Yeovil Town LFC, Girondins de Bordeaux
    Oct 20, 2009
    Los Angeles
    Club:
    Dundee FC
    #11 holden, Dec 23, 2013
    Last edited: Dec 23, 2013
    What have I ever said that is worthy of being labeled as "tin foil hat conspiracy"? All I'm asking is what new tech are they installing.

    I never said it was important. I'm just asking what new tech are they installing. I'm interested in seeing what improvements can be made to what is already considered the best artificial surface for soccer in North America, seeing as how the WWC will be mostly played on artificial turf.

    Permanent has two senses. One in the lasting forever realm, but secondly in the non-removable realm (i.e. the opposite of temporary or removable). Just because it's permanent doesn't mean that they will keep using it for all eternity. Newer and better technology will come along and at some point they will want to replace it. Whether it's now or later, I don't know. I'm just wondering what new tech are they installing now. And it has been more than two years...

    No, FieldTurf claims their surfaces are good for 8-15 years. So why is Portland replacing it after 3 seasons? Because they want to. That's why I wanted to know if there will be any new tech.

    Who said anything about them downgrading the quality of the turf? I'm just wondering what new tech they have that warrants the surface to be replaced after only 3 seasons. I'm fairly certain they could've gotten a 4th season of being two-star rated out of the turf... (I mean compared to Gillette's surface, which was re-certified as 2 star in June, Jeld-Wen's surface should really be a 3 or 4 star from what I hear).
     
  12. Cliveworshipper

    Cliveworshipper Member+

    Dec 3, 2006
    Two star certification is one year only, and Jeld Wen has met the two star rating EVERY year, unlike Gillette or Century Link. Those places let their certifications lapse. Last Spring Jeld Wen was the only currently certified field in The USA. ( football stadiums don't want certification in the Spring, and Gillette only did it for the NCAA LaCrosse championships, because their contract said they had to.) Canada's fields will have to have a two star rating at the time of the competition, -- so, tested within that year. It is in the FIFA rules. Whether they have an E layer is another issue, but it makes a huge difference. The fields that have pointy ball as the primary tenant won't, most probably.

    Saying it is 3-4 star is a foolish assertion and frankly, just BS. You must know those ratings don't exist and fields don't degrade that much in 8 months. By FIFA certification rules, if it failed the two star test it would be one star for two more years. It is still currently two star and would be until April, if not replaced.

    Saying that FieldTurf claims 6-8 years isn't in any of their literature that I see. Their sales pitches and specs are online. Point to where you see that.
    For that matter, can you show me where any manufacturer ( especially field Turf) claims it's two star field will last 6-8 years? I don't see it in any literature. Practice fields, maybe, if use is moderate---NOT FIFA TWO STAR. Barcelona had two of their field Turf (Polygras Iberica subsidiary) practice fields last ten years. They just got replaced with the same Turf as at Jeld Wen. They got it rated to insure quality, but I'll bet they don't renew the rating. Three years from now it will be one star.

    And BTW, NONE of the NFL or CFL stadiums have the E layer. Not Gillette, not Century Link, not Vancouver, not Atlanta. Owners hate it because it slows down pointyball.


    But to assuage your concerns about the surface, here is a fair-use clip of an article on the MLS site.

    Look, Paulson has said that if they thought they could grow grass, even with heat and grow lights, they would, but Grass management experts haven't said they could do it with pointy ball there. That goes for Hybrid 'Grass' like Wembley as well. It is half plastic.
     
  13. holden

    holden Member+

    Dundee FC, Yeovil Town LFC, Girondins de Bordeaux
    Oct 20, 2009
    Los Angeles
    Club:
    Dundee FC
    *sigh* I don't even know why I bother with you. Like is it your personal goal to get me to hate Portland or something?

    Yes, that's my point. If those two can get a two star rating, there's no reason Jeld-Wen can't get it for a 4th season.

    I did not say that. I said in comparisson to Gillette, the turf at Jeld-Wen should be 3-4 star. That is not meant to be taken literally, but as compliment to how good the surface at Jeld-Wen is regarded.

    Yes, again, exactly my point...

    http://www.fieldturf.com/en/artificial-turf/faq
    I never said any manufacturer made any claims about any some abstract ranking done by an outside company. FieldTurf does not guarantee anything about 2 star rankings, but if you look at FIFA's list of two-star FieldTurf pitches, you can see multiple that have been re-certified 4 or more times. So what I am suggesting is not beyond the realm of possibility.

    Who expressed any concerns about the surface? I only wanted to know what new tech would be installed. If you think FieldTurf has not improved their product at all in 3 years, then why replace it with the same exact thing when getting a 2 star rating is still perfectly plausible as I have shown above.

    Why are you talking about grass? I have not mentioned grass in this thread. In fact, I have never mentioned Portland/Jeld-Wen and grass in conjunction anywhere on this forum (I have once used Portland as defense as to why Boston can play on artificial turf, though). You can search this forum if you don't believe me. Well now after I make this post, it will show up... but this post clearly is not about this.
     
  14. cpthomas

    cpthomas BigSoccer Supporter

    Portland Thorns
    United States
    Jan 10, 2008
    Portland, Oregon
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    I think the mention about grass is because many Portland fans would have a great preference for Jeld-Wen to be a grass field, at some point.

    My understanding, with no inside information at all, is that warranties and anything else notwithstanding, turf fields that receive a lot of play lose some of their quality within a couple of years. So, if you want a field quality that is "like new" or "close to new," you're going to need to do some resurfacing work every few years, rather than waiting until the end of the warranty period. The judgment appears to have been that now is the time to do it, after three years of use, rather than waiting another year.

    Maybe there are some other technology changes going on at Jeld-Wen now, but if so there has been no public release of information about it nor have there been any suggestions that there is a need or desire for such changes.

    I believe I have seen some discussion about increasing the pitch size, although not in relation to the current project. Up until now, it has been 110 yards by 74 yards.
     
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  15. holden

    holden Member+

    Dundee FC, Yeovil Town LFC, Girondins de Bordeaux
    Oct 20, 2009
    Los Angeles
    Club:
    Dundee FC
    Thank you @cpthomas for your response.
     
  16. cpthomas

    cpthomas BigSoccer Supporter

    Portland Thorns
    United States
    Jan 10, 2008
    Portland, Oregon
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    From Merritt Paulson:

    Merritt Paulson ‏@MerrittPaulson2h
    One bit of news for our wonkiest fans: we are eking another yd of width out of our pitch for next season. 75x110 now. Hardly postage stamp.

    I'm guessing this is being accomplished as part of the new surface project and also, if I'm remembering correctly, some seating reconfiguration. I'd like to see a significantly bigger field, but I'm not sure that's possible within the Jeld-Wen constraints.
     
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  17. cpthomas

    cpthomas BigSoccer Supporter

    Portland Thorns
    United States
    Jan 10, 2008
    Portland, Oregon
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    From a deleted tweet today, related to the process of laying down the new turf and in response to a question whether the new turf is the same or different:

    some new tech to keep fibers upright longer. The biggie for FT will be a fill that doesnt amplify heat during sunshine
     
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  18. holden

    holden Member+

    Dundee FC, Yeovil Town LFC, Girondins de Bordeaux
    Oct 20, 2009
    Los Angeles
    Club:
    Dundee FC
    That will be huge! The FieldTurf I play on gets so hot in the summer, it's unbelievable. If they've figured out how to fix that, there will be a lot of happy feet in the future.
     
  19. Cliveworshipper

    Cliveworshipper Member+

    Dec 3, 2006
    #19 Cliveworshipper, Jan 5, 2014
    Last edited: Jan 5, 2014

    Is the field turf you play on watered before each half? Jeld wen is, and I believe that is what the manufacturer recommends.

     
  20. cpthomas

    cpthomas BigSoccer Supporter

    Portland Thorns
    United States
    Jan 10, 2008
    Portland, Oregon
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
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  21. Cliveworshipper

    Cliveworshipper Member+

    Dec 3, 2006
  22. holden

    holden Member+

    Dundee FC, Yeovil Town LFC, Girondins de Bordeaux
    Oct 20, 2009
    Los Angeles
    Club:
    Dundee FC
  23. Cliveworshipper

    Cliveworshipper Member+

    Dec 3, 2006
    Not surprised. Jeld Wen windows expanded just before the Bush crash and have been scrambling to stay solvent since. It's no surprise that when the contract ran out it wouldn't be renewed. Too bad. They are a good company.

    Providence Health care is huge in the state, and they already have a big presence in the stadium with $1.7 million in rent on the rehab center below the stands.

    With the Shirt and now the naming contract, they are even more invested.

    The proceeds of the Thorns-UP game last year went to pay for free heart screenings for High school and Middle school athletes, btw.
     
  24. holden

    holden Member+

    Dundee FC, Yeovil Town LFC, Girondins de Bordeaux
    Oct 20, 2009
    Los Angeles
    Club:
    Dundee FC
  25. cpthomas

    cpthomas BigSoccer Supporter

    Portland Thorns
    United States
    Jan 10, 2008
    Portland, Oregon
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Tweet from Merritt:

    we did a in-depth study on grass at Providence Park last yr. i think at some point will happen. But several yrs away at least

    Whoppie! Maybe some day, at least. Better than "Sorry, not going to happen."
     

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