Welcome to AstroTurf
Since 1965, the AstroTurf brand has been driven by forward thinking ingenuity. Today AstroTurf continuously improves its system design to deliver playing surfaces with the most realistic, sport-specific performance, longest lasting durability, and sound player protection.
Welcome to the Second Half of the AstroTurf Century!
Latest News
UCONN Field Hockey Sticks with AstroTurf
Storrs, CT – You can’t mention the elite programs of field hockey without beginning with the University of Connecticut. The same is true for AstroTurf® when discussing premier playing surfaces for the sport. It’s just natural for the two iconic names to team up yet...
AstroTurf Adds Climate Positive Hockey Turf System to Product Portfolio
Dalton, GA – AstroTurf didn’t become the most trusted playing surface in the world of field hockey by keeping the status quo. The brand that changed the sport of field hockey continues to pour resources into research and development in order to provide the latest and greatest elite surfacing for hockey athletes. AstroTurf, the inventor of synthetic turf and the clear market leader in the sport of field hockey, is using its leading fiber technologies, unsurpassed labs, and modern manufacturing plant to lead the way in field innovation once again.
AstroTurf and Poligras are clearly the most recognized and trusted field hockey surface providers in the world. The two brands are members of the Sport Group family, the largest sports surfacing company in the world. Field Hockey organizations can now benefit from the expanded product lineups from the combined system portfolios of both of these legendary brands.
Wellesley College
There are two offerings that AstroTurf is especially excited to present to its United States customers in 2020, Poligras Platinum and Tokyo GT 20. Poligras Platinum is a complex, high-tech, tufted system that lays over an E-Layer®. This surface utilizes non-directional, polyethylene sports yarn to provide optimum ball surface interaction. This system is the same as the one used at the last Olympics in Rio. Actually, under the Sport Group umbrella, AstroTurf & Polytan collectively has been the surface for 75% of the Olympic Field Hockey games. Poligras Platinum is already gaining a foothold in the United States with recent installations at the University of Connecticut and Wellesley College.
Tokyo Olympic Committee visiting our Manufacturing Plant
The Tokyo GT product is truly ground breaking for the sport and the industry. The Tokyo 2020 Games has set itself the goal of organizing the first ever carbon-neutral Olympic Games. Poligras Tokyo GT (Green Technology) is a new sustainable hockey turf, developed by Sport Group to help Tokyo meet this goal. This new sustainable hockey turf is the first of its kind to feature filaments made from over 60% re-growable raw materials. Sport Group companies are using Bio-Based PE to add a sustainable dimension to the outstanding playing properties of its tried-and-tested polyethylene monofilament fibers. To develop the technology and the product we engaged a wide range of Sport Group resources from Europe, the US and Australia. This included chemical engineers, testing- materials scientists, extrusion-technology specialists, chemists, and process engineers. And to ensure the turf was good for ‘laying and playing’ we also worked with our construction engineers and with sports-mechanical experts and hockey players.
Sugar Cane had to be introduced into the supply chain
This premium playing surface is composed of 60% Sugar Cane, saves CO2, and uses less water. These hockey turfs are making a positive contribution to the environment and creating an entirely new category of hockey turf that we like to refer to as “Climate Positive Hockey”. The playability and performance is top notch and the system has been getting rave reviews in recent tests. Teams from Australia and Japan competed on the Poligras Tokyo GT surface at the Ready Steady Tokyo test event recently and they had some nice things to say about the pitch.
“The field tested really well,” said Emily Chalker, a Striker for the Australian team. “It’s a great thing for the future of our sport so that we will be able to play anywhere in the world on quality pitches and not impact the environment.”
Georgie Morgan, a Defender for the Australian team added, “It plays really quick for a new pitch. The ball is moving around nice and quick on the surface, it gets a big thumbs up from our team.”
When Tokyo challenged the sporting world with the idea that it would be the world’s first carbon-neutral games that posed a big problem for a sport like hockey which is played on perfectly smooth, synthetic grass. But thanks to Sport Group’s dedication to transforming the business of sport and space, along with their industry leading initiatives in green technology, this dream is soon to become a game-changing reality with the world’s first truly sustainable hockey turf at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. Learn more about the approach and process of creating “Climate Positive Hockey” here: www.turfresponsibly.com
The Tokyo GT system will be available in the United States in the Spring of 2020. Contact AstroTurf’s Director of Field Hockey, Melissa Vassalotti-Twist for more information about Tokyo GT as well as our complete line of high quality hockey systems for every budget. Contact Melissa at 267-872-0589 or email her at mvassalotti@astroturf.com
About AstroTurf®
For athletes and sport enthusiasts, AstroTurf® has redefined the way the game is played. The brand offers advanced, state-of-the-art, multi-sport and specialized synthetic turf systems with proprietary engineered technologies. A growing number of high schools, colleges, professional sports teams and municipalities continue to select AstroTurf-branded products for their premium quality, technical superiority, and safety. To learn more, visit AstroTurf’s newly redesigned website at www.astroturf.com.
National Champion Vanderbilt Trusts AstroTurf Once Again
Nashville, TN – Fresh off their second Baseball National Championship in six years, Vanderbilt University continues to invest in their elite program by once again trusting AstroTurf® as the preferred synthetic turf system for their baseball program. Vanderbilt is updating the AstroTurf® at Hawkins Field with one of the most technologically-advanced playing surfaces in the turf industry.
Since AstroTurf® originally turfed Hawkins Field, Vanderbilt has piled up some incredibly gaudy numbers. The Commodores have a record of 329 wins and 137 losses with 2 SEC championships, 6 NCAA Tournament Region Championships, 3 Super Regional Championships, 1 National runner up, and 2 National Championships. The high-caliber performance of the Vandy Boys and the consistent, reliable play of the AstroTurf® Diamond series have complimented each other nicely during this span of tremendous success.
Vanderbilt’s new field will feature the AstroTurf® Diamond Series RBI System which includes multiple artificial turf components that have been specifically engineered to emulate the look, feel, and performance of both the grass and clay portions of a baseball field. Diamond Series turf systems from AstroTurf® are well-known throughout the sport of baseball for delivering the ultimate in playability, durability and ballpark aesthetics. Well over fifty Division 1 Baseball schools are playing on the Diamond Series which accounts for over 75% of all D1 baseball schools with artificial turf.
“When we set out to consider upgraded options for the playing surface at Hawkins Field, AstroTurf® made the most sense to our program for a variety of reasons. Since our first installation prior to the 2013 season, we have experienced a vast amount of success on our AstroTurf surface, and the product and technology behind it have only continued to improve. We are always looking to provide a cutting-edge experience for our student-athletes, and we are confident that AstroTurf® and their team will continue to exceed our expectations with their product and customer service.” Tim Corbin, Vanderbilt Head Baseball Coach.
“Having the trust of a top-shelf program like Vanderbilt means the world to us”, said AstroTurf Director of Baseball Operations, Aaron Klotz. “This helps to serve as confirmation that our recipe for baseball systems is the best in the business. Coach Corbin is wonderful to work with and together we are finely tuning the field at Hawkins Stadium to meet the highest standards.”
The installation of the field is well underway and will be ready for the 2020 season as Vanderbilt Baseball begins the defense of their Southeastern Conference and National Championships.
Vanderbilt is a member of a long list of AstroTurf Diamond Series customers that include elite programs such as Michigan, Kentucky, Duke, Ohio State, Washington State, West Virginia and many, many more.
About AstroTurf®
For athletes and sport enthusiasts, AstroTurf® has redefined the way the game is played. The brand offers advanced, state-of-the-art, multi-sport and specialized synthetic turf systems with proprietary engineered technologies. A growing number of high schools, colleges, professional sports teams and municipalities continue to select AstroTurf-branded products for their premium quality, technical superiority, and safety. To learn more, visit AstroTurf’s website at www.astroturf.com.
AstroTurf Names Melissa Vassalotti-Twist as Director of Field Hockey
Dalton, GA – AstroTurf Corporation, the inventor and leading innovator of synthetic turf, is pleased to announce Melissa Vassalotti-Twist as their new Director of Field Hockey. Melissa will oversee AstroTurf’s Field Hockey Operations and will be responsible for developing relationships with existing and prospective customers in order to help deliver the AstroTurf model of customer service, products, and value.
“I am so excited to take on this new role,” said Melissa Vassalotti-Twist. “AstroTurf is the standard by which all field hockey fields are measured and I am humbled to be stepping into a position previously held by my mentor, Andy Belles. I am committed to offering the same level of customer service, consultation and product knowledge that made Andy a legendary figure in the industry.”
Melissa is a veteran of the game of field hockey as both a player and a coach. She was a part of three National Championships and three ACC Championships as a player for the University of Maryland (all while playing on an AstroTurf field). Melissa carried her knowledge of the game into coaching at American University and also Georgetown University where she earned a Master’s degree in Sports Industry Management. Before coming to AstroTurf, she gained experience in managing sales and fostering growth while representing an elite level sports equipment company.
“We believe that we have found a superstar in Melissa”, said Rich Jordan, AstroTurf Executive VP of Business Development and Marketing. “She was hand-picked by her predecessor, Andy Belles, and trained to AstroTurf’s highest customer service and sales standards. We have tremendous confidence that Melissa will continue to build on AstroTurf’s reputation of offering the most innovative, consistent and precision-built field hockey surfaces in the industry.”
AstroTurf® fields have long been regarded as the unequivocal standard for field hockey performance and are the favorite among coaches and players alike for their playability, durability and low maintenance requirements. It’s no wonder AstroTurf is recognized as the Official Artificial Surface Provider of both USA Field Hockey and the National Field Hockey Coaches Association, as well as a preferred supplier for FIH.
AstroTurf® and Polytan®, members of the Sport Group family of brands, are the two most respected brands in the world of field hockey in relation to premium sport surfaces. The two companies continue to share technologies and resources to lead the way with new polymers and systems that promise to bring about changes in the industry as well as in the sport of hockey. The excitement is building for the new Tokyo GT surface developed for the 2020 Olympics. The new sugar cane based system is a major step forward for climate positive hockey. Superior systems such as this one is a major reason that AstroTurf® and Polytan® have provided hockey turfs for 9 of the 12 Olympics which have featured hockey on synthetic turf.
About AstroTurf® For athletes and sport enthusiasts, AstroTurf® has redefined the way the game is played. The brand offers advanced, state-of-the-art, multi-sport and specialized synthetic turf systems with proprietary engineered technologies. A growing number of high schools, colleges, professional sports teams and municipalities continue to select AstroTurf-branded products for their premium quality, technical superiority, and safety. To learn more, visit AstroTurf’s website at www.astroturf.com.
