COLUMBIA, Ky. -- With its first home game in more than 75 years less than a year away, the ground is literally being laid right now for the return of football to Lindsey Wilson College.
A special playing field is being installed at the site of Lindsey Wilson's outdoor sports stadium on the Louie B. Nunn Parkway. The surface is known as a 24/7, a special turf created by The Motz Group of Cincinnati.
"The 24/7 turf gives us a field that will have the look and feel of natural grass, but it will stand up to the repeated poundings our student-athletes will give it. It will also look good no matter the season," said LWC Athletics Director Willis Pooler. "It's going to allow our teams to practice and play on it, which helps us to save money maintaining separate practice and game fields."
Motz's 24/7 turf - which is used by sports venues at the high school level on up to the Miami Dolphins of the National Football League - has five levels, including a drainage system that will permit games to be played in all kinds of weather conditions.
"Of course one of the best features of the 24/7 system is that we won't have to cut the field because the top level is a special synthetic grass," Pooler said. "And because it's a synthetic field, we won't have to worry about other issues as well, such as diseases infecting the grass or trying to keep it green during dry periods."
Artificial surfaces have come a long way from the 1960s when artificial grass was synonymous with "turf toe" and other injuries caused by the field.
"The 24/7 turf includes a rubber pad that provides a high-energy absorption without slowing down student-athletes or making their legs feel tired," Pooler said. "It offers our student-athletes the best of both worlds, and it will make Lindsey Wilson's outdoor sports stadium one of the premier outdoor sports stadiums among Kentucky's 20 private colleges and universities."
The Motz Group has installed playing fields at other Kentucky colleges and universities, but the football field is the first time the company has worked with Lindsey Wilson.
"The Motz Group is excited and proud to have the opportunity to construct one of our 24/7 playing systems for Lindsey Wilson," Motz Group President Joe Motz said. "We look forward to delivering as promised and partnering with the college to ensure consistent high performance and many winning seasons for their student-athletes on the new field."
The 24/7 field should be installed within the next two weeks, which is especially exciting to LWC football coach Chris Oliver, his coaching staff and the 70 student-athletes he has recruited to play for the Blue Raiders.
"When I talked to these young men about coming to Lindsey Wilson, one of the things I told them was they would be members of the first team to run out onto a new field in a new stadium," Oliver said. "Seeing that field installed is going to mean a lot to our program and also remind everyone that football is just around the corner."
Following installation of the turf, the college's first track will be installed and eventually the stadium will be completed. Lindsey Wilson's first football game in 75 years will be at 1:30 p.m. CT on Sept. 4 against Notre Dame (Ohio) College. To see pictures of the 24/7 turf being installed, go to www.lindseyathletics.com.
