Southeastern gets new turf | Business

Southeastern Louisiana University’s Strawberry Stadium will see its first turf upgrade since the return of football to the university in 2003.

The $525,000 project – which includes removal of the existing turf and track and installation of the new turf – is being financed by the Lion Athletics Association, a non-profit organization that assists the university’s Athletics Department by providing private financial support for scholarships, operations and athletic facilities.

The new turf was used for one year in the 2010 season in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome by the New Orleans Saints and Tulane University. The high quality UBU-Speed Series-S5-M turf is replaced every year by the Superdome although it has a multi-year warranty.

 “Obtaining this like-new turf from the Superdome is a great opportunity to get professional grade turf of the highest quality at a greatly reduced price,” said Southeastern Athletics Director Bart Bellairs. “It provides another layer of safety for our student-athletes and others who use the field.”

Bellairs said the new turf will also allow the Southeastern Lady Lions Soccer team to play in Strawberry Stadium for the first time. Soccer games to this point have been played on the university’s soccer complex located on north campus.

He said the existing turf, installed in July 2003, had reached its limit and was due to be replaced, having been used for university and high school football games, the Manning Passing Academy and Louisiana Special Olympics. The project is scheduled to start in mid-January and will begin with the removal of the existing turf and the track surface that surrounds the field. All areas inside the stadium, including the existing grassy areas at the north and south end zones, will be replaced.

The project is expected to be completed by March. During installation, access to the stadium from the southeast corner will be significantly limited.