PORTLAND, Ore. – JELD-WEN Field’s FieldTurf surface has earned FIFA Recommended 2-Star status for a third consecutive year, it was announced today. The playing surface, which became the only FIFA recommended field in the state of Oregon in 2011, is one of only two fields in the United States to have been re-tested and pass the FIFA 2-Star testing three straight years.
JELD-WEN Field’s FieldTurf surface was installed in March 2011 as a high-performance surface designed specifically to mirror elite levels of playing characteristics for soccer. The FieldTurf system has gained recognition within the global community for providing ideal levels of energy restitution, grass-like ball performance and proper shock absorption. The playing surface at JELD-WEN Field features a custom e-layer that serves as a permanent underlayment for the field that serves as the home playing surface for the Portland Timbers of Major League Soccer and Portland Thorns FC of the National Women’s Soccer League. Additionally, the FieldTurf surface at JELD-WEN Field has been played on by clubs from some of the elite soccer leagues around the world, including England’s Premier League, Spain’s La Liga, Mexico’s Liga MX and the Dutch Eredivisie.
“We take great pride in earning FIFA 2-Star status for a third straight year and believe JELD-WEN Field continues to offer the top artificial playing surface for professional soccer in North America,” said Ken Puckett, senior vice president of operations for JELD-WEN Field.
The FIFA Recommended 2-Star designation is the highest synthetic turf rating from FIFA and is issued after a battery of tests are performed by a FIFA-approved testing agent. FIFA final-round competitions and top UEFA competitions have the FIFA Recommended 2-Star in their respective competition regulations.
About JELD-WEN Field
JELD-WEN Field is an iconic sports and entertainment facility located in the heart of downtown Portland, Ore., at 1844 SW Morrison. JELD-WEN Field is the host site for a wide variety of events each year, including Portland Timbers MLS soccer, Portland Thorns FC of the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL), Portland State University football, high school football, concerts, community events and public and private functions. JELD-WEN Field officially reopened to the public on April 14, 2011, after a significant renovation crafted to create one of the most unique and authentic soccer environments in the country as the Timbers, who have sold out all 36 regular-season games in their first three MLS seasons, marked their debut season in Major League Soccer. Originally constructed in 1926, JELD-WEN Field is an historic civic gathering place that has played host to some of the region’s most memorable events, including presidential visits, a 1957 concert by Elvis Presley, the National Football League’s first game decided by overtime, Pelé’s official last professional game and the 2003 FIFA Women’s World Cup. For more information, visit www.JELD-WENField.com.
About FieldTurf
FieldTurf is the inventor and world leader in infilled artificial turf with over 4,500 installations in North America. The company is also a FIFA Preferred Producer. Three teams in Major League Soccer play their home games on FieldTurf - Portland, New England and Seattle, while FieldTurf surfaces have played host to Champions League matches, Euro Cup qualifiers, MLS Cup finals, the MLS All-Star Game, Men’s and Women’s FIFA U-20 World Cup finals, UEFA Cup qualifiers and World Cup qualifiers.
In the NFL, 22 of 32 teams have selected FieldTurf for their game and/or practice facilities. Current NFL teams playing on FieldTurf include; Atlanta, Detroit, Indianapolis, New England, New York (Jets/Giants) and Seattle. For ten consecutive years, FieldTurf has emerged as the leader among all artificial turf brands in the biennial NFL Players Playing Surfaces Opinion Survey. In the NCAA, powerhouse programs in all conferences play on FieldTurf.
FieldTurf is part of Tarkett Sports, a division of the Tarkett Group. Tarkett Sports is the largest entity in the sports and landscape surfacing industries. Included within the Tarkett Sports portfolio is an impressive range of performance sports flooring products. This product range includes: synthetic and hardwood basketball; volleyball and gymnasium flooring; squash and racquetball courts; floor protection and covering systems; weight room flooring; and high performance indoor and outdoor running tracks, featuring Beynon and Atlas track surfaces.
For more information, please visit: FieldTurf Artificial Grass & Synthetic Turf Products.
