AstroTurf Info and History

AstroTurf is a brand of synthetic turf and is a registered trademark of Textile Management Associates. It is also a commonly used term to describe artificial grass or synthetic turf, however AstroTurf tends to be more commonly associated with sports pitches, whilst artificial grass is the most common name for lawn replacement and synthetic grass safety surfaces here in the UK, other names include plastic grass, fake turf, synthetic lawn, artificial turf and imitation lawns.

In the last 25 years the quality and appearance of artificial grass has improved significantly and its now so realistic people find it hard to tell that the grass is fake but whilst not only looking like the perfect lawn it has the added benefit of requiring very little maintenance to keep up its wonderful lush green appearance.
AstroTurf – synthetic grass is perfect for dog owners as it doesn’t discolour due to the colourfast yarns. The yarns are also soft to the touch making it suitable for lawns and play areas where children can roll around without having to worry about any mud or mess.

For more information on AstroTurf visit the official website.

History

  • 1964 – The first ever synthetic turf installation took place in 1964 at Moses Brown School, Providence, Rhode Island
  • 1965 – A synthetic turf then called Chemgrass is a patented brand of artificial grass registered by James M Faria and Robert T Wright for the Monsato Company Inc. in 1965 at the United States Patent Office
  • 1966 – The AstroDome stadium of baseball team Houston Astros’ has Chemgrass surface installed. John A Wortmann renames ChemGrass to the now more commonly known AstroTurf
  • 1967 – In 1967 U.S. patent #3332828 for a “monofilament ribbon file product” was finally issued
  • 1968 – A facility to manufacture AstroTurf opens in Dalton, Georgia, USA
  • 1970s – AstroTurf synthetic sports pitches are installed at various stadiums across the US. Baseball, Hockey and American Football matches are played on the AstroTurf pitches including the 1974 NFL Super Bowl VIII at the Rice Stadium, Houston, Texas between the Miami Dolphins and Minnesota Vikings with the Dolphins winning their 2nd consecutive Super Bowl
  • 1999 – Real Madrid C.F. [Spain] have an AstroTurf pitch installed for their soccer training ground

Categories: Artificial Grass
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