Ugly Eagles new stadium turf reverts to traditional green
After the halting of all sports activity on its closed campus this spring, Clayton Valley Charter High School accelerated its summer plans to replace the turf in Gonsalves Stadium. With their two-day drive-through graduation in the stadium scheduled for June 2-3 the school made sure installation of the new FieldTurf surface was completed in time for the ceremony.
The new, green all-weather playing surface by FieldTurf is now the home for Ugly Eagles football, soccer and lacrosse teams.
In 2013 the first replacement of the original turf installed in 2004 was completed with a unique black color scheme. Now, seven years later the school has gone back to the more traditional green surface and added a twist with Ugly Eagles emblazoned in the end zone nearest the school buildings.
10-year guarantee
Clayton Valley Charter is paying the entire $850,000 cost for the field that has a 10-year guarantee with a pad under the turf good for 20 years. The previous black turf debuted in of the 2013 high school soccer season and was paid for by Mt. Diablo Unified School District Measure C funds. MDUSD is still the landlord of the school site but was not involved with financing the new surface.
Athletic director Bob Ralston says that instead of black rubber pellets made from pulverized rubber tires commonly found in turf fields, the infill system for the new surface in Concord is a combination of cork and sand.
The AD says regular maintenance of the field should ensure a lifespan matching the 10-year guarantee from FieldTurf, which has installed fields for 11 NFL teams including the Raiders practice facility, and at major college stadiums for UC Berkeley, Ohio State, Michigan and Notre Dame, among hundreds of others.
CVCHS coaches and athletes are hopeful the defending CIF State championship CVCHS football team will be the first of multiple Ugly Eagles squads to use the field in the 2020-21 school year.
Related story: CVCHS has a new look for the new year (Pioneer 2013)
