TRADITION MEETS INNOVATION

SPORTGROUPSportGroup is today’s true global sports surfacing giant, with manufacturing facilities around the world. Active in over 70 countries, SportGroup has installed more than 13,000 artificial turf fields and 16,000 running tracks. SportGroup was created by selective acquisitions of the leading turf, track, indoor and outdoor sports surface manufacturers.

This amalgamation of innovation and technology also includes the manufacturers and marketers of key raw materials used in all aspects of the sports surfacing industry.

AstroTurf is now in the enviable position of enjoying a completely vertical and fully integrated environment, where all of its ideas can be brought to life in a market hungry for innovation.

Welcome to the next generation. The second half of the AstroTurf century.

ASTROTURF®

HISTORY IN THE MAKING

| 2 | | 3 |

It’s all about performance

AstroTurf powered by SportGroup

It’s been fifty plus years since the 1966 installation of AstroTurf at the Houston Astrodome.

Fifty years of history, as true champions return to glory. On the sports field or inside the plant that creates it, talent, determination and perseverance deliver results.

Every real success story starts with big dreams and ambition – and ends with talent and perseverance. But continuity and longevity are dependent upon one thing – the ability to adapt and improve as time marches on.

Many years of R&D are behind the making of AstroTurf’s Diamond Series, today’s premier softball surface.

AstroTurf’s RootZone® technology is the answer to providing a fast and natural ball bounce inside the “slap zone”. A full range of unique fibers, fiber heights, and infills were tested to deliver optimal performance. Today the Diamond Series handles ball bounce exactly like a natural field in every area of performance - including the infield. And each field can be custom tailored to any coach or facility specifications for speed or bounce.

Softball is so much more than a game to us. It’s a passion.

| 4 | | 5 |

Meet Matthew Boggs, truly one of the most passionate baseball professionals you’ll ever get to know and one of the key people behind the success of the Diamond Series. 

While Matthew comes from a baseball background, his research into replicating clay has translated into the most clay-like surface synthetic turf has to offer - making the Diamond Series ideal for softball fields.

In his struggle to meet the criteria that the ardent baseball purists set before him, Matthew left no base unturned. He studied how the ball interacts with the surface. Firing blasts of baseballs from every angle into every part of the infield, base paths and outfield, he measured the trajectory and speed of the ball from every path and under every condition. He spent years studying the results that the best natural fields produced and went about a long and arduous process to replicate it. 

Armed with a degree in Textile and Fiber Engineering from Georgia Tech, Matthew spent thousands of hours researching how to deliver a natural bounce that replicates grass and clay - and how clay reacts with metal cleats. How runners dig, takeoff, hold up and slide – into every base and under every scenario. 

In the end, it was the magical combination of multiple plies of nylon and polyurethane fibers that Matthew perfected to replicate clay performance. It was not really a miracle, since his methodology combined with hard work, was the only way to get there. But it was a miraculous discovery. And it made all the difference. The steel-like durability of nylon allowed the turf to survive the beating of metal cleats and harsh contact. While the combination of fibers provided realistic sliding distances. 

Coaches and professionals who originally thought it would be impossible to duplicate the grass and clay surfaces of a natural softball field, were astounded by the results. Thanks to Matthew’s dedication and commitment, today the AstroTurf Diamond Series is as well known among softball’s elite as it is by major colleges, high schools and municipalities across the country.

Aside from the latest technology behind the success of Diamond Series, there are also some very special people that were at the very heart of its invention. 

TRADITIONMEETS INNOVATION

PROPRIETARY FIBERS AND ROOTZONE TECHNOLOGY, SO TURF PLAYS LIKE REAL CLAY

Our proprietary “i-fiber”, the hallmark of the RootZone Diamond-i turf system, is specifically designed to lay over quickly and thereby replicate clay. AstroTurf is the only manufacturer to incorporate nylon, providing realistic sliding distances and enhanced durability in these high wear areas of the softball diamond. Our RootZone technology encapsulates the infill, and as a result drastically reduces the “infill kick-out” and divots seen on other synthetic fields. That makes for more natural slaps. 

 A FULL RANGE OF FIBERS AND PILE HEIGHTS

To cater to the coach’s preferred speed of play, the Diamond Series offers two sets of pile heights. Depending on the system chosen, clay turf systems are 3/8” – 1/2” shorter than  synthetic grass systems in order to replicate the differences found on a natural turf field. As a result, our RootZone Diamond-i products play like real clay, and our RootZone Diamond Blend products play like real grass.

 A TRULY CUSTOMIZED APPROACH

Each area of the softball field has a different infill recipe to support the natural playability.  At installation, we start with baseline infill ratios of (usually) sand and rubber. These ratios have been developed over the course of the last 8 years.  The truth, though, is that no two softball fields are the same. We tune the infill rates of our Diamond Series fields to provide just the right amount of speed and ball bounce. 

 INSTALLATION AND MAINTENANCE BENEFITS

The most abused areas on synthetic sports fields are pitching mounds and batters’ boxes. To combat that wear, AstroTurf offers the Extra Resilience Area (ERA) turf system, which affords about eight times as much wear resistance as normal turf. And when it does come time to replace the batters’ and catchers’ boxes, it’s a pretty easy process. Installed with a Velcro system, you can peel them up and replace them with one of the eight replacement sets that come with every field.

OUTFIELD GRASS ◆ ROOTZONE DIAMOND BLEND OPS ◆ ROOTZONE DIAMOND BLEND RBI

INFIELD CLAY AREAS ◆ ROOTZONE DIAMOND-i OPS ◆ ROOTZONE DIAMOND-i RBI

PITCHER’S CIRCLE, BATTERS’ AND CATCHERS’ BOXES

◆ EXTRA RESILIENCE AREA (ERA) TURF

WARNING TRACK ◆ ROOTZONE DIAMOND-i OPS ◆ ROOTZONE DIAMOND-i RBI

ASTROTURF®S GEM

PRODUCT LINEUP

| 6 | | 7 |

VELCRO PANELSAll softball fields are sold with eight preassembled, Velcro-adhered sets of batters’ and catchers’ boxes for easy, DIY replacement of these high wear areas.

The Diamond Series is a family of products tailored to mimic the performance of each area of the softball field.

Outfield, infield, base paths, pitcher’s circle, batters’ boxes and warning tracks are each surfaced with unique AstroTurf products designed specifically to replicate natural field playability.

It’s all about

the SlapZone.

AstroTurf Diamond Series softball fields play and look so natural, yet provide easy maintenance and exceptional durability, that we’ve become famous for over many years. Since our first collegiate stadium installation at West Texas A&M in 2010, our Diamond Series systems have taken the softball world by storm both in the infield and outfield.

Some of our College Installations include:

| 8 | | 9 |

HOMEFIELDADVANTAGE

Colby College - Waterville, ME

Cornell University - Ithaca, NY

Aurora University - Aurora, IL

Liberty University - Lynchburg, VA

Madonna University - Livonia, MI

West Texas A&M University - Canyon, TX

Marshall University - Huntington, WV

Long Island University-Brooklyn - Brooklyn, NY

Abilene Christian University

Aurora University

Ball State University

Boston College

Colby College

Cornell University

Creighton University

Davenport University

Glenville State University

Liberty University

Long Island University

Madonna University

Marshall University

Midwestern State University

Pittsburgh State University

St. Joseph’s University

Texas A&M University – Commerce

University of Hawaii

University of Michigan

University of Minnesota

University of Oregon

West Texas A&M University

Youngstown State University

OUR SUCCESSSPEAKS FOR ITSELF

But nobody speaks louder than the coaches who have selected AstroTurf for their softball programs. Listen to what these experts have to say about softball on Diamond Series.

| 10 | | 11 |

Abilene Christian University

“Turfing our field at ACU was the best decision we could have made! The playing surface is perfect, no bad hops, little to no maintenance, and never a rain out!”

Bobby Reeves, Head Softball Coach

Davenport University

“We couldn’t be happier with our decision to use the Astro Turf product for our outfield. The speed and play of the ball mimics that of a grass surface and has allowed us to utilize our field more often than not.”

McCall Salmon, Head Softball Coach

West Texas A&M University

“We are entering our sixth season on our surface and I can honestly say it is the best surface we have played on in that time. Our surface is consistent every day, may it be practice or game day. Our lines are always perfect. It looks and plays great. The outfield plays like a well-manicured Bermuda grass outfield and our infield turf plays very similar to dirt. The difference is there are never any cleat marks or divots to worry about.”

Kevin Blaskowski, Former Head Softball Coach, West Texas A&M University (2014 NCAA DII National Champions)

Marshall University

“After watching the finishing touches being attended to on our brand new AstroTurf surface, we are very excited to play our first season on the new field. The turf is playing true and will provide us with a much needed consistent field of play. The logos really stand out and make our field pop, which makes us anxious to show it off to our fans and recruits.”

Jennifer Steele, Head Softball Coach

USSSA Space Coast Complex

“The Space Coast Complex gives us the ability to bring all of our athletes together in one place for training, games, and tournaments. It was imperative from day one that our facilities be top notch, and AstroTurf’s Diamond Series was the clear choice for us.”

Don DeDonatis, USSSA Chairman and CEO

Long Island University

“AstroTurf has given our program an outstanding playing surface. Our field mimics the play, look and feel of actual turf without any of the daily hours needed to prepare and protect the playing field. We can practice or play when most other colleges have weather related issues which keep them off the field. Thanks AstroTurf!”

Roy Kortmann, Head Softball Coach

Oklahoma University - Norman, OK

University of Michigan - Ann Arbor, MI

St. Joseph’s University - Philadelphia, PA

University of Minnesota - Minneapolis, MN

Creighton University - Omaha, NE

USSSA Space Coast - Viera, FL

TAMU Commerce - Commerce, TX

Davenport University - Grand Rapids, MI

Midwestern State University - Wichita Falls, TX

University of Oregon - Eugene, OR

TRADITION MEETS INNOVATION

AstroTurf Corporation. 2680 Abutment Rd, Dalton, GA 30721 (800) 723-TURF

help@astroturf.com www.astroturf.com @AstroTurfUSA

© C

opyr

ight

20

17. A

stro

Turf

and

Roo

tZon

e ar

e re

gist

ered

trad

emar

ks o

f APT

Adv

ance

d Po

lym

er T

echn

olog

y C

orp.