Jump to content

FieldTurf

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Biofloat (talk | contribs) at 22:53, 9 February 2009 (Safety: Removed redundant sentence: The ALIPUR and Fr. Envr. & Energy Mgmt Agency reports are one in the same. Also, this is not a follow-on study suggested by original wording "Since then..."). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.
The wide plain of FieldTurf used at Toronto's Rogers Centre was installed after the 2004 baseball season.

FieldTurf is a brand of artificial turf playing surfaces. FieldTurf surfaces are manufactured and installed by FieldTurf Tarkett, a division of Tarkett Inc., a Peachtree City, GA-based company.[1]

FieldTurf is composed of monofilament polyethylene blend fibres tufted into a polypropylene backing with a mixture of silica sand and cryogenic rubber infill. They are currently the industry leader in artificial turf having installed over 3000 fields worldwide.

History of FieldTurf

Jean Prevost first bought the patent of the FieldTurf product in 1988 and originally named the company SynTenni Co., a name which would eventually be dropped in favor of FieldTurf Inc.[2] In 1995, John Gilman, former CFL player and coach joined FieldTurf as CEO. FieldTurf's first high profile installation came in January 1997 as English Premiership's Middlesbrough FC chose FieldTurf for its new field. That October, Ringold HS in Pennsylvania chose FieldTurf for their own Rams Stadium, making it the first ever high school stadium with a FieldTurf field.[3] In 1998, in order to improve customer service, FieldTurf decided to offer clients a third party warranty for their installed fields. Fields today are covered by warrantees of up to 8 years and 7 million dollars.[4] FieldTurf broke into NCAA Division 1-A Football in 1999 when the powerhouse Nebraska Cornhuskers chose FieldTurf for their practice facility and three months later for the 73,000 seat Memorial Stadium (It now seats 85,000).[5] The year 2000 was a milestone year for FieldTurf, as it installed both its first Major League Baseball field and National Football League field. The Tampa Bay Rays installed FieldTurf at Tropicana Field while the Seattle Seahawks were playing at the University of Washington which used FieldTurf throughout the time QWEST Field was being built. In fact, the original plans of having a natural grass field at QWEST Field were changed after the Seahawks played their season at the University of Washington and they installed FieldTurf at QWEST field instead.[6] In 2001, AIG and the NFL Quarterback Greats Club invested in FieldTurf. Tarkett followed suit 3 years later. In 2005, Tarkett increased its share in FieldTurf which led to the integration of the two companies into the single entity FieldTurf Tarkett. John Gilman became CEO of FieldTurf Tarkett and all operations were run out of the Montreal office.[7] In 2006, FieldTurf Tarkett introduced new divisions in other types of sports surfacing. They introduced the "Le Monde" track and field surface, the "ClayTech Tennis System" and an indoor basketball court flooring system.[3] They now also surface volleyball, squash and racquetball courts and provide weight room flooring as well.

The FieldTurf Tarkett Merger

FieldTurf and Tarkett succesfully merged in 2004, pairing two extremely successful industries. Tarkett has many manufacturing plants worldwide and their brand Prestige is the "European market leader in infilled turf, as well as flooring, track, tennis and indoor products manufactured from a variety of materials, including PVC, Wood, Linoleum, Polyurethane and Textiles"[8] Tarkett sales in 2003, were just short of 1.4 billion euros.[9] FieldTurf at the time was approaching the 1000 field threshold and was already the worldwide leader in new generation artificial turf. The merger allowed FieldTurf to improve upon and expand their range of products in other types of sports surfacing. FieldTurf Tarkett is currently run by a head corporate office in Peachtree City, Georgia and offices in Canada and in France.

Notable Installations

See List of FieldTurf installations for more installations.

In 1997, Middlesbrough FC becomes the first Premiership team with FieldTurf. Ringgold HS puts FieldTurf into Rams Stadium.

In 1999, the Metropolitan Oval, a soccer complex in New York City, was one of the first to install FieldTurf in the U.S. The Anchorage Football Stadium in Alaska also installed FieldTurf.

Later that year, The University of Nebraska in Lincoln became the first Division 1-A college football program to install the surface. The University of Nebraska replaced the original FieldTurf Memorial Stadium with a new FieldTurf field in 2005. Installations have also been made at these other facilities at the school:

  • Ed Weir Track infield
  • Hawks Championship Indoor Center - Nebraska Cornhuskers training facility
  • Cook Pavilion - Nebraska Cornhuskers training facility and university campus recreation facility
  • Vine Street Fields - University Campus Recreation intramural fields
  • Mable Lee Fields - University Campus Recreation intramural fields

In March 2000, FieldTurf replaced the original AstroTurf field at Tropicana Field, making the Tampa Bay Rays of Major League Baseball the first professional sports team to play on the FieldTurf surface.

In 2000, FieldTurf was installed in the University of Washington's Husky Stadium, replacing the AstroTurf surface, originally installed in 1968. Husky Stadium was used as the Seattle Seahawks home field from 2000-2001, following the demolition of the Kingdome in March 2000. This would be the first time FieldTurf is used in the NFL.

In 2001, Boston University's FieldTurf soccer field becomes FieldTurf's first to obtain FIFA 1-star status. The Ottawa Renegades also become the first of seven CFL teams to play on FieldTurf.

In 2003, FieldTurf is installed at the Meadowlands (now Giants Stadium), home of the New York Giants and New York Jets.

In 2005, Saprissa Stadium in San José, Costa Rica became the first stadium to host a FIFA World Cup qualifying match on FieldTurf. The Dundalk FC Stadium received FieldTurf's first FIFA 2-star rating.

The University of Saskatchewan installed FieldTurf in 2006 when they hosted the CIS Vanier Cup. Super Bowl XL was the first Super Bowl played on FieldTurf. Ford Field differs slightly from the standard installations as the recycled rubber used is made from Firestone tires.[10]


In 2007, the FIFA U-20 World Cup Canada had almost 50% of its games played on FieldTurf.[11]

The following MLB teams play their home games on FieldTurf:

  • Minnesota Twins
  • Tampa Bay Rays
  • Toronto Blue Jays

The following NFL teams play their home games on FieldTurf:

  • Atlanta Falcons
  • Cincinnati Bengals
  • Detroit Lions
  • Indianapolis Colts
  • Minnesota Vikings
  • New England Patriots
  • New Orleans Saints
  • New York Giants
  • New York Jets
  • Seattle Seahawks
  • St. Louis Rams

Currently all but three National Football League venues have either FieldTurf or natural grass surfaces.

FieldTurf currently has 10 FIFA 2-star fields and 4 FIFA 1-star fields.

Products

FieldTurf offers many different types of artificial fields, the most notable of which are as follows:

  • FieldTurf Classic - This was FieldTurf's original invention. Polyethylene sheets are slit into individual fibers which are twisted and tufted into the backing. As the fibers are brushed, the tips of the fibers open up to cover the infill. There are currently over 1500 FieldTurf Classic fields in the ground.
  • FieldTurf Duraspine - The Duraspine fiber is a monofilament fiber which imitates the structure of real grass. The spine running through each individual fiber resembles the vein of a blade of grass and is meant to give the fibers a similar resistance to matting. The system looks and plays more like real grass.
  • FieldTurf Duo - This system combines two types of monofilament fibers. The spined fibers stay upright maintaining the playing properties of the field, similar to the Duraspine fibers. The flat fibers lay over to cover the infill. This field is said to match up very well with grass, particularly from a bio-mechanical perspective.
  • FieldTurf Mini Pitch - This system is made up of slit film fibres and is recommended primarily for smaller installations. The excellent consistency of the surface truly reflects the skills and abilities of the players who play on it. This is the recommended turf for smaller indoor soccer facilities.

Each of the above turfs is made using FieldTurf's patented infill and backing. The infill is made from washed silica sand and rounded cryogenic rubber. Each square foot of turf contains 7 pounds of sand and 3 pounds of rubber. The combination of sand and rubber makes FieldTurf different from its competitors. The infill compresses and expands making it stable and long lasting. The backing is a combination of woven and non-woven polypropylene. The fabrics are permeable which is how they drain water and the fibers are woven into the backing in evenly spaced rows. The spacing between the rows allows cleats to grab onto the infill rather than the fibers themselves. [12] Because of the merge with Tarkett, FieldTurf now offers the Prestige line that Tarkett sold so successfully in Europe.

  • Prestige XM - This monofilament fiber originally was rectangular shaped. In 2005 it was reintroduced with a spine running through each fibre. There are currently a number of FIFA 2-star Prestige fields, one of which is KRAS Stadion Volendam in the Netherlands.
  • Prestige XT - The XT system is made up of linked monofilament fibres, intended to combine the best attributes of monofilament and fibrilated fibers. There is also an XT Rugby version of the system which meets International Rugby Board requirements. [13]

Safety

As the popularity of synthetic fields has increased, the safety of the crumb rubber infill has been investigated more and more frequently. Research has gone into investigating the health risks of synthetic fields and crumb rubber itself. Some of the specific issues that have been studied include whether or not these fields increase the risk of injury or infection and whether or not chemical exposure to crumb rubber is cause for concern.[14] With regard to injuries sustained, a 5 year study published in the American Journal of Sports Medicine found that injury rates were similar on natural grass and synthetic turf. There were, however, notable differences in the types of injuries. Athletes playing on synthetic turf sustained more skin injuries and muscle strains while those who played on natural grass were more susceptible to concussions and ligament tears.[15] There was a scare that infilled synthetic turf exposed athletes to a higher risk of acquiring staph infections. A study done by Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences tested 20 synthetic fields in Pennsylvania and found no trace of the Staphylococcus Aureus bacterium in any of them.

Andy McNitt, a Ph.D in soil science and the study author provided the following explanation.

“These infilled systems are not a hospitable environment for microbial activity... They tend to be dry and exposed to outdoor temperatures, which fluctuate rapidly. Plus, the infill media itself (ground-up tires) contains zinc and sulfur, both of which are known to inhibit microbial growth.Considering the temperature range for growth of S. aureus is 7-48 degrees Celsius, we didn’t expect to find this bacterium in fields exposed to sunlight, since the temperatures on these fields far exceed 48 degrees frequently.” [16]

Independent testing has also been done to verify whether or not crumb rubber is a public health hazard. Just recently, the U.S Consumer Product Safety Commission announced that there was no health risk involved with playing on an artifical turf field. This was not a surprise to artificial turf producers, as even though there was a growing concern about lead exposure in artificial turf, the Center for Disease Control previously produced similar findings to the CPSC. [17]

In 2007, a Connecticut non-profit organization Environmental and Human Health Inc. (EHHI), released a report about the safety of recycled tire crumb rubber in artificial turf.[18] EHHI funded a study by the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station, a state agency, which independently reported[19] that under laboratory conditions when the crumb rubber infill was heated to 60 °C (140 °F) (similar to direct sunlight conditions), four components of crumb rubber volatilize into the vapor phase (outgas) in contact with the crumbs: benzothiazole, butylated hydroxyanisole (a possible endocrine disruptor [20] and found to be estrogenic [21] ),n-hexadecane and 4-(t-octyl) phenol. The same four organic and elemental components were found to be leached from the tire crumbs by water.

Also in 2007, ALIAPUR (a French consortium founded by tire makers Bridgestone, Continental, Dunlop Goodyear, Kléber, Michelin and Pirelli),[22] and ADEME (the French Environment and Energy Management Agency) released their own joint report concluding that there was no cause for concern to human health by inhalation of volatile organic compounds and aldehydes released by recycled tire crumb rubber surfaces.[23]


In 2006-2007, an environmental impact and health risk study of crumb rubber infill [24] [25] was commissioned by commissioned by the VACO (Tyre and Wheel Trade Association) [26] and the Vereniging Band & Milieu (Tyre and the Environment Association) [27] and conducted by the Netherlands' research institute INTRON. [28] This laboratory and field study examined only the leaching of zinc from artificial turf with rubber infill and exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon carcinogens; it did not address possible endocrine disruptors or other toxic effects.

Maximum Safety and Performance

MSP standards set limits around the acceptable G-Max levels for playing fields. The ideal G-Max ranges from 120-180 while the American Standard for Testing and Materials (ASTM) says that a level of 200 is the highest acceptable G-Max level for a playing field. Fields that are too hard provide a high level of energy return so that when the athlete collides with the field, more energy must be absorbed by the athlete's joints and muscles. When fields are overly soft the energy return is lower and the athlete must put in more energy to obtain the same level of performance. This will either lead to an increase in fatigue or a decrease in performance. Another problem with soft fields is infill migration. Infill migration leads to differences in infill levels and increased variance in G-Max levels around the field. Muddy grass, grass with high organic content, newly installed all-rubber fields with and without a shock pad all have G-Max levels that are too low to conform to MSP standards. Also, all-rubber infill fields can reach G-Max levels of up to 260 in some spots where there has been infill migration. Understandably, a field that meets MSP, provides shock absorbency that safeguards the athlete from excessive impact related force and will therefore help to reduce injuries. Well maintained natural grass meets MSP standards. Likewise, properly maintained FieldTurf fields also consistently meet MSP standards. [29]

Environment

FieldTurf uses a combination of smooth rounded silica and cryogenically frozen and smashed rubber particles as its infill. The rubber comes from recycled tires which are banned from landfills by most state governments. Each FieldTurf field uses approximately 40,000 tires which would otherwise be disposed of by some other means. FieldTurf also used Nike Grind in its fields. Nike Grind comes from the rubber parts of used running shoes which have been sent to Nike as part of their Reuse-A-Shoe program. The first Nike Grind field was Douglas Park in Chicago. The field was donated by FieldTurf, Nike and the U.S Soccer Foundation and was installed by FieldTurf in 2004.[30] FieldTurf fields do not need to be watered, resulting in savings of between 2.5 and 3.5 million gallons of water per field per year.[31] FieldTurf fields need no pesticides, herbicides, fungicides or fertilizers, preventing the release of harmful chemicals into the air. Only one machine, provided by the company upon installation, is necessary for grooming the field. FieldTurf estimates that since 1996, 24 billion gallons of water has been saved. Also, 135 million pounds of pesticides and almost 17 million pounds of carbon emissions have not been used where they otherwise would have had FieldTurf not replaced natural grass. FieldTurf fields also help organizations earn points towards obtaining the U.S Green Building Council LEED certification. [32]

Awards

Each year FieldTurf presents annual awards for the Coaches and Teams of the Year. FieldTurf gives out awards in Football, Soccer, Lacrosse and Baseball at the high school, college and professional levels.

Football

For the 2009 high school awards, FieldTurf selects the best high school team in each region of the U.S. The winner of each region is then nominated for the National HS Team fo the Year award. This year's winner was St. Thomas Aquinas HS from Florida. College Team Awards and College Coach Awards were given out to the best teams and coaches at every college level. Notably, the Division 1-A Team of the Year went to the University of Florida while the Coach of the Year went to Mike Leach from Texas Tech. In the professional ranks, Jeff Fisher and the Tennessee Titans won both the Coach of the Year and Team of the Year awards.

For a complete list of this year's football award winners, please visit http://www.fieldturf.com/feature.cfm?featureID=1&lang=en.

Soccer

The soccer awards are presented to men's and women's teams at all levels. This year's Boys and Girls Teams of the Year Awards went to Brentwood HS in NY and The Pennington School in NJ respectively. The NCAA Team of the Year was the University of Maryland while the NCAA Division 1 Coaches of the Year were (Men's) Bob Warming, Creighton University and (Women's) Randy Waldrum from Notre Dame. The Colombus Crew won for MLS Team of the Year and their coach Sigi Schmid won MLS Coach of the Year.

For a complete list of this year's soccer award winners, please visit http://www.fieldturf.com/feature.cfm?featureID=8&lang=en

Lacrosse

The 2008 Lacrosse Awards consisted of Division 1,2 and 3 Coaches of the Year and the National Team of the Year Award. The Division 1 winners were Dom Starsia from University of Virginia (Men's) and Kelly Amonte Hiller from Northwestern University (Women's). The 2008 Team of the Year was the Northwestern University Wildcats after winning their fourth consecutive title. They were in fact invited to the White House after their spectacular season. [33]

Baseball

The 2008 awards were announced by Cal Ripken Junior. They are as follows:

  • MLB Team of the Year - Tampa Bay Rays
  • NCAA Team of the Year - Fresno State Bulldogs
  • NCAA Division 1-A Coach of the Year - Mike Batesole, Fresno State University
  • NCAA Division 1-AA Coach of the Year - Ed Servais, Creighton University

[34]

Headlines

In September 2006, several top Canadian soccer players appealed to the Canadian Soccer Association to install a natural grass surface at BMO Field in Toronto.[35] The Association decided to uphold its decision to install FieldTurf. Kansas City Wizards and US National Soccer Team players Jimmy Conrad and Kerry Zavagnin have since commented on BMO field. "As far as turf goes, it's the best that I've played on." said Conrad.[36] Zavagnin was also pleased, saying "It felt very similar to real grass and played very well".[36] Also, Savo Milošević, (all time scoring leader for Serbia and Montenegro)[37] answered "I like it." when asked about the surface during a Toronto FC trial . [38]

Following David Beckham's move to Major League Soccer in 2007, in which he arrived carrying an ankle injury,[39] he voiced his opinion that the league should convert to grass for all pitches.[40][41][42] However, when he was asked about his thoughts of FieldTurf's surface at BMO Field, he replied "I think it's a good field here, to be honest," [43]

New England Revolution manager Steve Nicol is quoted as saying "Grass is still the best surface,"[44] in regards to professional soccer matches. Ironically, the New England Revolution tied for 4th in the league in total points while playing their home games on FieldTurf.[45]

In 2007, Gary O'Connor spoke out against the FieldTurf surface he once played on in Moscow, Russia. [46] He noted the effects of the artificial surface when wet saying, "The ball skids off the surface, so it becomes extremely hard to read"


See also

References

  1. ^ PTC getting HQ of sports turf company
  2. ^ "Field Turf Company Description". Hoover's A D&B Company. Retrieved 2008-12-18.
  3. ^ a b "Company Profile". FieldTurf. {{cite web}}: Text "accessdate" ignored (help)
  4. ^ "Choice of Athletes". Turf Master. Retrieved 2008-12-15.
  5. ^ "Memorial Stadium". University of Nebraska. NU Media Relations. Retrieved 2008-04-05.
  6. ^ "Sustained drive: Seahawks Stadium's opening culminates a six-year effort". Puget Sound Business Journal. 2002-07-19.
  7. ^ {{cite web|url=http://www.allbusiness.com/services/amusement-recreation-services/4567749-1.html%7Ctitle=Artificial turf pair complete merger|work=All Business, a D&B company|access date=2005-09-19.
  8. ^ "FieldTurf Tarkett Merger Completed". News Blaze. Retrieved 2004-10-04.
  9. ^ "Tarkett Annual Report 2003" (PDF). Retrieved 2008-12-28.
  10. ^ "Ford Field, Detroit Lions". Sportsvenue Technology. 2002-08-24. Retrieved 2007-01-28. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  11. ^ FieldTurf at FIFA U20 2007 FieldTurf at FIFA
  12. ^ "Design and Construction". FieldTurf Tarkett. Retrieved 2009-01-05.
  13. ^ "Outdoor Surfaces". FieldTurf Tarkett. Retrieved 2009-01-06.
  14. ^ "Fact Sheet: Crumb-Rubber Infilled Synthetic Turf Athletic Fields". New York State Department of Health. Retrieved 2008-12-22.
  15. ^ "Study compares high school athlete injuries on natural turf and FieldTurf". Athletic Turf News. Retrieved 2004-10-27.
  16. ^ "Penn State study debunks staph [MRSA] scare in synthetic turf". Athletic Turf News. {{cite web}}: Text "accessdate-2008-03-16" ignored (help)
  17. ^ "FieldTurf Applauds 'Clean Bill of Health' Given to Synthetic Athletic Fields by U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission". Thomson Reuters. Retrieved 2008-07-30.
  18. ^ Dr. David R. Brown (2007). "Artificial Turf: Exposures To Ground-Up Rubber Tires: Athletic Fields, Playgrounds, Gardening Mulch" (PDF). Environment & Human Health, Inc. Retrieved 2007-10-26. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  19. ^ Mattina, MaryJane Incorvia; Isleyen, M.; Berger, W.; Ozdemir, S. (8/2007), Examination of Crumb Rubber Produced from Recycled Tires (PDF), The Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station, AC006, retrieved 2007-10-26 {{citation}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  20. ^ Soto,, C.; Sonnenschein; Chung first3 = K.L.; Fernandez, M. F.; Olea, N.; Olea-Serrano, M. F. (8/2007), "The E-SCREEN assay as a tool to identify estrogens: an update on estrogenic environmental pollutants", Environ. Health Perspect., 103, The Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station: 113–122., retrieved 2009-02-09 {{citation}}: Check date values in: |date= and |year= / |date= mismatch (help); Missing pipe in: |last3= (help); Text "first2 A. M." ignored (help)CS1 maint: extra punctuation (link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  21. ^ Commission of the European Communities (2001), Communication from the Commission to the Council and the European Parliament on the implementation of the Community Strategy for Endocrine Disrupters - a range of substances suspected of interfering with the hormone systems of humans and wildlife (PDF), COM(2001) 262 final, retrieved 2007-10-27
  22. ^ "Qui est Aliapur?". Retrieved 2007-10-26.
  23. ^ Dr. Robert Moretto (2007), Environmental and health assessment of the use of elastomer granulates (virgin and from used tyres) as filling in third-generation artificial turf (PDF), ADME / ALIAPUR / FieldTurf Tarkett, retrieved 2007-10-26
  24. ^ Dr. U. Hofstra (2008-03-31), Environmental and Health Risks of Rubber Infill: Rubber crumb from car tyres as infill on artificial turf (PDF), Tyre and Environment Association / RecyBEM, Association VACO, retrieved 2009-02-09
  25. ^ Dr. U. Hofstra (2008-03-31), Follow-up Study of the Environmental Aspects of Rubber Infill: A laboratory study (perform weathering tests) and a field study rubber / Crumb from car tyres as infill on artificial turf. (MS-WORD), Tyre and Environment Association / RecyBEM, Association VACO, retrieved 2009-02-09
  26. ^ "VACO". Retrieved 2009-02-09.
  27. ^ "RecyBEM". Retrieved 2009-02-09.
  28. ^ "INTRON". Retrieved 2009-02-09.
  29. ^ "The Science of Safety and Performance" (PDF). Retrieved 2009-01-15.
  30. ^ "Gold Medal Soccer Stars Mia Hamm & Briana Scurry Help NikeGO and The U.S. Soccer Foundation Dedicate Chicago Soccer Field". Corporate Social Responsibility News. Retrieved 2004-10-19.
  31. ^ "Product Overview". FieldTurf Tarkett. Retrieved 2008-12-24.
  32. ^ "FIELDTURF GIVEN GREEN LIGHT BY THE NEW JERSEY DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND SENIOR SERVICES (NJDHSS)". New Jersey Department of Health and Senior Services. Retrieved 2008-04-15.
  33. ^ "FieldTurf and the Intercollegiate Men's Lacrosse Coaches Association (IMLCA) Announce Its 2008 Lacrosse Coach and Team of the Year Awards At the IMLCA Convention". Globe Newswire. Retrieved 2008-12-12.
  34. ^ "FieldTurf Announces 2008 FieldTurf Baseball Awards At Winter Meetings". Globe Newswire. Retrieved 2008-12-09.
  35. ^ "Don't use artificial grass in Toronto FC stadium: players". globeandmail.com. Retrieved 2007-02-12.
  36. ^ a b "FieldTurf At BMO Field is Nothing Short of Impressive in Toronto FC Home Debut". 2008 Global Newswire. Retrieved 2008-12-16.
  37. ^ "Serbia and Montenegro (Group C)". CBC Sports. Retrieved 2006. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  38. ^ "Milosevic gives BMO Field turf a thumbs up". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved 2007-10-18.
  39. ^ "Beckham hopes to play against DC". BBC News. Retrieved 2007-08-09.
  40. ^ "Beckham apologizes for turf remarks". USA Today. Retrieved 2007-10-06.
  41. ^ "Beckham Speaks". Washington Post. Retrieved 2007-10-06.
  42. ^ "Beckham sorry for grass gaffe". 24 Sport. Retrieved 2007-10-06.
  43. ^ "MLS star to finally make BMO Field debut". Slam Sports. Retrieved 2008-07-23.
  44. ^ "Artificial turf not to Beckham's liking". ESPNsoccernet. Retrieved 2007-10-06.
  45. ^ "MLS Standings". Major League Soccer. Retrieved 2008-11-23.
  46. ^ "O'connor warns England over plastic pitch". ESPNsoccernet. Retrieved 2007-10-14.