Bison football to play on new turf

The fan experience at Bison football games will be turned up one more notch beginning next season. With new lights installed this previous year, fans will now have the luxury of watching their Bison play on yet another Fargodome renovation: a new state-of-the-art turf.

The new Astroturf GameDay Grass 3DH Stadium Surfacing football field turf will be installed this upcoming summer. The field will be renamed Gate City Bank Field as part of the eleven year contract the dome signed with the bank. The branding rights will also include signage below the scoreboard and on the endzone wraps. This turf is the most innovative of its kind and is used in many NFL stadiums. Former Bison Craig Dahl and current safety for the St. Louis Rams plays on this Astroturf and says it is one of the best surfaces he has played on.

The turf will look and perform more like natural grass than any other synthetic product measured. Not only will it look better to the fans, players will like the results as well. Playing on a natural surface will reduce the amount of wear and tear that a football player endures over the course of the season. Player safety is always an important issue and the outdated Fargodome turf did not do any favors to succumb player injuries.

Another perk gained is the recruiting advantage NDSU will hold. The opportunity for a recruit to play inside, in front of a loud audience, on a brand new turf cannot be competed with by other schools. Recruits simply like new things and the chance to play on such a top of the line turf may be the deciding factor.

With the addition of the new turf, the Fargodome is upping the ante for their gameday experience. The dome was recently ranked the second best college indoor football stadium in the nation on Bleacher Report. The noise level at each game is what sets the dome high on the list but with the new Astroturf, the Fargodome will also become known as an eye-appealing arena.

The Bison will open their 2012 season opener against Robert Morris in what will be an exciting day for Bison fans. The new turf will be revealed along with the defending national champions. Bison gameday has always been a highly-touted experience for fans. The new turf will no doubt play a big role for Bison football and its fans.