BC Place ready to replace its turf, just in time for World Cup qualification

The current field at BC Place is six years old; It was installed in May 2015, just a month before the stadium was one of six Canadian cities to host FIFA Women’s World Cup matches.

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BC Place’s pitch is finally turning grass.

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The much-maligned artificial playing field and home grounds of the Vancouver Whitecaps and BC Lions are scheduled to be replaced beginning in December.

The project is scheduled to conclude on January 21, just nine days before the Canadian men’s soccer team is scheduled to host the United States in qualifying for the World Cup.

The deadline for submitting offers closed at 2:00 p.m. on Friday.

The current field is six years old; was installed in May 2015, just a month before BC Place was one of six Canadian cities to host FIFA Women’s World Cup matches.

The current Polytan LigaTurf RS +, installed for a reported cost of $ 1.32 million contract by Burnaby-based Centaur Products , has been the subject of debate since its installation. The Whitecaps often saw the stars of the visiting teams not play because of the grass.

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One of the requirements for the winning bid will be the installation of a synthetic system that fully meets the requirements of FIFA Quality Pro and World Rugby Regulation 22 and maintains that quality for a minimum of five years.

BC Pavilion Corporation (PavCo) listed the BC Lions, Vancouver Whitecaps and HSBC Canada Sevens (rugby) as uses for the field, as well as qualifying matches for the FIFA World Cup and regional tournaments.

FieldTurf, the system used by both the Portland Timbers and the Seattle Sounders, the latter coexisting with the Seattle Seahawks at Lumen Field, uses FieldTurf, a product that many others advocate as the gold standard for soccer. FieldTurf’s bid for BC Place received a 10 out of 10 from the bidding committee, as revealed in documents published by PavCo in 2015 .

Due to the open and ongoing nature of the bidding process, PavCo was unable to comment on the current plan to replace the turf.

Working during the winter months means that the BC High School Soccer Championships, traditionally held at BC Place, will have to find a new home by 2021.

Reference-theprovince.com

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