Euro 2008 Qualifier a Success On Luzhniki Stadium's FieldTurf

17 oktober 2007 MONTREAL, Oct. 17, 2007 (PRIME NEWSWIRE) -- The Euro 2008 qualifier between England and Russia was a success on Luzhniki Stadium's FieldTurf. Despite some pre-game concerns about the surface, the FieldTurf in Russia's historic football venue performed exceptionally well, not only compared to other artificial surfaces but in relation to a good natural grass pitch. Russia defeated England 2-1 on a pitch that performed brilliantly creating crisp play. The first half featured some stellar play on both sides of the ball. Russia was on the attack for a good portion of the half but England's defence stood firm with some excellent play and some notable saves from keeper Paul Robinson. In the 29th minute of the first half, Wayne Rooney delivered what seemed to be a serious blow to the Russian side by striking a beautiful shot right under the crossbar to make it 1-0 England. In the second half, Russia continued its offensive pressure, this time making it count with a goal from Roman Pavluchenko on a penalty kick in the 69th minute and another clutch goal from Pavluchenko in the 73rd minute of play. The Russians were able to hang on amidst a flurry of attacks from the English side to upset favored England 2-1. The FieldTurf surface was consistent and effective throughout the match. Judging from some spectacular ball movement, and steady overall play, the surface was never an issue. Quoted prior to the match, "I am not worried about it (the FieldTurf surface) at all," England Coach Steve McClaren said in a Telegraph interview. "We have done our research over 100 games that have been played on it and there is no difference between the FieldTurf surface and grass at all. We should have no fears about it at all. The game is no different. There's absolutely no excuse." Paul Robinson, the goalkeeper undone by a divot on natural grass in Croatia last year, interviewed by 'The Independent' said: "It (FieldTurf) must be of good quality and we can't be putting excuses in the way." The players from both teams executed brilliantly on the surface and for good reason. Speed of play and execution are major components for footballers and what we witnessed throughout the match was a high-quality proven surface that is ideal for the highest levels of football competition. "We're thrilled but not surprised that the surface at Luzhniki Stadium performed extremely well for the England vs. Russia qualifier," stated FieldTurf Tarkett CEO David Moszkowski. "The FieldTurf surface at Luzhniki has already passed two rounds of rigorous FIFA testing, both times earning FIFA's prestigious 2-Star designation for synthetic turf surfaces. Watching the match today, it was evident that the players were able to demonstrate their skill on FieldTurf, all while not having to worry about the pitch being an issue. In all weather conditions, FieldTurf has proven to be the ideal football pitch providing truer rolls and smooth play." FIFA has supported artificial surfaces since the very beginning. The world's football governing body has long praised artificial turf for "the enormous benefits it brings to the global development of soccer." From June 30th - July 22nd, 2007 that development took center stage as the world's elite young talents competed in the FIFA U-20 World Cup Canada 2007. Almost half of the 52 games including the semi-finals and 2007 FIFA U-20 World Cup Final were featured on the FieldTurf installations at BMO Field in Toronto and at Montreal's Olympic Stadium. The FieldTurf pitches received extremely favorable comments from the world's elite young footballers. FIFA Vice-President Jack Warner is a firm believer in the quality of top-grade new generation artificial turf and the many benefits it brings to the game of football worldwide. "FieldTurf is the future of football worldwide. At the Champions League in Europe, this is exactly the type of turf on which they play." The FieldTurf at Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow has received FIFA 2-Star recommended status twice. The FieldTurf pitch is the latest in synthetic turf innovation and was initially installed in June 2006. It first passed the stern FIFA testing procedures in July 2006. One year later, in July 2007, after a heavy amount of professional football and events, it came time to retest the field for the same football-like playability characteristics. To nobody's surprise, FieldTurf passed with flying colours. This FieldTurf system was designed to mirror the playing characteristics of professional football and has the ability to host FIFA final round competitions and top UEFA competitions with its FIFA 2-Star Recommended status. The FieldTurf system has been proven to provide the same amount of energy restitution as natural grass. Athletes from all over the globe have continuously stated that it is much more pleasant to play on FieldTurf because it increases shock absorbency, provides a solid, grass-like "artificial earth" for proper bio-mechanics and safety, and delivers grass-like energy restitution so players do not tire or adjust their playing styles. Coupled with its revolutionary monofilament technology, the FieldTurf product provides ideal ball bounce and ball roll properties giving it a reputation as the industry's premier specialized football surface. With FieldTurf, a through-ball settles down like it would on natural grass instead of running away from the player. FieldTurf Tarkett is the largest entity in the sports surfacing industry and provides unparalleled leasing capabilities, engineering and manufacturing resources. In addition to its world-renowned FieldTurf and Prestige brands of artificial turf, FieldTurf Tarkett provides an equally impressive range of products that includes synthetic and hardwood basketball, volleyball and gymnasium flooring, squash and racquetball courts, floor protection and covering systems, and weight room flooring. Also in the range of FieldTurf Tarkett products are indoor and outdoor running tracks including the high performance 'Le Monde' track system, playground surfacing, and a complete range of tennis and golf surfaces. For more information, please visit www.fieldturftarkett.com CONTACT: FieldTurf Tarkett Pierre Debleme +33 1 41 20 45 05 Darren Gill (800) 724-2969