The University of Houston announced on Friday it is in the process of installing new FieldTurf at TDECU Stadium that will allow the Cougars to use a different field design for each home game this fall.
“This is an important project for us,” Houston Vice President for athletics Chris Pezman said. “This is a commitment to the safety of our student-athletes first and foremost, but it also allows us to display our brand and connection to the city of Houston in a variety of ways.”
Houston has used the same field design at TDECU Stadium since it opened in 2014. The end zones were red with white typography and accented with a silhouette of the city skyline or the Cougars’ secondary logo, while a special 11-yard line honored 1989 Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Andre Ware.
The new FieldTurf will be fully customizable, allowing the XFL’s Houston Roughnecks to play their home games at the stadium. The project is scheduled to conclude on Feb. 6, just two days before the Roughnecks open their inaugural season against the Los Angeles Wildcats (5 p.m. ET on FOX).
“It will give us the opportunity to continue to use our facilities for special events, specifically with our partnership with the XFL,” Pezman said. “Our collaboration with the XFL helped make this upgrade possible and is another step toward improving our gameday experience inside TDECU Stadium.”
The new turf features a dark green surface comparable to those at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta; Ford Field in Detroit; Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts; and CenturyLink Field in Seattle. Each of those stadiums host multiple events per year, including the NFL, MLS and/or college football games, with new field markings painted for each game.
The only designs that will remain constant from game to game are Houston’s tribute to Ware, John O’Quinn Field and TDECU Stadium. The Cougars open the upcoming season on Sept. 5 at home against Rice, with kickoff time still to be determined.
Photo via @UHCougarFB on Twitter.
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