The use of artificial turf has been a hotly debated topic for years but is something Appalachian State has utilized. In addition to Kidd Brewer Stadium, the baseball field at Jim and Bettie Smith Stadium and the soccer field at the Ted Mackorell Soccer Complex are also turf fields. With App State’s Sustain App mantra, it begs the question: why does App use this artificial grass? Is it environmentally friendly, or is it just university friendly?
The popularity of artificial turf has waxed and waned over the years. Forty colleges installed turf between 1968 and 1977, including Appalachian State, who installed AstroTurf in 1970 and replaced it with FieldTurf in 2003.