Frank Clair Stadium at Lansdowne Park in Ottawa, Canada, received the FIFA 2-Star rating for synthetic turf on Oct. 25, a first for North America. The Frank Clair Stadium is one of six locations that will host the Under-20 FIFA World Championships in 2007. Sportexe provided the synthetic turf system, which was installed by Defargo Sports Surfacing.

Article The only one of its kind in North America— the FIFA 2-Star rated Frank Clair Stadium synthetic sports field

 The turf system installed at Frank Clair Stadium, totaling 110,250 sq. ft. is the new BladeMaster by Sportexe, which has passed the testing requirements to qualify for the FIFA 2-Star recommended surface. The 2-Star certification is the highest rating from FIFA,  the world governing body for soccer. The BladeMaster turf system features MonoTech fiber, a monofilament fiber that provides all the similarities of natural turf. The system is a 100% rubber infill system that was designed to maximize speed and pace of play for the world's largest sport.

"We're very excited to have one of our fields be the first in North America to receive a FIFA 2-Star Recommendation," said Mark Nicholls, president and CEO of Sportexe. "It's rewarding to have reached this milestone in our progression towards innovative synthetic turf systems for the growing sport of soccer."

Only 32 other FIFA 2-Star certified fields exist worldwide, with 20 in Europe and one in Africa.

FIFA awards two certifications: FIFA 1-Star fields can be used for FIFA- sanctioned preliminary competitions and other Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) competitions. FIFA 2-Star fields are licensed for FIFA final round competitions (e.g. World Cup championship matches). Both the FIFA 1 Star and 2 Star surfaces have to go through a series of stringent laboratory and field tests before the highly respected FIFA certificate is issued.

"I am very impressed with what I've seen so far," said FIFA vice president Jack Warner, chairman of the FIFA Under-20 World Cup organizing committee, while standing on the pitch at Frank Clair on Oct. 23. "The facility continues to be what I admire and appreciate. I look at the setting here, I find it very picturesque.

"This is, for me, more of the ideal facilities in the whole six venues."

Currently the Frank Clair Stadium field in Ottawa is the only FIFA 2-Star recommended field in North America and the entire CONCACAF region. CONCACAF consists of North, Central and Latin America as well as the Caribbean.

"We are absolutely thrilled," said Doug Moore, manager of Venture Properties for City of Ottawa's Real Properties Asset Management, which oversees Frank Clair Stadium. "This is huge for both the stadium and for the City of Ottawa, which is already a hotbed for soccer. It will be a boost for community.

"We have already received very positive feedback from local university teams that have used the field."

The Canadian Under-20 squad is looking to continue its recent success in world championship competition, which includes a quarter-final appearance in 2003, as it plays host for the series next summer. This will be Canada's eighth appearance after qualifying in 1979, 1985, 1987, 1997, 2001, 2003 and 2005.