University of Cincinnati Gettler Stadium
Project Overview
The University of Cincinnati Bearcats, a hometown favorite for Motz and Cincinnati, is widely known as an athletic powerhouse, winning two national championships in both football and basketball and multiple outstanding seasons for their soccer and track and field programs.
Aside from its impressive athletic achievements, the University of Cincinnati serves roughly 53,000 students and is ranked by U.S News and World Report in the Top Tier of America’s Best Colleges.
To support its large student body and invest in its winning athletic programs, UC has made strides to continuously enhance its athletic facilities over the years, a dedication that spearheaded its long standing relationship with Motz.
Since 2014 – because of Motz’s trusted reputation, high-quality service offerings, and customer service – UC has commissioned Motz to work on many of its existing fields and replace and install new synthetic turf fields. It’s latest partnership project being a field replacement at Gettler Stadium, home to the women’s soccer team and men’s and women’s outdoor track and field teams.
The Situation
Over the last decade, UC and Motz have worked together on various athletic field projects including replacing its synthetic turf baseball field with Safeshell and Safeshell SmoothPlay, installing an artificial turf field at Higher Ground (an offsite football training facility), replacing the field at its indoor training facility, and installing a new artificial turf field at Nippert Stadium.
Over the years, with all of these different field projects and maintenance services, Motz became a primary partner for UC’s athletics department. So when it became time for the existing field at Gettler Stadium to be replaced from wear and tear, it was an easy choice to pick Motz for the job.
Motz met with the athletic department and soccer coaching staff, to discuss its suite of offerings. They decided Motz was the right choice not only to replace the field and fix its issues, but also give them a natural playing feel for the athletes — a factor that was particularly important to soccer coaching staff and student-athletes.
The Play
After years of successful maintenance services, turf field replacements, installations and a partnership built on trust and transparency, UC had complete confidence Motz would provide the soccer program with the winning artificial turf field at Gettler Stadium they wanted and deserved.
As part of Motz’s intentional process, the project began with an evaluation of the existing site to understand the drainage and grading of the field.
Historically, the existing artificial turf field had challenges with drainage, so the Motz team put a plan in place to thoroughly evaluate and remedy those challenges. Motz did its due diligence by reviewing record drawings and engaging with 3rd party engineers to commission field drainage testing and base evaluations.
As a result of this preliminary phase, Motz determined that some base work was going to be needed to get the field to a place where it would perform well with optimal drainage. Once the groundwork was addressed, it was time to move on to the turf system of the project.
UC decided on the newest turf system innovation with Safeshell SmoothPlay to provide a state-of-the-art surface that would fulfill two key needs.
Firstly, the university wanted a standout field that would rival its conference competition. Most school’s within the Big 12 have natural grass soccer fields, so the coaching staff wanted a high-end field that looked great to onlookers and would perform as well as natural grass without all the added maintenance needs.
Secondly, UC wanted an artificial turf field surface that would support its athletes’ competitive play. This is why Motz’s organic turf infill, Safeshell SmoothPlay, was the perfect addition.
Designed with a smaller granule size, abrasion in SmoothPlay is reduced by up to 42% compared to traditional crumb rubber and sand systems. SmoothPlay also has a cooling effect and settles easily into dense turf systems, which creates a lightning-fast and long-lasting playing surface that can withstand heavy use with minimal breakdown.
Now, Gettler Stadium has a beautiful new synthetic turf field that looks great and will provide a high-performance surface for the women’s soccer program for years to come.
The Win
TRUSTED RELATIONSHIP
Through years of working together on field maintenance, field replacement and installation projects, Motz and UC developed a trusted relationship that has continued to evolve and grow. In 2024, Motz was named the Official Turf Partner of the University of Cincinnati Athletics.
With over 40 years of industry experience, Motz’s goal is to ensure long-lasting relationships with customers by providing a responsive team that helps navigate every step of a project’s process. It’s because of Motz’s values-driven mindset, dedication to quality products, and customer service that have made the company the official turf provider for the University of Cincinnati.
BEST IN CLASS SOLUTIONS FOR PLAYABILITY
In an effort to provide the highest quality product possible, Motz is dedicated to constant innovation. A great example of this is Safeshell SmoothPlay, Motz’s latest innovation in infills. Due to its fine granular size, it settles easily into dense turf systems and creates a feel that is closer to natural grass than any other infill on the market, making it an easy pick for UC’s Gettler Stadium.
OPTIMAL PERFORMANCE QUALITIES
Thanks to Motz’s evaluation process, testing, and attention to detail, Gettler Stadium now has a turf surface that is long-lasting, weather resistant, fast, and drains well.
By taking a comprehensive approach and offering innovative solutions, Motz was able to help remedy the soccer program’s needs for a field that will not only outkick its competition but will be the envy of the fields in the Big 12 too.
Ready to Get Started?
Interested in starting a project? Have questions about our process and products? Wherever you are in planning your dream field, we’re ready to walk through your specific needs, answer any questions you have, and talk through how our team of experts will be there to guide you every step of the way.
