MELBOURNE CRICKET GROUND - Melbourne (VIC)

The MCG was the first stadium in Australia to use Motz Stabilized Turf after witnessing the product’s success in the 1999 NFL Superbowl. In September 2000 the MCG was a co-host for the 2000 Olympic soccer tournament. To ensure the playing surface was suitable for Olympic soccer, the MCC decided to replace the old turf with new turf after the AFL grand final. Immediately after the final siren, and twelve days before the soccer tournament, HG Turf stripped the old turf and installed 8,400m² of Motz Stabilized Turf to FIFA standard. The work was completed in 48 hours, with 24 hour shift-work.

The MCG uses Motz Stabilized Turf exclusively for their annual turf replacement program, typically 5,000m² per annum. The worn product is returned to the farm for renovation over the summer and then reused the following year. The product is also used in between the portable cricket wickets installed each summer by the MCG. In this situation the Motz product is filled with soil rather than sand so it performs consistently with the cricket wickets.

In April 2006 HG Turf returfed the MCG, which represented the third time in three years. On each occasion an event loomed large requiring the newly laid turf to be ready for immediate play.