Contact Anthony DiCicco Telephone 860.881.7731

Email adicicco@astroturf.com

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE March 7, 2015

Orlando Citrus Bowl Receives FIFA 2-Star Certification Orlando, FL, March 7, 2015 A new chapter is will begin for professional soccer in Florida on Sunday. Orlando City Soccer Club will host fellow Major League Soccer expansion franchise New York City FC at the Orlando Citrus Bowl. The Orlando Citrus Bowl underwent extensive renovations in 2014, including demolition of 90% of

the stadium. It now features enhanced fan experiences, state-of-the-art amenities, and a brand new, world class AstroTurf field. The field has now received certification from FIFA, the international governing body of soccer, as a 2-Star Recommended Field, the highest classification available and one of fewer than a dozen such fields in the United States.

The field, designed by Patrick Maguire, President of Activitas and one of the leading field designers in the country, tackled the unique challenges presented by the various programming scheduled throughout the year at the venue:

As a former collegiate soccer player, I understand how important the interaction between the ball and the playing surface is for top level players. Explained Maguire, We know we can meet their expectations of a safe, consistent surface with minimal infill splash, but the real challenge is balancing these expectations with the need to host a wide range of events such as major college bowl games, concerts or Monster Jam, which involves importing 300 tons of dirt onto the surface. Having utilized the AstroTurf 3D 60 ounce XPE product for the prior Citrus Bowl renovation we were confident that we could achieve the performance levels required for FIFA 2-Star certification but also meet the long term durability needs of a heavily programmed multi-purpose facility and the aesthetic requirements of a first class sporting venue.

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The premium AstroTurf synthetic turf system at the Citrus Bowl features RootZone technology, a thatched layer of texturized nylon which holds the sand and rubber infill in place to radically reduce infill migration, splash, and deep-cleat penetration. The result is clean, consistent playing surface that garners high marks for player performance, ball roll, safety, durability and aesthetics. The Tencate XPE slit-film fiber has a proven track record and has been installed on more than 3500 fields globally. The combination of those two fibers means that the field at the Orlando Citrus Bowl is the most highly engineered synthetic system in Major League Soccer. The field was expertly built and installed by Sports Contracting Group (SCG).

Orlando City Soccer Club will be the primary tenant during the 2015 season having previously played at the venue from 2011 to 2013 before the renovations began. The work by Orlando Venues throughout the process to ensure that the venue that originally opened in 1937 could serve both Orlando City Soccer Club during their inaugural season while allowing the Orlando Citrus Bowl to bring a wide variety of events to the iconic venue.

"In planning the reconstruction of the Orlando Citrus Bowl, we worked closely with our partners from the outset. We knew the quality of the turf was a vital component," said Orlando Venues Executive Director Allen Johnson. "This enhanced feature makes the stadium a more desirable venue which will, in turn, help us attract more high-profile events and have a greater economic impact within the Central Florida community."

Every synthetic field is custom built. Soccers continued growth in the US has increased the expectations by the soccer community to deliver better performing fields that reduce many of the issues encountered by earlier iterations of long-pile, infilled turf fields. The soccer community expects not to see black rubber flyout, inconsistent turf bounces and the field having a negative impact on play. Anthony DiCicco, AstroTurfs Director of Soccer empathizes:

Orlando Venues, Activitas and Orlando City Soccer Club have been fantastic to work with on this project from day one because everyones agenda was to provide the best possible surface for the players to do what they do, create special moments and captivate fans. AstroTurfs priority is building fields that achieve a playability that most closely resembles grass. We are now at the point where owners and stakeholders, like Allen Johnson and his team, have to choose to make that a priority. The FIFA 2-Star certification verifies what we already knew, everything about the new Orlando Citrus Bowl is topnotch.

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From FIFA.com, an explanation of the FIFA Quality Program for Turf:

The FIFA Quality Program is offering an internationally recognized and dependable industry standard for quality and reliability in the areas where it matters to football players most: the equipment, surface, technology and services used for their game.

The goal of the program is to improve the game and to protect the players, clubs and associations by endorsing products which comply with the highest safety and quality standards. The research that the quality program is built on includes in-depth studies, surveys and analyses of players needs and encompasses various aspects of safety, performance, durability, quality assurance and playing comfort. These studies have been carried out in collaboration with an outstanding research network consisting of universities, test institutes, sports organizations, standard institutes and independent consultants from all over the world.

If a product is tested and the test results are compliant with all of the standards, the product can be certified by FIFA and will be awarded one of the FIFA QUALITY labels. The different quality categories have been tailored according to the needs of the players. For more information visit http://quality.fifa.com.

About Orlando Venues

Since 1989, Orlando Venues has served as Central Floridas epicenter of sports and live entertainment. Orlando Venues includes the Amway Center, Bob Carr Performing Arts Centre, Florida Citrus Bowl, Tinker Field, Harry P. Leu Gardens and Mennello Museum of American Art. Orlando Venues mission is to present the Central Florida community with an extensive collection of live sports and entertainment and deliver a standard which results in the ultimate experience for our visitors. For more information about the Orlando Citrus Bowl please visit www.orlandocitrusbowl.com.

About Activitas

Activitas is a multi-disciplinary firm specializing in the planning and design of premier athletic facilities. Based in the greater Boston area, Activitas serves municipalities, private educational institutions and professional sports franchises across the United States and Canada. To learn more please visit www.activitas.com.

About Sports Contracting Group (SCG)

With more than 50 years of history in the construction business and more than 20 years of expertise in design, SCG expertly builds and installs high-performance sports fields. Professional, military, collegiate and high school teams across the country contract SCG to contribute to the history of their legendary programs. Each experienced our unparalleled level of precision and performance as we built their first class, elite fields. Please visit our website at www.scgfields.com.

About AstroTurf

For athletes and sport enthusiasts, AstroTurf has redefined the way the game is played. The company offers advanced, state-of-the-art, multi-sport and specialized synthetic turf systems with proprietary engineered technologies, leveraging the industrys first vertically integrated manufacturing system. A growing number of high schools, colleges, professional sports teams and municipalities continue to select AstroTurf-branded products for their premium quality, technical superiority, and safety. To learn more, visit www.astroturf.com.