MLS Portland Timbers

Timbers Open New adidas Timbers Training Center

Published on April 19, 2012 under Major League Soccer (MLS)
Portland Timbers News Release


PORTLAND, Ore. - The Portland Timbers today unveiled the new, state-of-the-art adidas Timbers Training Center in Beaverton, Ore., as the team conducted its first training session at the new site. Constructed as part of a 10-year partnership with Tualatin Hills Park & Recreation District (THPRD), the $6 million adidas Timbers Training Center will be the primary on-field training ground for the Major League Soccer club, complementing the first-class training and fitness facilities already in place at JELD-WEN Field.

The training center, located on THPRD property in Beaverton approximately 10 minutes from JELD-WEN Field, includes a new natural-grass field to be used exclusively by the Timbers and a synthetic, FieldTurf field designated for public use.

The adidas Timbers Training Center features a 6,000-square-foot indoor facility that includes locker rooms for the Timbers first team and development teams, fully equipped training and fitness areas, offices and a spacious lounge/common area for Timbers players.

"It is vital to have a top-notch training center to complement our excellent facilities at JELD-WEN Field," said Merritt Paulson, president of the Timbers. "From the beginning, it was a top priority for us to build a training facility befitting our goals as an organization, and this substantial investment reflects our long-term commitment to winning and top-to-bottom success."

The grass field is a combination of 75 percent perennial ryegrass and 25 percent Kentucky bluegrass, a blend well-suited for cooler climates and one that provides dense, uniform cover, and greater stability, footing and durability. The grass field will be maintained by ProGrass, a locally owned and operated, full-service horticulture firm serving much of the Northwest.

As part of the public/private partnership with THPRD, the Timbers will make an annual donation to the Tualatin Hills Park Foundation and will conduct a series of annual youth soccer camps and coaches' clinics at the adidas Timbers Training Center.

"Our partnership with the Timbers is a win-win-win for our community, the team, and the Park District," said Doug Menke, THPRD general manager. "The team gets a beautiful new training facility, and starting in May, young athletes from around the Beaverton area get a new synthetic turf field they can use to hone their skills. We thank the Timbers for collaborating with us to improve quality of life in our area."

"The new adidas Timbers Training Center is among the best in the league and will support the team's elite training needs as well as offer local youth clubs the opportunity to improve their game at a first-class facility," said Antonio Zea, director of soccer for adidas America.

ADIDAS TIMBERS TRAINING CENTER QUICK FACTS

- The grass field was planted in mid-January from one-year-old sod.

- The sod was planted in a vertically draining, sand-based root zone that includes small amounts of peat and calcined clay to stabilize moisture content and to hold nutrients.

- The grass field was built using over 4,600 tons of specialty sand blend (383 truckloads) and will drain up to 12 inches of precipitation an hour.

- Both fields include lighting systems that employ aggressive shielding to limit glare, spill light and sky glow.

- Both fields include FIFA international field dimensions of 70x110 (same as JELD-WEN Field) and have more than one mile of drainage.

- The synthetic field, which is expected to be fully installed in early May, is a two-inch sand and rubber in-filled surface and is installed on a vertically draining, aggregate base.

- The overall project took 5,240 man hours to complete. About Tualatin Hills Park & Recreation District Formed in 1955, THPRD is the largest special park district in Oregon, spanning about 50 square miles and serving more than 220,000 residents in the greater Beaverton area. The district provides year-round recreational opportunities for people of all ages and abilities. Offerings include a wide variety of classes, 90 park sites with active recreational amenities, 60 miles of trails, eight swim centers, six recreation centers, and 1,400 acres of natural areas. For more information, visit www.thprd.org or call (503) 645-6433.

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Major League Soccer Stories from April 19, 2012


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