Historically, athletic fields were little more than grass grown on native soil. These fields, however, were plagued by poor drainage and often became damaged during wet or muddy conditions, thus creating maintenance problems (Pahulla et al., 1999). During the 1960's, several circumstances led to the development of a more uniform, synthetic surface. The first circumstance was the necessity to find a safe playing surface for city children to use. The Ford Foundation found a refuge in the carpet industry, which they installed in school gymnasiums (Morehouse, 1992). Another factor in the development of synthetic turf was the completion of the Houston Astrodome, the first indoor playing facility (Morehouse, 1992). Transparent panels were installed in the roof of the doom to promote the growth of natural grass, but the players were unable to see fly balls due to the glare of sunlight through these panels. The panels were then painted. Under artificial lighting and heavy use, however, the grass was unable to survive and within one year of its opening, the Astrodome was equipped with a synthetic turf called Astroturf (Morehouse, 1992).