Hughes Stadium is going to have a new look in the fall.

The Lion Pride Restoration Project announced it awarded the bid for replacement of the football turf to the Sprinturf company based in Wayne, Pa. Sprinturf had an initial offer of $464,120 and dropped to $450,000, a figure that was $210,000 less than the next closest bidder. Sprinturf installation involves excavating the asphalt and soil, then installing a vertical drain system in the layers of aggregate stone. On top of the aggregate stone, it will install an artificial surface with ground rubber infill. The surface has an eight-year warranty.

Head football coach Bill Cooke said Sprinturf is the “best product on the market with a state of the art draining system.”

He said it’s the least expensive.

Sallie Beard, athletic director, said Missouri Southern thinks Sprinturf is a “good product.”

“It is one of the best products on the market,” Beard said. “I think it has advantages over many of its competitors. It doesn’t have sand; it has an extremely strong construction method.”

Sprinturf has a “strong backing,” that creates a lot of surface weight, Beard said.

She said the backing with the rubber infill is what keeps the surface from shifting, a critical component.

“We’re excited that we are going to a vertical drain system that means we no longer have to play on asphalt,” Beard said.

She said there is still some money to be raised, and the restoration project doesn’t know how much it is going to receive from the Coca-Cola promotion. The project will not have a final figure from the promotion until the end of the month or the beginning of May. Beard said the installation should start around April 20 or at least by the end of the month.

Sprinturf is in use at several locations including the football fields at the University of Montana and Youngstown State University. The product is being installed at William Jewell College in Liberty, Mo., and is used as practice fields for the NFL’s Philadelphia Eagles and Tennessee Titans.

Beard said she believes the installation of Sprinturf will serve as a regional showcase.