Patent ID: 7155796

Claim:
A method for assembling a modular sports field, the method comprising: (a) forming a plurality of modular units, each of said plurality of modular units comprising: a modular base structure comprising a plurality of pallets fastened together; an elastomeric material coupled to a top side of said modular base structure; a synthetic turf material layer coupled onto said elastomeric material, said synthetic turf material layer comprising a plurality of fibrillated synthetic grass strands tufted into a backing layer, said fibrillated synthetic grass strands having a first pile length extending from said backing layer, said first pile length being between about 0.5 and 2.5 inches; an optional adhesive layer between said elastomeric material and said synthetic turf material layer; a layer of resilient particle infill placed onto said synthetic turf material layer to a first substantially uniform depth, said first substantially uniform depth being less than said first pile length; and a removable plastic sleeve coupled around each modular base structure; (b) placing at least two of a plurality of modular base structures on a relatively fiat surface in a desired configuration; (c) removing said removable plastic sleeve from each of said at least two of said plurality of modular base structures; (d) substantially abutting one of said at least two of said plurality of modular base structures to an adjacent one of said at least two of said plurality of modular base structures such that said synthetic turf material layer of said one of said at least two of said plurality of modular base structures is level with respect to said adjacent one of said at least two of said plurality of modular base structures; and (e) optionally grooming said layer of said resilient particle infill such that the depth of said layer of said resilient particle infill of said one of said at least two of said plurality of modular base structures is level with said adjacent one of said at least two of said plurality of modular base structures.