Natural or artificial Sports Pitches?
25/03/2014 15:28
Natural turf, why it remains the natural choice for football, sports and playing surfaces
If you’re considering investing in the installation or renewal of a municipal or club sports surface, perhaps the most important decision you must make is whether to specify natural or artificial turf. Decision makers take many different factors into consideration when deciding on whether to install or renew turf pitches: these can be practical, climatic and financial, alongside public, political and personal considerations.
There’s no denying that the arguments are compelling on both sides, and it may seem like a tough decision – but it isn’t. Natural turf brings a multitude of benefits, from its unbeatable environmental credentials to the commonly-held belief that ‘the beautiful game’ simply cannot be played on anything but a natural grassed football pitch.
That said, football’s international governing body, FIFA itself, has lent its support to artificial turf in recent years, aiding product development and giving rise to its more accepted, widespread use. The technology has, indeed, improved, overcoming many of the problems associated
with early-generation pitches.
But it is also true that the natural solution has come on in great leaps and bounds. Thanks to the ongoing endeavours of plant breeders within both traditional and innovative new species, grass seed solutions have been introduced that provide key characteristics such as wear, drought and disease resistance. Maintenance regimes have also been much improved.
The recent South African World Cup is a terrific illustration of this. Natural turf was the predominant playing surface across the tournament’s stadium pitches and training grounds. This, despite the fact that FIFA mooted playing on all artificial turf due to the country’s exceedingly hot and arid conditions. But, in practice, and for the most part, natural turf turned out to be the better option – a great result for grass!
Read the European Seed Association report below
