CONSIDER HAVING ARTIFICIAL TURF INSTALLED IF YOU ARE DESIGNING A NEW ATHLETIC FIELD

For any athletic field that takes on a high volume of traffic on a regular basis, natural grass is really not good enough. Maintenance for one, is incredibly expensive. Not to mention, when it starts to rain, the field can easily get messed up and dirty. For all these reasons, sports teams and sports organizations are turning to artificial turf to set up fields where they can stage all of their games.

Artificial or synthetic turf has been growing in popularity in the sports industry in recent years. In fact, more than 6,000 synthetic turf fields were already being used throughout North America schools and universities at the beginning of 2011. These fields benefited large numbers of high school and collegiate athletes who regularly practiced and played football, soccer, baseball, lacrosse, ruby and several other sports. Meanwhile, half of all NFL teams have been playing their games on synthetic turf since 2003 and more than 70 FIFA U-17 and U-20 World Cup matches have also been played on turf fields so far.

The reason for synthetic turf’s continuous success in athletics is due to a number of advantages that it offers both sports organizations and players. To give you a better idea, here are some the sports industry swear by:

MORE PLAYING TIME

The problem with natural grass is that it requires a “rest” period after every game. In contrast, synthetic turf can easily be used as much as 3,000 hours every year with no rest time required. That means you can easily hold more games on the field. At the same time, it allows players to start practicing on the field again right after the field has just been used.

SAFER FOR PLAYERS

One of the reasons that players prefer to play on synthetic turf is that they provide better traction as well as rotation and slip resistance. That means a lot less injuries for active players. In fact, a study done by the NCAA back in 2004 revealed that the injury rate during practice on synthetic turf was only 3.5 percent compared to natural grass with 4.4 percent.

LOWER COSTS OVER TIME

Over a 20-year period, the costs of installing and maintaining synthetic turf in sports fields is relatively lower compared to natural grass. In fact, it is over three times less expensive per event, giving sports organizers an opportunity to increase profits.

Consider these advantages of synthetic turf when trying to determine what kind of surface to use on your own playing field. Take note too that unlike natural grass, synthetic turf can be readily used throughout the year. That gives teams the chance to practice regularly in any season. And this means that they also have a better chance to win their games and claim a championship.

Sources
The FIFA Quality Concept for Football Turf, c.ymcdn.com
Research & Science: Op0mizing Player Performance & Football Field Safety, c.ymcdn.com