Artificial Surfaces
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
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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. Last year’s South African Football 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!
The natural choice
With municipalities and sports clubs under increased pressure to make the most of their sports and amenity surfaces with minimal inputs and spend, many decision makers are swayed by artificial
f 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
turf manufacturers’ promises of longer playing hours, less maintenance and lower costs. Do these persuasive facts and figures, together with the prevalence and approval of artificial turf ’s use, prove it is the superior, more modern choice? As the voice of the European natural grass seed industry, the ESA (European Seed Association) strongly believes that this is not the case, and is keen to promote the benefits of choosing natural turf wherever and whenever possible. Here, we’ll explore the advantages of choosing natural turf.
How natural grass can help cut your carbon footprint
One of the strongest arguments for installing natural turf is that it is by far the most sustainable, and environmentally and carbon-friendly option. We are, each of us, responsible for our planet’s cleaner, greener future and have our part, no matter how small, to play. It is up to individuals to make positive choices, be that recycling household waste, cycling to work or, indeed, choosing natural over artificial turf in a professional capacity. What’s more, with many clubs and municipalities actively seeking to cut their carbon footprint or become carbon neutral, installing and preserving natural turf pitches can be a vital contributor to this. To illustrate - for every artificial pitch that is installed, a natural pitch needs to be established to compensate for the greenhouse gases produced and neutralise the carbon. Deforestation is, quite rightly, one of the most decried acts against our environment. But, you may be interested to learn that the annual oxygen production and carbon dioxide fixation from one hectare of grass exceeds that of one hectare of forest. Grass is vital to carbon sequestration - the process of removing carbon from the atmosphere and depositing it in the soil reservoir, which is third only to the other carbon sequestration reservoirs; the earth’s outermost surface, the crust, and underground oil and gas reserves. This means that, hectare for hectare, turf grass will sequester more carbon into the soil each year than woodland. Conversely, the artificial yarns or fibres that make up artificial turf are
Cost comparison between natural and artificial turf pitches Natural grass turf
Approximate playing hours Maintenance costs (in Euros) Total annual costs (in Euros) Total annual costs
per playing hour (in Euros)
Note: A full breakdown of these figures is available in the ESA’s ‘Natural turf: why it remains the natural choice for football, sports and playing surfaces’ discussion document or online at
www.tinyurl.com/ESAdoc.
DECEMBER/JANUARY 2012 PC 39
+ 3% artificial fibres 450
8,000 to 10,000 16,500 to 26,000 37 to 58
manufactured predominantly from petrochemicals - one of the main contributors to global warming. Indeed, 2010 research conducted by the University of Berkley in the States concluded that: “Artificial turf releases more greenhouse gases in its production, transportation and processing than the maintenance of natural turf ever would”. In the ESA’s new ‘Natural turf: why it
remains the natural choice for football, sports and playing surfaces’ discussion document, we look at these benefits in greater detail – visit
www.tinyurl.com/ESAdoc to request a copy or find out more.
Cost benefits
Natural turf is very cost-effective compared to artificial, as the below ESA figures reveal. Annual costs for an artificial surface are high; often far higher, per playing hour, than a natural surface due to the considerable initial investment costs. Maintenance costs for natural and artificial surfaces are, in fact, very similar, contrary to claims that artificial saves on maintenance. Indeed, many turf professionals report an increase in maintenance costs after installing an artificial pitch – it’s certainly not a case of installing an artificial pitch and leaving it at that.
Counting the costs of artificial vs natural turf
Other cost-factors to consider: To make an artificial pitch investment worthwhile over the course of its lifetime, a pitch needs to be played on for over 1,000 hours per year. But, think about it; that means at least three hours of play or training, seven days a week, all year round. Come rain, wind or shine. How many football and sports clubs, and municipal sites require that level of use? Artificial surfaces are often said to have a lifespan of fifteen years. But, so far, no such surface has remained in-field for that length of time. It is now thought that a ten year life expectancy is more realistic.
This increases annual costs considerably, because the depreciation costs per year are very high and, in turn, raises the question of how they are recycled at the end of their life. When making competitive
Natural grass turf + rubber infill
750
10,000 to 15,000 39,000 to 48,500 52 to 65
Artificial turf
1,000 to 1,500 10,000 to 15,000 75,500 to 90,000 63 to 75
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