ARTIFICIAL PITCHES
ERIC O’DONNELL, MANAGING DIRECTOR, SPORTSLABS
Proper maintenance can add years to the life of an artificial playing surface
KEEPING IT CLEAN A
rtificial turf pitches are not maintenance free. In recent years the industry has woken up to the need to provide best practice advice on
the benefits of proper, appropriate and regular maintenance – and its impact on performance and the safety of the playing surface. The requirement to maintain standards which meet those laid out by global governing body certificates – such as the ones for FIFA and IRB – is also driving a much more robust approach to maintenance. Some football leagues insist on annual certification via pitch registration schemes. The importance of having properly
maintained artificial surfaces has also been hightened due to the increasing popularity of 3G surfaces at all levels and sports. Artificial surfaces are now the first choice at most community clubs and facilities, mainly due to the many more hours of use an artificial surface offers when compared with a grass pitch. Meanwhile, as turf technology advances, many professional leagues and clubs are looking at changing rules which currently prevent elite level competition from taking place on non-grass pitches. One of the latest examples is the Football Conference
Figure 1: maintenance is used to combat the affects of the following issues
Aging
– the fifth tier of English football – which decided to allow 3G pitches in all three divisions from the beginning of the 2015-16 season. The women’s FIFA World Cup will also take advantage of artificial pitches when it is held in Canada next year. Paul Langford, managing director at
Repairs Compaction
Weed/algae suppression
Contamination
TigerTurf UK, says the Conference’s decision represents a landmark for English Football and is a sign of the growing predominance of synthetic turf. “The decision to permit the use of synthetic turf has wider benefits for the community,” he says. “Not only will local people enjoy the
frequency of matches as less games are postponed, but there may also be the opportunity for the pitch to be used at community level. With the Premier League, government and FA committing £102m to improving grassroots football for three years from the beginning of 2014, this decision may have implications for new funding opportunities.”
Maidstone United, one of the first top English clubs to invest in a 3G pitch
Table 1: Artificial turf by type and its relevant maintenance Type of turf / frequency
Regular brushing - weekly Drag mat - weekly
Decompaction of infill – annual Cleaning - bi-annual
Weed suppression – bi-annual Top dressing - annual Minor repairs - annual
Sand filled Sand dressed Water based
✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
This table indicates of the type of maintenance activity associated with the type of turf. The frequency of the maintenance process will depend on use, type of surface etc.
70 ✓
✓ ✓
✓ 3G
filled ✓
✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
THE ART OF MAINTENANCE Ultimately the aims of maintenance are obvious – to retain as far as possible the performance and safety of the playing surface. Without proper maintenance all artificial pitches deteriorate; first performance is compromised, then life expectancy can be severely affected. The maintenance processes used to combat deterioration of the pitch are illustrated in figure 1 and maintenance types in table 1. Third generation (3G) pitches form a significant part of the market for artificial pitches globally and warrant special attention when it comes to maintenance practices. It isn’t just the surface which needs to be considered though, as the types of construction materials used will also affect maintenance. The construction of the artificial turf and the type and manner of infill materials used means that
sportsmanagement.co.uk issue 4 2014 © Cybertrek 2014
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