sapca comment
“Hockey moved away from grass 40 years
ago,” says Alastair Cox, “The first major hockey tournament to be played on synthetic grass took place at the Olympic Games in Montreal in 1976 – and the sport hasn’t looked back since. “Hockey recognised that playing on a
synthetic surface changed the game radically – it made the game faster and more exciting technically, and also resulted in more skillful play. So as a sport, it saw the change as advantageous and has fully embraced synthetic turf. All major hockey is now played on synthetic turf.” Cox adds that hockey’s decision to embrace
synthetic pitches not only transformed the way the sport was played, but the entire landscape of elite hockey. “If you go back to the 1950s and 1960s, it was India and Pakistan who dominated the world stage,” Cox says. “But since the 1976 Olympics their economic circumstances has meant that they haven't been able to invest in synthetic pitches to the same degree as European countries and the likes of Australia and New Zealand. So the world order today is very different to what it was 40 years ago. “That is slowly changing, and India especially is now spending a lot of money on synthetic surfaces to try and get back to where they believe they should be.”
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surface issues Cox adds that the varying attitudes towards synthetic surfaces between sports are partly a result of what sports expect the surfaces to do. “The pitches used for hockey and other small- ball sports, such as tennis, are totally different to the ones used for football or rugby,” he says. “While they are all synthetic, you can't lump them all together. “At one end of the scale are elite level
hockey pitches, where you have a synthetic turf carpet that has no infill and is only between 11 and 13mm in height. So it’s very dense and requires watering. “At the other end of the scale are rugby
pitches, which are designed to provide high levels of shock absorption, be soft and are required to have carpet that is 60mm in length and has about 40mm of sand and rubber infill.” “The differences are to do with the
conditions which the sports want to create with their synthetic systems. Surfaces designed for rugby and football have a long pile because
both sports want conditions which replicate natural grass. With hockey, it’s the complete opposite – the sport loves a fast surface in which the ball can travel.” So, will football follow hockey’s example any time soon? Cox says that, despite modern 3G synthetic
surfaces having the ability to create a playing environment nearly identical to natural grass, there might be a long way to go. “FIFA's position on 3G surfaces has evolved somewhat,” Cox says. “In the late 2000s, prior to the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, it said that synthetic turf can be as good as
grass.That position has now changed, however, and the official line is that synthetic surfaces are a viable alternative in parts of the world where maintaining good quality grass is not achievable. “I think it's fair to say that it is unlikely we will see a men’s world cup held on synthetic grass in the next few years.”
www.sapca.org.uk
SAPCA is the recognised trade association for the sports and play construction industry in the UK. Its role is to foster excellence, professionalism and continuous improvement throughout the industry, in
order to provide the high quality facilities needed at all levels of sport, physical activity, recreation and play. For details on the above stories and more visit
www.sapca.org.uk
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