Artificial surfaces aren’t anything new in sport, but its usage has exploded over the last 10 years or so. The question is, is artificial grass a help or a hindrance?
In the United States, the use of artificial surfaces is commonplace, especially in the NFL where the majority of teams play on artificial grass. Over in Britain, artificial surfaces are beginning to be used more and more, although mostly at grassroots as opposed to elite level.
Many non-league football clubs rely on 3G all-weather pitches, in order to keep the amount of games postponed due to weather conditions at a minimum. Wembley Stadium suffered from terrible problems with the pitch when it first re-opened its doors 2007, with the grass cutting up. The solution was to use a mixed of artificial and real grass interweaved together, which now means that the venue has a surface befitting of the home of football.
Initial Concerns
Queens Park Rangers are probably the most famous early example of the use of artificial grass in sport, with a surface that closer resembled a carpet than actual grass. The surface, which was installed at Loftus Road in 1981, was highly criticised as it produced erratic bounces of the ball which, as the home team grew more accustomed to their playing conditions, put the visitors at a distinct disadvantage.
As well as providing a poor playing experience, the pitch was far from gentle to the players, who would be at risk of terrible carpet burns and rough landings with little more than a small layer of sand to cushion their fall. Technology, thankfully, did improve.
Artificial Grass in the Modern Era
The surfaces used in 2017 are more of a distant relative to what was seen at QPR in the 1980s, barely in the same lineage, rather than a direct descendent. Manufacturers that produce artificial grass employ the use of advanced technology to almost perfectly replicate grass.
Artificial surfaces are designed to drain away rainwater as quickly as possible, thus avoiding waterlogged pitches. Water is either drained from the bottom of the surface, having been filtered down, or absorbed by pockets of sand in between the blades of grass.
Governing bodies such as the Football Association (FA) and Rugby Football Union (RFU) work with clubs to help provide artificial pitches that meet their guidelines where possible. It is not uncommon for elite level teams to use artificial grass surfaces in training – for example, the FA has installed three artificial pitches at St George’s Park, the training facility of the England national team.
In Conclusion
Where artificial pitches was once a hindrance in most sports, especially when used for competitive games – proving to be unsuitable – how technology has evolved now means that there is a place for artificial surfaces in sport. The fact that governing bodies have taken on the use of artificial grass pitches is a sign of things to come.
It is not uncommon for the world’s elite venues to employ the use of artificial grass alongside real grass in the makeup of their pitches, as in the case of Wembley Stadium. Not only has this helped with the condition of the pitch during games, but also helps the surface in between events, meaning that pitches can play host to multiple events in successive days without causing serious damage.
As artificial surfaces allow for clubs at grassroots level to save on maintenance costs, while seeing a reduction in postponements, it is clear that artificial grass pitches are here to stay, which is clearly a good thing from top to bottom.
