What Are the Advantages of Synthetic Sports Turf？

Artificial turf fields have a higher up-front cost than natural grass, but pays for itself over the life of the field. Artificial fields require a lot less maintenance than natural surfaces: no mowing, no watering, no weeding, no fertilizer and pesticide. That saves a lot of money in equipment, resources like water and fuel, and manpower. Turf fields will need to be cleaned, brushed and have the infill granules replenished periodically, but those are far less intensive tasks than routine grass maintenance.

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The low-maintenance nature of turf also means you'll get more up-time out of it than you would with grass. Grass fields can only handle so much activity in a day or week before they start to look more like dirt fields. Turf, on the other hand, will look as good at the end of a week-long tournament as it did at the beginning.

Even if the field is not in regular use, turf outlasts natural grass. Artificial turf is almost entirely weather-resistant. Grass, being a part of nature, is completely at the mercy of the elements. Unless you're in the sun belt, the grass will need annual restorative work as winter gives way to spring. Of course, if you are in the sun belt, you'll be contending with the potential for hurricanes, droughts or other extreme weather events. Those will take a greater bite out of natural grass than turf. 

However, we did say 'almost entirely weather-resistant.' Artificial turf will only drain at the capacity of the installed drainage system. Below the surface are different layers of metal, plastic and gravel. These preclude rainwater and run-off from absorbing deep into the ground. As a result, an artificial turf field may have standing water longer than a natural field would.

Additionally, while natural grass anchors the dirt beneath it, artificial turf and the infill are separate components. Heavy rain and fast-moving run-off can wash a decent amount of the infill granules off a synthetic field, necessitating some maintenance work.

While we're talking about the elements, there's also the environmental pros and cons of artificial surfaces. 

Synthetic surfaces are plastics, so they are made from petroleum products. Of course, petroleum products also propel the lawnmowers your natural grass field needs. Natural grass fields use much more water throughout the year just to keep the grass alive and playable, so if water conservation is a concern in your area, a synthetic surface may have a smaller footprint.

And, increasingly, the plastics that go into sports turf are recycled plastics, further reducing the environmental impact and making your artificial turf even greener than before.. 

Not much of that will matter to the players and coaches using the field, though. They want the feel of natural grass and dirt beneath their feet. Some of that may just be in their heads, but it's there, and they'll make their opinions known. 

First, their opinions may be a bit out of date. Turf, like any other product or technology, is always being improved. The turf fields you're thinking about installing probably are nothing like the turf fields that the coaching staff has such a low opinion of. The industry has been closing the gap between natural and artificial playing surfaces over the last decade. If it wasn't completely unsafe and impractical, we'd wager many players and coaches wouldn't be able to pass a blindfolded 'taste test.'

Second, the romantic idea of a natural surface is a bit misplaced. What's fun and enjoyable about a playing surface where the ball could take a wonky bounce off a rock, where a player could get his toe stuck in a divot while making a cut or where you never know if the grass is going to be short and fast or high enough that it slows down the ball? The 'perfect' grass field costs a lot of time and money to maintain, and chances are none of the players using your fields have ever been on one.

Finally, there's always the old appeal to authority. Many sports federations, such as soccer's FIFA, have precise standards for certifiying artificial fields. The criteria they use is how closely the artificial surface mimics a natural surface. And, as an added bonus, they ensure the uniformity of the surface ' something no one below the pro levels do on a natural surface. 

These federations recognize the advantages of artificial surfaces, so they are establishing quality controls for them. This has happened in parallel with more top teams and institutions choosing artificial fields, lending synthetics more credibility.

Facility managers and planners will probably have more luck getting the players and coaches to sign on to a synthetic surface than convincing the money-and-maintenance staff to go along with a natural surface. 

Artificial turf was designed to be the perfect solution for all of the problems with natural grass, but now it may be an athlete's greatest enemy.

Manufactured from synthetic fibers, artificial turf was intended to imitate the look and feel of natural grass. According to 'History of artificial sports turf,' a blog post from California-based retailer installartificial.com, it typically has been used in areas that don't have appropriate weather conditions to maintain natural grass. However, since artificial turf has minimal maintenance requirements, it has become more common.

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According to installartificial.com, AstroTurf was developed in the mid-s from 'a grass substitute made of artificial fibers called ChemGrass. The product was first used at Moses Brown School in Rhode Island in and became popular quickly. Today, the brand is known as AstroTurf and is manufactured in over 60 countries across the world.'

The widespread use of artificial grass on sports fields has led to a larger discussion of its pros and cons. Proponents of artificial turf say that one of its biggest benefits of is its cost.

According to the ESPN article 'Inside the NFL turf debate: Injuries, safety measures, problems,' natural grass fields in a cold weather climate can cost around $2 million to $3 million per year to maintain, compared to around $1.25 million for the installation and maintenance of artificial turf.

The installartifical.com blog post states that artificial turf only requires brushing and sanitation once per week, making it more durable and easier to maintain. Typically on natural grass fields, if it rains the day before or the day of a sporting event, the event will be canceled because the field is inoperable. If the natural grass fields are played on in the rain, they potentially can be destroyed beyond repair.

Grace Holmes, a Guilford senior and lacrosse player, has first-hand experience with such situations.  'I remember going weeks without being able to practice because our local football team would destroy the fields after playing in the rain,' she said.

According to the installartificial.com blog post, weather conditions can cut down the use of natural grass fields to about 700 hours a year. However, artificial turf fields can be used for about 3,000 hours a year.

While artificial turf has many positives, it also has its fair share of negatives. One drawback of artificial turf that people may not be aware of is its chemical properties.

According to a article from globalsportmatters.com, a platform of Arizona State University's Global Sports Institute, 'many brands of turf use small crumbs of rubber to support the fake grass, provide a more natural feel underfoot and provide a cushion. The rubber pellets are most commonly made out of recycled automotive tires and could pose a health hazard. These rubber crumbs can cling to a player's hair, skin and clothing, which could lead to inhaling, ingesting or other direct contact with the rubber chemicals.'

In the article, titled 'For Better Health, Safety of Athletes Which Playing Surface is Best,' writer Dustin Pare refers to experts to state that 'artificial turf is often treated with biocides (and) it has been associated with an increased risk of Methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus infections,' also known as MRSA. 'A MRSA infection can happen after skin is scraped or cut, which can occur from sliding on artificial turf,' according to the article.

When asked if an athlete's playing surface has an impact on injuries or not, Guilford sophomore Ryan Garmendiz, a football and baseball player, said 'I think it has a tremendous impact. Considering I play football on turf in the fall and then baseball on a grass field, I can speak from experience.

'I prefer grass fields because I feel safer, the ground feels better, I have a better grip on the grass fields, and when it is hot outside the temperature on the turf is way higher,' he said.

Pare's article on globalsportmatters.com also refers to a then-ongoing study by the National Toxicology Program on rubber pellets. According to the study, 'public health concerns about playing on synthetic turf fields have increased ' due to media reports that young adult soccer players, particularly goalies, are being diagnosed with blood cancers.' A synopsis of the National Toxicology Program's research on synthetic turf and recycled tire crumb rubber stated that at the time, 'limited research (was) available by which to judge whether playing on these fields impacts human health.'

Dangerous infections aren't the only health concern when it comes to artificial turf. A study published in The American Journal of Sports Medicine in showed that from to , playing on artificial turf in the National Football League caused a 16% increase in lower body injuries per play compared to similar injuries per play on natural grass.

Guilford senior football player Trey Buie said he believes the NFL should be able to regulate the playing surfaces in its stadiums to make them all grass or all artificial turf.

'I think they should all be grass for player safety, and players have fought to have all grass fields in order to lower injury risk,' Buie said.

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