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AFM Magazine

AFM Magazine


Turf

Improvements in artificial surfaces breathe new life into high-usage fields.
by: Steve Silverman
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Artificial turf has undergone a major makeover.

Instead of a hard, abrasive surface that players feared and fans despised, the newer version of artificial turf provides a softer, more cushioned playing field that wears well and can stand up under heavy usage.

That’s the key to today’s artificial grass-like surfaces. For universities, colleges and high schools with fields that will endure heavy usage, artificial turf may very well be the answer. Grass fields have a hard time holding up when events are scheduled back-to-back for weeks on end.

For example, in any midwestern or northern city where weather is a major factor, grass fields are difficult to maintain because they are likely used for football, soccer, practice and the marching band. Hour after hour; day after day; week after week the fields are used and abused. Once the weather turns cold, it’s difficult for a grass field to maintain its playability. Wear and tear in addition to cold weather often leads to chewed up sod in as little as three weeks. In places with ideal weather – like Southern California and South Florida – a grass field with everyday usage can last as long as two months before showing the effects.

As a result, many high schools and coaches are looking at artificial turf as a viable surface once again. Manufacturers have improved artificial turf significantly and it is really nothing like it was in previous years. Instead of a dense, abrasive carpet, manufacturers like Southwest Recreational Industries used softer fibers with a rubber in-fill to make a more user-friendly surface.

“Over the last three years, rubber in-fill synthetics have allowed schools and municipalities to consider artificial turf once again,” said Dr. David Minner of Iowa State University, who has specialized in the study of turf surfaces. “The main reason for this is that they provide a surface that players can use cleats on. That’s because the rubber can be torn and thrown from the surface just like the tearing of natural grass. This is a good thing since it makes for a more forgiving surface.

“The jury is still out on what type of injuries are likely with the new rubber in-fills and how long they will actually provide a reasonable surface. They certainly seem to be an improvement over older type synthetics that did not allow cleats to be worn. It simply will take some time to determine this.”

While there are no long-term studies on how long this new generation of artificial turf will survive intact, manufacturers recommend that a surface should be replaced after no more than 10 years. “The guarantee on our surface is eight years,” said Jim Savoca, the executive vice president of sales for Southwest Recreational Industries. “After 10 years, we believe the surface should be replaced. We tell our customers that up front. We’re not interested in anything but a safe surface and there’s a point where the surface needs to be replaced.”

High schools and small colleges are the most likely customers for a new artificial field. Grass surfaces break down after several weeks of solid use; artificial turf can be used seven days a week for 52 weeks a year by a community, school district or college. That’s important when a high school will use the same field for football, soccer, field hockey, concerts, marching band practice and other activities.

Artificial turf manufacturers were forced to come up with a better product for two reasons. Not only were older versions of artificial turf surfaces regularly criticized by players and coaches, but advancements in grass fields also played a role. Brad Fresenberg, extension/research associate at the University of Missouri Turfgrass Research Center, said that in the 1960’s and early ‘70’s, there may have been 12 different types of blue grasses grown for athletic fields. Now there are more than 160 types of blue grass. The development of hybrid grasses have made it easier for maintenance staffs to build a strong surface. If artificial turf manufacturers wanted to compete, they had to produce a better product.

“There are problems with grass fields,” Fresenberg said. “In warm weather places like Florida, Bermuda grass will thrive and drain well when it rains. But in northern communities where Blue Grass is often the choice, it may not do as well in the hot weather.”

While installing an artificial turf surface calls for a significant outlay of capital initially, a school district or college won’t have to spend a lot of money on maintenance in the ensuing years. For example, it could cost an average of $560,000 to install an artificial turf system in Year 1, while maintenance cost would be minimal for the next 10 years. On the other hands, a prescription athletic turf system could cost $700,000 to maintain over its first decade.

As a result, many communities find they can afford to pay for a new artificial turf surface because it can be less expensive over a decade than a grass field.


The comfort factor

Newer generations of artificial turf – specifically the NeXturf field at Veterans Stadium – are much more comfortable and safer for today’s players than previous generations of artificial turf, and in many cases, are safer than grass fields.

The first scheduled football game on the new surface at the Vet was a well-publicized postponement. The Vet’s field came under heavy scrutiny after the league canceled Philadelphia’s game against the Baltimore Ravens on Aug. 13 because players from both teams complained about uneven cutouts on the field. Before the field had been converted from baseball to football, heavy rains softened the clay infield at second and third base causing the field to become uneven. Both head coaches agreed it would not be safe for their players to perform on the field.

By the time the Eagles got ready to play the Jets, officials from NeXturf manufacturer Southwest Recreation were on hand to supervise the installation of the surface. After the installation, the field was inspected by team, city and NFL officials and the conditions were acceptable.

“The field is great. We’re ready to play,” Eagles rookie receiver Freddie Mitchell said after the team held its walk-through prior to that game.

Eagles coach Andy Reid said he didn’t hear any complaints. “The comments I heard were positive,” he said. “They felt good about it. They were testing all the areas where there were problems. Those problems have been solved and those areas seem solid.”

NFL officials were also on hand to inspect the field and they gave it a full go-ahead before the teams were allowed to play. The Jets also checked the surface before lining and head coach Herman Edwards, a former Eagle player, was thoroughly impressed with the new surface. Edwards said NeXturf is “like the Taj Mahal” compared to the old surface.

“There has never been a better field for football at Veterans Stadium,” said Jim Savoca, executive vice president for Southwestern Recreational Industries. “It plays the same in August and November’ its very consistent.”

After that game was played and throughout the NFL season, players have been favorably impressed with the NeXturf surface.

Many players have compared the NexTurf surface to grass. While a plush grass field is a near-perfect surface when weather conditions are ideal, many natural surfaces break down badly when weather conditions turn for the worse. For high school and college programs in extreme-weather locations – cold or hot – artificial turf surfaces offer a much more viable solution. Additionally, grass fields don’t stand up extremely well when being used for more than one sport.

For example, the inaugural Seattle Bowl was played at Safeco Field, the home of the Seattle Mariners. There was no effort to insert sod into the cut-out portion of the infield and players from Georgia Tech and Stanford ran gingerly when they moved onto the dirt surface or approached.

“It was kind of slick out there, but we just had to do the best we could,” said Georgia Tech QB George Godsey.

While artificial turf is more expensive to install, grass fields can cost much more in upkeep. Over the long haul, artificial turf surfaces like NeXturf can turn out to be a more cost efficient surface than grass.

Installing a solid artificial turf such as NeXturf begins with a gravel base of finely crushed stone, which is covered by either a 5/8” athletic foam pad or a 1 1/2” dual elastic rubber layer. Then, the NeXturf, which also contains a Root Zone™ filled with EPDM rubber, is applied to the surface to create a firm, padded playing field. The more padding a field has, the lower the G-MAX number is. The G-MAX test measures the hardness of a playing field. The G-MAX of a natural grass field is generally within a range of 70-100. A G-MAX less than 70 and more than 200 is considered an unsafe surface. The G-MAX of NeXturf is between 70-110 with a pad, and 114-138 without a pad. A packed clay baseball surface has a G-MAX of 175-200. Frozen natural grass is common in November and December and causes great hazards for all players. Those kind of fields measure out at 175-275 - an unsafe surface.

A modern artificial turf field is safer than many natural fields that have a clay base and is clearly better than grass fields that are not properly maintained. “A clay surface creates more of a safety concern than any artificial turf,” said Craig Denegar, assistant professor of athletics training at Penn State University. “If you asked me, I’d like to play in Beaver Stadium (hybrid of grass and prescription athletic turf) anytime.

“But you have to look more at the utilization. You have to look at how chewed up a grass field gets. It’s like a playground that gets worn out.”

And when the surface wears, injuries occur, said Denegar, who runs the undergraduate athletics training program and assigns students to various athletics teams at high schools, small colleges and Penn State. “The quality of turf is the most important thing,” Denegar said. “When it gets wore down, you have to replace it in a timely fashion.”

Artificial turf is often portrayed as an unsafe surface due to media reports. However, medical studies don’t justify those conclusions. There is no preponderance of artificial turf injuries over those sustained on grass. Former N.Y. Jet team physician James Nicholas studied injuries in the NFL over a 26 year period. Nicholas found was that no statistically significant difference in the injury rates of grass and artificial turf.

On the college level, the NCAA maintains injury statistics on an annual basis, providing a breakout of injuries that occur on grass surfaces and those that happen on synthetic fields. Once again, the statistics reflect that artificial turf is not a more dangerous surface. There have been several years in which the injury rate on turf was lower than the rate on grass.

Both the Nicholas and NCAA studies reflected the number of injuries sustained versus the number of grass and synthetic surfaces actually in use – meaning that there was no bias toward either surface in determining the injury rate.

The truth is that football is a violent game. The heavy and often fierce contact that is inherent in the sport causes players to get hurt. Therefore, it’s important that coaches consider all the factors before deciding on what type of surface their team will play on. With new advances in artificial turf, coaches now have a viable and affordable alternative to help them make that choice.






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