With water becoming an ever-scarcer resource that needs to be used responsibly the FIH recognised that today most approved hockey turfs are designed to use 1 l/m2 each time a field is watered – this equates to 6000 Litres per 10-minute cycle.
To move hockey onto a more sustainable footing the FIH announced their next steps;

Legislation, environmental concerns, and sustainability are driving change, but more importantly stimulating innovation in the artificial turf sector. It is a fact that whilst we do need to embrace environmental concerns the industry has had options which are sustainable for many years.

Sports Labs had the privilege of working with Glasgow Life where we advocated for recycling on 4 sites: Glasgow club Donald Dewar (pictured above), Glasgow Club Milton, Greenfield Football Centre and Toryglen Regional Centre.

The FIH are on the search for the holy grail of playing surfaces - a waterless ‘water based’ pitch!

UCD have just completed a new artificial rugby field on Campus at Thornfield. The full size pitch is part of an ambitious plan to enhance the sporting footprint of the Campus and make it a world class place study and play sport. Sports Labs was very proud to be a part of the team led by Donnachadh O'Brien.

Have you ever walked on an artificial pitch and noticed tiny fragments of yarn sticking to your shoes? This phenomenon is known as yarn wear and occurs as the playing surface ages. Aging in plastic is normal and common but it can lead to materials like the yarns in an artificial pitch breaking into smaller pieces. But don't worry, we have good news!

As the artificial turf market progresses its shift to more sustainable systems and organic infills become more widely used, it is imperative that the equipment used to measure the surface performance also develops to account for these new challenges.

As the artificial turf market progresses its shift to more sustainable systems and organic infills become more widely used, it is imperative that the equipment used to measure the surface performance also develops to account for these new challenges.

Artificial Turf and Fibre Wear

The Need for a Balanced View

Here are the answers to the most common questions I receive regarding FIFA certification of Footballs.

1. How much will it cost? Maybe less than you thought, depending on the certification level you want to achieve. The lowest cost option is FIFA’s International Match Standard (IMS) with its administrative fee of 500CHF plus a lab testing fee that is competitively priced.

There are many tests available to assess the shock attenuation of your playing surface. The most common currently used in the USA by far is the measurement of GMax utilizing an ASTM F355 missile. This device has not changed much since it was first used back in 1971. It is probably one of the main and often times the only methods of regulating fields currently used. =

An artificial pitch needs to be regularly maintained to keep it in a safe and acceptable condition for use. Regular brushing and cleaning ensure the playing surface offers the best performance and safety for users. The current Covid-19 restrictions have meant the vast majority of facilities have been closed to users for many months. This could have implications when users are allowed…

There is much discussion in artificial turf circles about recycling end-of-life fields. In a nutshell, it is both difficult and expensive because of a significant lack of processing plants available in the right locations - ones that can easily cope with the potential demand. Funding is not targeting recycling as a priority. Many have begun to address these issues in Europe where there are…

One of the more complex tests performed on a sports surface is the measurement of shock absorption and deformation. The measurements made with an Advanced Artificial Athlete (AAA) attempt to characterise the responses between athlete/surface interaction during a run, stop or cut. The complex biomechanics involved whenever a foot, ankle, knee, and hip engage at…