Artificial Fields Allow for Increased Playing Time

Synthetic turf
(also know as, artificial grass in Perth which is where there has been a massive increase in the use for Synthetic grass) has replaced natural grass fields at many school stadiums to save money on maintenance costs, expand facility use and provide a longer-lasting playing field for athletes. Since the quality of a field is directly related to the quality of the materials used to produce it, The Dow Chemical Company (Dow) has been working with artificial turf manufacturers on a national and global scale to improve the quality, performance and resilience of today’s synthetic playing surfaces. As many high schools and colleges trade in their natural turf fields in favor of durable artificial stadium fields, Carlos Ruiz, North American marketing director and artificial turf specialist for Dow, shares insights on artificial turf, including why it is gaining in popularity in the industry and how it has evolved over time.

Ruiz is a 31-year Dow veteran who currently leads the global innovation and growth team and new business development for Dow Hygiene & Medical, which includes artificial turf solutions. He is responsible for defining and implementing market strategies, identifying and developing new products and overseeing the development of new technologies and applications for the hygiene, medical and adjacent fiber markets.

Q: What are the benefits of artificial turf?

Ruiz: The main benefit artificial turf offers is increased playing time without the risk of damaging the field. If you talk to some of the experts who maintain natural grass fields, they generally do not recommend utilizing natural grass fields for more than 20-24 hours per week in order to keep it in prime condition. However, artificial turf fields exponentially increase the number of hours athletes can play on the field. According to the Synthetic Turf Council, artificial turf fields can withstand up to 3,000 hours of playing time per year. That’s a significant difference from its natural turf counterparts. Artificial turf fields can also be used in different conditions all year round, including various sporting events that have different performance requirements. Regardless, all artificial turfs are designed to meet the standards of each sport that could potentially be played on the surface.

Q: How does the synthetic turf react in extreme weather conditions?

Ruiz: Artificial turf fields can be played on all season long – as they are impervious to natural elements. They stay in excellent shape and offer athletes consistency, regardless of the weather conditions. When temperatures are rising, the fields can be cooled by spraying water to lower the surface temperature. Irrigation and drainage systems beneath the turf also keep the field playable during rainy weather.

Q: Artificial turf is becoming extremely popular these days with schools — when did you first start to notice this trend and how has it transformed since it originated?

Ruiz: The Houston Astrodome was one of the first places to utilize artificial turf back in 1965. At that point, the turf was constructed from products like nylon and they were pretty tough surfaces. There have been a lot of innovations in the industry since then, and the main focus has been to make the artificial turf behave more like natural grass, without all of the maintenance and expenses. As artificial turf improved over time, more and more facilities were interested in installing it as opposed to keeping natural grass. If we look at where we are today, we can see the demand for this product has grown exponentially. This is due in large part to the fact that today’s turf yarn is produced to look and perform like natural grass. This starts at the material level, such as high-quality resins that are used to formulate yarn fibers that make these turf mats. For example, DOWLEXTM Polyethylene Resins from Dow provide the right combination of softness and resilience to create quality athletic fields for all levels of competitive play, while preserving the feel of natural grass. In fact, in North America there are more than 6,000 multi-use and sport fields in communities, schools, parks and even professional stadiums featuring synthetic playing surfaces. When I was growing up in Columbia, we played a lot of soccer and I remember playing in dirt because we played so much that we wore out the grass area. That doesn’t happen with artificial turf.

Q: Are there any major concerns when it comes to artificial turf?

Ruiz: There are always going to be some concerns on performance benefits with artificial grass versus natural grass. For instance, some might argue the ball moves faster on synthetic turf, but the whole industry is working to reproduce the performance of natural grass. I think the proof of its performance rests in how often turf is being specified and installed, and for use with several types of sports. For example, in the London 2012 Olympic Games, the seven pitches used for field hockey were formulated from Dow artificial turf solutions and player performance was not compromised at all because of the turf performance.

Q: What are some of the reasons why schools have adopted artificial turf as opposed to natural grass?

Ruiz: Schools are some of the prominent users of artificial turf because it allows increased playing time and accommodates multiple sports on one field. Schools also save money by not having to pay for maintenance costs associated with natural grass fields. If you want multiple activities to take advantage of the fields without severely damaging the field, you would need to have three or four natural grass fields to match the playing time of one artificial turf field.

Q: What are the maintenance requirements for artificial turf?

Ruiz: Having synthetic turf does not require as much maintenance as natural grass. It does not require any mowing, irrigation, fertilizer or chemicals. The fields do require some minor maintenance such as brushing the fiber top and cleaning of garbage and leaves, but this is insignificant compared to natural grass. In addition, artificial turf fields do not require a lot of water, especially compared to a natural grass field. If you’re living in a dry environment where water is scarce and expensive, this is a huge advantage because synthetic turf will use anywhere between 500,000 to one million less gallons of water each year than a natural grass field. The maintenance of artificial turf is definitely a cost-saving measure for any school.