The Verdict is Out – Synthetic Grass Wins By a Mile

Professional sportspeople and facility owners alike are all in agreement over one thing – synthetic playing surfaces tick all the boxes – and despite a rocky start, research and development shone through and the latest generation of artificial playing surfaces offer the very best platform for all sports. If we take a look back at the 1970s, when Astroturf was first unveiled, the sporting world shook its head and remained defiant to this new fangled idea of playing on something unnatural, but you can’t keep a good man down, and the R & D continued through the 80s and 90s to the point where synthetic playing surfaces had everything that grass possessed, and a little more besides.

Players’ Perspectives

At the end of the day, when all is said and done, it is the players who have the final say on game surfaces, and things like bounce and surface density definitely come into play, while grass is never 100% predictable in that field, synthetic surfaces really are! Temperature also plays a part, as this determines how hard or soft the ground is, and in this department, synthetic wins hands down, as the surface retains its firmness whatever the weather. Ask any professional soccer player about reading the bounce, and they’ll tell you it is so much easier with a synthetic surface, and providing the playing surface is well maintained, its  properties remain at a constant. Of course, there are those who will never change their stance on grass vs synthetic, but there will always be those who are resistant to change, no matter how beneficial it is. If you’d like to know more about artificial turf, here is an informative article that covers every aspect of synthetic playing surfaces.

Sports Facility Owners

These guys are behind synthetic all the way, as they can say goodbye to the fleet of grass cutting machines and replacing divots is a thing of the past. Game cancellations due to bad weather are no longer an issue and preparing the surface prior to a game couldn’t be any easier, and a very long product warranty ensures that you get a good return on your investment. If you’re looking for synthetic grass surfaces in Melbourne, for example, there is one company that has more than 30 years experience in the field, and they can handle any project from inception to completion.

Playing Surface Maintenance

In a perfect world, the playing surface would remain in tip-top condition, yet even with artificial playing surfaces, ground maintenance is crucial. The good news is that a single ride-on machine is all you need to maintain the playing surface, which vacuums and brushes the fibres to ensure smooth and sure response, and by ridding yourself of the many machines that grass demands, your running costs are slashed. Line marking has always been a necessary part of pitch preparation and is perhaps the most time consuming of all the tasks connected with sports facility maintenance, and you’ll be happy to learn that the markings on a synthetic pitch do not require any maintenance at all!

Drainage

Of course, the ground on which the synthetic playing surface sits must be correctly prepared, and with adequate drainage, and the specially formulated surface can breathe in all weather conditions. We all know how surface water can affect the playing surface, and with grass, this causes dips to appear, and that leaves you with an uneven playing surface, which doesn’t help at all. If you own a sporting complex and would like to explore the possibilities of going synthetic, an online search will put you in touch with the right people, and they would be happy to pay you a visit and take a look at the venue. Of course, there is an initial investment (which also includes ground preparation), but in the long term, your running costs will see a very significant reduction, which is ongoing.

We all know what a few hard games can do to a pitch, especially in the wet weather, and making good is not something you will ever need to consider with a synthetic playing surface, which remains in tip-top condition throughout the year. While the benefits are many, the initial investment is perhaps the only concern, but once you have the synthetic surface in place, you can expect many years of top quality usage, irrespective of the weather.

FIFA approved synthetic surfaces have transformed soccer, and with hardcourt solutions, acrylic tennis and basketball courts will stand the test of time, and with a wide range of attractive colours, your sporting facility can be transformed.