How to take care of an artificial sports field

admin — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 13:49:54 +0000

Artificial sports surfaces made of polypropylene or polyethylene fibres are highly durable and can be used all year round. As they require minimal maintenance, the annual expenditure on them is a smaller when compared to what is spent on the maintenance of natural grass sports surfaces.

Synthetic sports surfaces also require some amount of care and maintenance, if not as much as that required by a natural grass sports field. A proactive approach is the best way to ensure proper care and maintenance of an AstroTurf. There are many professional firms with the expertise in offering effective care and cleansing for every type of artificial sports surface- be it a synthetic soccer or hockey pitch, an athletics track, a MUGA (Multi-use Games Area), a sports hall, or any other sports surface.

An artificial grass sports field requires power sweeping on a periodic basis, which helps it to offer optimum playing conditions for a longer period of time. It is done with the help of a soft cylindrical brush which can lift approximately 2-3mm of sand and pile. The lifted pile is cleaned and is then returned to the surface. Such a sweeping action is essential to remove all dirt particles and debris from the surface before they penetrate deep into the pile. Power sweeping keeps the drainage system of the artificial turf in its best condition. It is a hassle free task, as it can be completed within a day even for a full sized sports pitch. Depending on the condition of the sports field, available budget, and climatic conditions, a sports facility can opt for power sweeping either once in every month for the whole year or bi-monthly for 6 months, or once every quarter. In some cases, power sweeping is followed by some chemical treatments to prevent or remove moss from the surface.

Artificial sports surface cleansing is also a part of the proactive approach towards the maintenance of these surfaces. An artificial sports field, which is over 3 years old and is suffering from either surface silt or poor drainage, needs deep pitch cleansing at least once a year. The deep pitch cleansing treatment involves lifting the sand and rubber infill from the pile, passing it through a specially designed machine for removing all kinds of contamination, returning the sand and rubber granules to the pile, and power sweeping the pile “carpet”. Such a cleansing programme is important for maintaining the drainage system of a synthetic sports field whilst retaining optimum playing conditions.

In case of MUGAs and synthetic athletics surfaces, proper maintenance also includes taking care of the multi-coloured striping and event markings. Proper maintenance of floodlights, electronic scoring board, sports equipment, indoor sports hall, and fence of the sports area are also an integral part of the overall care and maintenance of a sports facility.

Artificial Outdoor Sports Surfaces

hanun — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 00:47:09 +0000

Artificial outdoor sports surfaces can be used to play a variety of sports, including football, hockey, tennis, netball, basketball, athletics, and many more. Made from synthetic materials like polyethylene or polypropylene, these man-made sports surfaces are easy to maintain and can be used all year round unlike natural grass sports surfaces.

Artificial outdoor sports surfaces at many sports facilities are commonly used as Multi Use Games Areas where a variety of sports are played- all on the same surface. However, as different sports have different requirements, the artificial sports surfaces can be so designed as to exhibit different playing characteristics. Let us examine some of the unique characteristics of different synthetic sports pitches:

In-filled artificial turf made of polypropylene: This is the most common type of synthetic, man-made sports surface. The technology used in developing such a sports surface has been approved by FIFA. In this case, polypropylene ‘grass’ fibres about 5 cm long are lubricated with silicon and tufted into a primary cloth. The back of the cloth is then given a latex coating. The whole thing is then in-filled with about 4 cm layer of sand or rubber granules to keep the fibres upright. Such a surface is widely used for playing football.

In-filled artificial turf made of polyethylene: This in-filled artificial turf is made of a foamy material called polyethylene. In this case, the pitch has a base of expanded polyethylene which acts as an effective shock absorber. The lubricated polyethylene grass fibres are shorter and more densely packed than polypropylene fibres. These synthetic fibres are also interspersed with short, curly, spring like fibres that keep the pile upright. In addition, the turf also gets an 8mm filling of rubber granules.

Sand-dressed artificial turf: This variant in artificial outdoor sports surfaces is lightly in-filled with sand. The pile of the artificial carpet is filled with fine sand only up to 5-8 mm from the tip of the fibres. For this reason sand cannot be seen in this type of artificial turf.

Unfilled artificial turf: Some outdoor sports surfaces feature unfilled pile. As a result, such pitches offer greater protection to the players by reducing the abrasive effect caused by sand infill. However, these pitches are required to be sprayed with water frequently, sometimes even prolonged showering is required prior to their use and also during intervals in the game. These water-based artificial sports surfaces are used as elite level field hockey pitches.

In-filled artificial sports surfaces can cater to a wide range of sports. This is possible by varying the length and the density of the synthetic grass fibres, which helps in changing the playing characteristics altogether. For instance, synthetic athletic surfaces are made to tolerate the use of spikes, besides offering protection to players from falls and injuries.

Tyba Sports » Artificial Turf

How to take care of an artificial sports field

Artificial Outdoor Sports Surfaces