First, the confessional: I am not sure this is the right group to post this in, I am unaware of the level of previous threads that may have appeared on this subject (though I tend to think of that as a blessing), and I could give two squats about grudges between posters. http://www.southwestrec.com/fieldturf_turftalk4.htm I found this site in search of a reference of a field condemnation in Oregon- one with FieldTurf. The site itself can be questioned. It almost seems as if the Astroturf people own the testing process. Yet, here sits the Nike stuff in a shutdown condition. The controversy was kind of big in Boise earlier this summer. AstroPlay won out over FieldTurf as the new- and, yes, blue- turf for Bronco Stadium. This took place solely because FieldTurf contended that no extra padding was required for their product, thus leaving a bid line for the extra padding blank as their bid was submitted. Meanwhile, part of the reason for the new turf in Boise is because of a death that could partially be related to the old astroturf- a gridball player took a hit, paused for a bit, then landed backwards, helmet to turf. I wouldn't be surprised that the new synthetic stuff gets matted down after some use. The Lake Oswego report shown in the link should be noted for the main field at Lake Oswego HS, which hosts both LO and Lakeridge gridball games as well as the LO soccer team's games. I suspect it's been used beyond it's quota (time-related). It does bring into question how the turf has held up at, say, the University of Washington (hosting UW AND Seahawks gridball games the last couple years). I went to the Oregon game and their new FieldTurf surface last Saturday. First game on the turf, seemed quite soft to me (may be used to Boise natural surfaces now, which isn't much comparison). Getting my hands on the surface, I didn't feel at all comfortable sliding on it. It also seemed to develop lumps for some reason. Then there's the bothersome rubber pellets that stuck to me for a while... aided by having to chase my 4-year-old daughter on a 250-yard run through traffic (note: I'm 6'4", my wife is almost 6', so you can imagine how big this girl is already). I'm looking to see if there are any other observations regarding these surfaces. Maybe we can develop a consensus here.
the chicago fire play on field turf... it sucks 90+ degree heat and the field was at 150+ degrees players were getting burns on the bottom of their feet turning is horrible (although this shouldn't be a problem for football, more of a north south game, soccer is 360 degrees)... players lose their footing left and right on cuts the pitch is lumpy, almost wavy i'm sure others can bitch more about it
I thought Naperville had "SportTurf" or "SportPlay" or something with Sport in the name of their product. I know it's not FieldTurf. Think I'm going to have to goad the Seattle fan who's so warm on this to get into this discussion.
FieldTurf is much better than SafePlay, what's at Cardinal Stadium. I've played on both surfaces, and FieldTurf is superior. But obviously neither are ideal for soccer.
Tell that to FIFA and Ajax. FIFA has approved FieldTurf and Ajax plans to use it in their new stadium. Sachin
Question: do we have enough evidence to consider the possibility that the turf doesn't hold up in the long term?
according to FIFA they are taking the turf thing very very serious... look to this: Fifa Regulations for Soccer stadiums ... go and look the section 38
The way I understand it is that turf can be used for ANY tournaments except for the World Cup Finals. If we're talking about the USA, which I assume we are, any new stadium using FieldTurf will NEVER host a World Cup Finals match in a present configuration as they don't meet the minimum 40K seating requirement. So it doesn't really matter. In a situation like Oklahoma city, where several clubs will be using the stadium, turf may be a better solution than grass. Sachin
...several clubs will be using the stadium, turf may be a better solution than grass. As long as the turf doesn't feature permanent gridball lines. Does anyone know if markings can be temporary on these surfaces?
Field turf is o.k. THe lesser of two evils and looks better. The old astro turf stuff should be banned. Outlawed in my opinion. Any stadium with that stuff doesnt care about the health of the players and are too cheap to get a real field. REAL soccer and American football are played are real grass. Fake field fake team.
Seahawk Stadium in Seattle is well over the 40,000 capacity and has FieldTurf, so the configuration is there, but not the proper field type. But, First and Goal is supposed to put in grass if it's ever necessary for soccer and the promoter can garauntee 40,000 fans, and I think that hosting a World Cup Final would go along with that, hopefully with putting in grass permanently, not just laying it over the top of the FieldTurf.
Yes, PGE Park in Portland has Nexturf and supports three sports: Baseball, American Football and real Football. Part of the changeover between the different configurations is to scrub off the lines and reapply them. The FieldTurf at Seahawks Stadium in Seattle also has removable lines.
FIFA & grass I guess most of you didn't bother to read the FIFA reference posted by NACIONAL. Let me quote a few salient points: "The playing field, which must be absolutely smooth and level, should be of natural grass, in perfect condition ..." "Playing field: 1) for ALL matches at top professional level, it is recommended that the dimensions of the playing field should be 105 x 68 m; 2) for ALL matches in the final competition of the FIFA World Cup™ AND the final competitions of confederation championships throughout the world, ONLY the dimensions of 105 x 68 m are acceptable; 3) ANY stadium in which major international games or final ties of domestic competitions are played should have the dimensions quoted herein." Points to note: it said GRASS; 105 m x 68 m is about 115 yd x 75 yd meaning that the great new Seahawks Stadium (which was supposedly built to FIFA specifications) is not eligible for any of the match types described above; in fact, the citizens of Seatle got sold a bill of goods, since the playing surface area is only 70 yd x 110 yd (according to their own published information).
Let's not forget that FIFA is willing to ignore some of its own regulations every now and then. We hosted a World Cup in which every field failed to meet the specs recommended by FIFA. Since they were all football stadiums, none of them were absolutely smooth and level (except possibly at the Silverdome), as all football stadiums have crowns. Opps, somebody building that stadium forgot to notice that the regulations were stated in meters, not yards. Really though, different websites and publications list different dimensions for that field, so I don't think anybody really knows.
Actually the link was to the entire document. The quotes that I posted were from section 8 (of all places). Section 38 has to do with artificial surfaces, rather than standards. FIFA is willing to waive certain requirements upon occasion, as it did for some of the fields used for WC '94. This is usually done on a case-by-case basis. I got the info from this site: http://www.seahawksstadium.com/ They seem to be the quasi-owners/builders/operators, and I thought that maybe they knew what they were talking about.