Sports Technology

Responding to the growing trends of local councils installing synthetic grass for sporting grounds, Turf Australia has warned of the negative impacts for players and the community posed by synthetic grass.

Turf Australia President Anthony Muscat, who is both a natural turf grower and seller of synthetic grass, says local councils may not be properly weighing up the pros and cons of fake grass for sporting purposes.

Muscat explains “synthetic grass has its place, but it isn’t on the sporting field.

“There have been several studies that show synthetic turf increases injury risk for players, as it doesn’t have the cushioning effect like natural turf.

“In fact, in a recent survey of nearly 100 professional soccer players, 94% said synthetic grass increased the risk of sustaining an injury.

“Additionally, fake grass gets up to three times hotter than natural grass and has shown to reach temperatures 93.3 degrees Celsius.

“Also, there is a common misconception that synthetic grass doesn’t require maintenance. “This is simply not correct. It still requires watering for cooling and cleaning, needs to be sprayed for weeds, and, particularly for contact sports, blood and sweat need to be cleaned up with disinfectant as, unlike real grass, synthetic grass does not have beneficial bacteria that does the job for you.

“It also costs more money in the long term, requiring a full replacement in about eight to 10 years (while) with some careful planning and care, councils can keep their (natural grass) sporting fields green and luscious.

“By spending a little bit of extra maintenance time in autumn to fertilise and in spring to fertilise, aerate and spread gypsum, you can keep turf in good shape. It is also key that the grass is never mown too low and that it is given time to recover after a match. That said, the turf industry is continually researching new turf varieties that have increased wear tolerance.

“We’d also encourage councils to speak to us to discuss measurements that can be put in place to assist with their needs, before opting for fake grass.”

Turf Australia warns that the community also misses out on the benefits of natural grass sporting grounds if they are replaced by synthetic. Natural grass helps to cool suburbs by breaking up radiant energy and absorbing heat. Additionally, natural grass absorbs carbon dioxide and releases oxygen, traps dust and improves water quality.

For more information contact Turf Australia on 02 4588 5735, E: admin@turfaustralia.com.au

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