Artificial turf first came to the public’s attention after being installed in the new Astrodome, way back in the 1960s. It’s come a long way since then. Simply put, today’s product isn’t your grandfather’s artificial turf. If player safety, field reparation and longevity, and accelerated player development are priorities for you, investing in artificial turf for football fields is the right move.

1. Safety

In addition to requiring less upkeep and maintenance, using artificial turf on football fields offers a distinct advantage for athletes – providing greater safety for players. Not only are there far fewer reported injuries on artificial turf than there were in the past, there are even cleats developed specifically for play on these new surfaces, to further decrease the chances of injury. There is also a special shock pad layer that can be inserted during installation to reduce bodily jolting upon impact.

2. Recovery/reparation time is not an issue.

No one likes to play on a beat up football field, with scuffed grass and exposed patches of mud and dirt. Unfortunately, the weather is often uncooperative when trying to repair a field in time for the next game.

In fact, even when the maintenance personnel have managed to get natural grass back in decent condition, all of their efforts could be destroyed by one bad rainstorm coming at the wrong time. With artificial turf, you don’t have to worry about recovery time, and it drains so quickly that you can use it almost immediately, even after a heavy rain.

3. Longevity and maintenance can’t be beat.

If you are hesitant about investing in an artificial turf field because the upfront cost is more significant than natural grass, you may want to reconsider. Purchase and installation aren’t the only costs to weigh.

In fact, longevity and maintenance are equally significant factors.

“A new artificial turf football field will not have to be replaced for five years or more. A grass football field, on the other hand, must be maintained regularly if it is going to last more than two years under the wear and tear of practices, games and inclement weather. You will spend a lot more money to maintain a grass football field than you will a modern artificial turf field.”

The cost of watering a natural grass field is obviously substantial. Fertilizers and pesticides don’t come cheap, either. Yet, the most overlooked cost of natural grass fields is often the constant manual labor that is necessary to keep them in shape.

4.  Player development could be accelerated by using artificial turf for football fields.

There is a lot to be said for training players under the most optimal conditions possible. A Guardian.com article that examined the pros and cons of artificial turf offered the opinion of Ronny Deila, when he coached Celtic Football Club in Scotland, that artificial turf could improve the quality of play in sports.

“If we are going to develop good young players in Scotland you need to have a good surface to play and train on. If not, you just get fighters. If you want skills and technique, you have to play on better surfaces.”

Between the weather and the damage done to a natural turf field from team activity, it can be almost impossible to give players frequent access to a surface equal to what artificial turf provides.

Customize your football field.

It may help to know that there is a variety of both turf and shockpad options from which you may choose, so you can install the combination of products which best suits your needs.

There is a wealth of information available about the current generation of artificial turf products available. The Synthetic Turf Council, in particular, offers several short downloadable publications with guidelines regarding infill, performance and more. A beautiful, durable and long-lasting artificial turf football field is a tough investment to beat.

For more information on the cost of installing artificial grass visit: https://purchasegreen.com/blog/cost-synthetic-grass/. If you’d like a quote, please fill out this form or call us at 888-573-1138.

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