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P LACES
TURF MATTERS
Synthetic turf, astroturf, artificial pitch, all-weather surface, 3G, 4G, – you’ve probably heard of all those. But what do they mean and what are the differences?
Synthetic sports pitches are a popular choice of surface across a range of sports in the UK – at both elite and grassroots level. The main reason is obvious: the
increased number of playing hours they
offer clubs and facility operators, when compared to natural grass. On average, a synthetic turf pitch can be used up to 60
or even 80 hours per week (depending on maintenance and floodlighting), while in a worst-case scenario, a grass pitch can only take around 6 to 8 hours per week. In addition, synthetic surfaces remain playable during the winter months and in inclement weather - while thousands of community grass pitches around the country become unplayable.
The near-guaranteed playing hours throughout the year means that synthetic pitches can also be a great revenue generator for grassroots clubs – and even smaller professional and semi-professional clubs.
It’s no coincidence that in Scotland, 17 of
the Scottish Professional Football League’s (SPFL) 42 clubs now use synthetic surfaces.
But what are the different types of synthetic pitches and do the ones used for elite competition differ from grassroots pitches? And how and why are the modern “3G” surfaces so much better than the “plastic pitches” which were so derided just a few decades ago? In short, what do you need to know if you want to install one?
How many Gs?
First of all, let’s get some of the terminology right. Not all synthetic pitches are “astroturf” surfaces – just like not all vacuum cleaners are “hoovers”. Both Hoover and Astroturf
Synthetic turf has been widely credited with turning hockey into a more dynamic sport
happened to be pioneers in what they did, so their brand names stuck as the de facto description for products.
It is also incorrect to describe any synthetic sports pitch as “4G” – or 5G or 6G, for that matter. This is because the latest, third generation of synthetic sports pitches – or 3G – all have something called “sports performance infills” in them. These are
often a rubber material, but sometimes organic materials, such as cork, are also used. It isn’t until a synthetic sports pitch
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