Column: Synthetic Turf

It’s Time to Think SMARTer about Maintaining Synthetic Turf

By Arthur Eddy, ASLA, LEED AP

Changes are coming?

The drive to compete is ingrained in the human DNA and is deeply rooted in our culture. This drive has changed the way athletic fields are built, used, and maintained in the United States and worldwide. Children are being pushed to concentrate on becoming experts in their respective sports and perform at high levels. While we disagree with pushing our kids to specialize in one sport and start so young, we also understand that this is the reality of the world we live in. This drive to compete has instigated serious conversations about the safety of youth athletes in the United States. As sport field managers and former athletes, we are constantly striving to improve the human interaction with sports and contribute to making a more enjoyable/safe experience for everyone involved. I have been involved in many discussions about how how technology could impact the future of athletes and found four takeaways:

1.0 SMARTer GEAR

My brothers-in-law cannot run or bike 100 feet without knowing their heart rate, distance, pace, split and exact geo-location. Now with the introduction of wearable technology, products can provide us with instant information regarding our heart rate,

distance, calories burned, steps and sleeping patterns. This same technology could be used to provide coaches, trainers and athletes with real time data on their athlete’s biometrics. This information could also be utilized to understand how a field is being used, allowing sports facility managers to focus on real high use areas versus perceived high use areas. This type of data can allow for the development of heat maps that allow for the visual understanding of how a field is being used and where the field needs attention. This becomes critical on synthetic turf fields due to their high demand and variation of use by sport, skill, and age.

Wearable Technology

Image: YouTube, underarmour

Soccer Field Pressure Map

Image: https://saturdaysoncouch.wordpress.com

2.0 SMARTer FIELDS

The synthetic turf industry has been focused on creating a surface that imitates natural grass but can withstand high use and perform like top end fields. Advancement in technologies like shock pads have shown their ability to reduce a player’s impact with the surface. What if that same field incorporated technology that could provide data on an athlete’s impact with the surface? Maintainers, coaches and trainers would be able to evaluate the athlete’s reaction to impact including the number of contacts an individual has with the surface and the severity of the impacts. Owners of synthetic turf have also been challenged with proper maintenance of the surface which is critical to the safety of the playing surfaces. With sensors in the field, evaluation of the synthetic turf’s performance could provide data on areas that need to be addressed due to impact and will reduce the guess work of maintenance.

3.0 SMARTer FIELD MAINTENANCE

Utilizing Artificial Intelligence (AI) to track maintenance practices across the field can lead to a deeper understanding of maintenance practices across the field. As a sports turf manager, if you are collecting data across the field, that information can be interpolated into developing maintenance practices that are hyper focused on the individual field, properly utilize resources, project replacement dates, and track safety protocols and overall performance of the field.

AI can also provide efficiency in the assignment of resources in a format that is simple and easy to read in real time. In application, AI data will allow sports turf managers to be more efficient with materials, maintenance applications, and scheduling of jobs and tasks.

AI Data.

Image: https://www.passport365.com

4.0 SMARTer SUSTAINABILITY

Synthetic turf fields currently provide a single stream of recycling. The future of manufacturing and installing fields should follow the cradle-to-cradle manufacturing process. The growth of synthetic fields has become popular in communities because of the increased availability of use and the reduction of land requirements to build multiple fields. As more square feet of surfacing is installed each year, more materials will need to be deferred from the landfill and into a recyclable material or preferably a new field. As synthetic turf becomes more sustainable, the concept of providing a range of surfaces, both synthetic and natural grass allow for athletes to be able to have a range of surfaces that can perform at a very high level. As natural grass surfaces are the preferred surface, having synthetic turf surfaces allow for the rest and maintenance of high quality performing natural grass fields.

There are a lot of applications that will change in the future. As sports turf managers, we can start to utilize these tools to collect data to create environments that perform better and are safer for athletes all while providing information to operate at the top of our game. The future is coming and embracing change will become a critical part of our success as sports managers. •

“It’s easy to come up with new ideas; the hard part is letting go of what worked for you two years ago, but will soon be out of date.”

– Roger Von Oech

Arthur Eddy is CEO of RePlay Maintenance in East Greenwich, Rhode Island. Connect with Art at aeddy@replaymaintenanceusa.com or (877-641-1819.

Synthetic Turf Practice Field allows for high quality natural grass fields.

Image provided by Traverse Landscape Architects