Artificial Turf
Artificial turf may seem like a relatively new invention, when in fact it has been around for quite some time now, and is produced in a large range of different materials, all of which are synthetic in nature, yet give the overall appearance and feel of authentic grass. The reason why this was developed in the first place was so that schools and sports clubs wouldn’t have the added cost of keeping the sports fields in prime condition, during all times of the year. Today it is a widely used material for championship events, like hockey matches where astro-turf is used and is also extremely helpful for those who wish to practice putting for golf from the comfort of their own homes.
The first artificial turf was created in 1960 by a man named Dave Chaney, and was the leader of a team of researchers, and was also the head master of a Textile College in North Carolina. This invention led to baseball being played indoors, as well as many front door mats, which are in actual fact made from the same synthetic materials! In the year of 1965, astro-turf became extremely popular, where entire sports domes were built to house this wonderful new material! It wasn’t too long before this artificial turf was installed in various sports stadiums across the United States, both indoors and outdoors, and used for every kind of sport from baseball to football. Maintenance costs dropped dramatically, and more and more stadiums started switching from authentic grass surfaces to artificial turf ones.
In the 1980’s, various football clubs across Europe started making use of artificial turf playing fields, made entirely from plastic, but eight years later, these “plastic pitches” were completely banned in Britain as a result of the harder playing fields. Many players were injured, especially in games like hockey and so this artificial turf got a rather bad reputation in the country, despite the fact that many champion clubs had recently got the astro-turf installed. After this banning, the clubs slowly went back to grass, and the UEFA and FIFA football associations completely banned the use of artificial turf in football matches, as fans disliked watching the game played on this surface as the ball moved around uncontrollably and the players suffered from severe carpet-burn like injuries, as well as joint injuries.
In the 21 st century, artificial turf has been modified dramatically, with the use of rubber fillings and sand to create a softer landing space and great playing field, and because it is almost impossible to notice a difference between this new turf and grass, it has come back into popularity in sports across the globe, as it is completely safe to land on. Many of the initial clubs that weren’t interested in astro-turf have now implemented it, while the older ones have upgraded to this new material. Even football clubs have started using this artificial turf again, and the governing bodies of football have lifted the ban.
