![Bonar Yarns and Act Global Announced as Finalists for Sports Technology Awards]()
by Shelby Becker
Synthetic turf specialists considered for ‘Best Technology Partnership’.
Bonar Yarns and Act Global were recently announced as finalists for the upcoming Sports Technology Awards, as a result of the newly developed and unique synthetic turf surface at Queen of the South Football Club.
The awards celebrate the best and most innovative technological advancements throughout the sporting industry, and were inspired by technology’s increasingly important role in sport.
“We’re pleased to partner with fellow innovators such as Bonar Yarns to continue raising the bar for safety, performance and durability of synthetic turf systems,” said Chris Clapham, managing director of Act Global. “We focus on the meeting the needs of players and clubs first, and to be also recognized for an award is a great honour.”
Bonar Yarns and Act Global, together developed an advanced artificial turf system which would meet Queen of the South’s performance requirements, as well as satisfy international sporting and FIFA standards. The resulting technology features a unique fibre blend using MN Ultra yarns, woven into an interlocked backing. When compared to traditional tufting techniques, this system offers overall enhanced performance, including consistent ball roll, superior tuft lock and a resilient, non-directional turf pile.
The completed pitch at Palmerston Park achieved FIFA Two Star Certification, the highest mark of elite level performance.
This is the second Sport Technology Award nomination for Dundee based Bonar Yarns, as last year they won ‘Best Technology provider – under 2m’.
“We’re extremely honoured and proud to have been shortlisted for this year’s Sport Technology Awards,” said Bryn Lee, commercial director of Bonar Yarns. “It’s fantastic that we’re being recognised, again, for our involvement with technology in sport – it’s great for us as a company, our partner Act Global and the entire industry.”
Winners of the Sports Technology Awards will be announced on March 27, in London. For more information on the awards, please visit the website: www.sportstechnologyawards.com
Shelby Becker is a creative content creator and marketing specialist at Act Global. She’s an animal rights activist, avid concert-goer, and scary movie enthusiast. Follow her on LinkedIn .
For more information, contact marketing at sbecker@actglobal.com
![Bonar Yarns and Act Global Announced as Finalists for Sports Technology Awards]()
by Shelby Becker
Over the course of two years, 200,000 square metres (2.1 million square feet) of Xtreme Turf will be installed throughout Hungary, in one of the country’s largest synthetic turf projects.
Austin, Texas – As part of a large national project in Hungary, Act Global will supply 200,000 square meters of artificial turf to football clubs throughout the country.
Nine full-size fields and seven mid-size pitches have been built in major cities throughout Hungary, including Budapest, Szeged, Kisvarda, Edeleny and Kecskemet. The company has effectively completed phase one of the project, with 100,000 square meters successfully delivered and installed on schedule and to the clients’ satisfaction. The pitches feature the highest quality 3G synthetic turf produced at Act Global’s manufacturing plant in Aalten, Netherlands.
“We are thrilled to be a part of this large project, to bring this high quality artificial turf to players and venues throughout Hungary,” said Robert Zlotnicki, regional manager Act Global. “We have received fantastic feedback regarding the product and installation, and are excited to continue with the second phase of this development.”
The project was developed as part of the Hungarian Football Federation Programme (MLSZ) to promote football and improve training facilities for local clubs and communities. The type of venues and projects vary, but are often municipal training facilities on a high level of play.
Artificial turf has been widely used throughout Eastern Europe, but with an increasing attention on quality. As a FIFA Preferred Producer for Football Turf, Act Global is actively working to inform the market on FIFA Quality turf systems, and the importance of safety, longevity and performance in a playing surface.
Further, in countries such as Hungary which experience cold winter conditions, preparing and maintaining natural turf can be particularly challenging. January is the coldest month in the capital city Budapest, with fairly frequent snowfall and average temperatures around -4°C (24.8 °F). After cold winter months, frost can leave natural surfaces uneven, prompting heavy maintenance and re-leveling. Synthetic turf playing fields remain uniform and consistent, without worry of weather damage.
“With a higher quality surface, field owners will see improved player performance and comfort, all-weather durability, and a longer lasting field,” said Zlotnicki. “This translates into a better overall buying experience and greater return on investment for the facility.”
ABOUT ACT GLOBAL
Act Global is a world leader in synthetic turf and artificial grass manufacturing. The company’s artificial Xtreme Turf and Xtreme Lawn products replicate natural grass for use in international stadiums, indoor sport centers, synthetic lawns and other synthetic grass uses. Its LiteEarth and AvTurf products add capabilities for landfills and airport applications. Act Global has four manufacturing locations in USA, Europe and Asia and installations in over 70 countries. Act Global is notable for currently being the first company in the world that is a FIFA Preferred Producer for Football Turf, Synthetic Turf Council Certified Manufacturer, IRB Preferred Producer, and holds an ISO 9001 certification. Its products have undergone hundreds of independent laboratory tests for quality, durability and performance.
Shelby Becker is a creative content creator and marketing specialist at Act Global. She’s an animal rights activist, avid concert-goer, and scary movie enthusiast. Follow her on LinkedIn .
For more information, contact marketing at sbecker@actglobal.com
![Bonar Yarns and Act Global Announced as Finalists for Sports Technology Awards]()
by Shelby Becker
AvTurf installed at Orlando Sanford International Airport. The artificial turf enhances operational safety.
Airports deter wildlife around runway safety zones with synthetic turf. The product, called AvTurf, is manufactured by Act Global.
Austin, Texas – When hundreds of burrowing gopher tortoises made home in Orlando Sanford International’s runway grass, the unassuming reptiles created a glaring problem for airport operational safety.
The solution? Replace the natural grass with artificial turf.
“The aviation turf backing provides a barrier to burrowing wildlife, while still maintaining a clear runway path and safety zones for airport operations,” explains Daniel McSwain, AvTurf general manager.
Because gopher tortoises are a threatened species, relocating the animals and closing the burrows was a regulated process, as well as extremely time-consuming and costly for the airport. Nearly 1,200 burrows—some stretching 48 feet long and almost 10 feet deep—were documented in a survey last June by FAA Wildlife Biologist John Weller. And once removed, the tortoises typically find their way back to re-burrow.
After consulting with FAA’s Airport Division and Airport District Office, biologists from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and the state and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services, the airport secured grant money for a one-year study of the effectiveness of replacing natural grass with synthetic turf.
The AvTurf artificial turf was manufactured by Act Global, and installed by partner ProGrass on a 3.5 acre test plot around the perimeter of the runway’s blast pad. The plot includes 158,000 square feet of aviation turf in total with sand infill ballast.
Prior to installation, a biologist mapped approximately 120 existing burrows on the test plot, nearly 100 of which were occupied. The turtles were carefully removed, the area excavated, and the artificial turf installed. Motion activated cameras are used to monitor the area 24/7 and detect signs of wildlife or burrowing. Eight months after installation, the airport has detected no burrowing activity on the synthetic turf.
Aside from Orlando Sanford, encounters with wildlife, particularly birds, are a major concern in both the civil aviation and military environments around the world. Annually, wildlife collisions cost the U.S. aviation industry over $1.2 billion and cause aircraft downtime in excess of 94,000 hours. Because the most dangerous and frequent encounters occur during take-off and landing, efforts have been directed to ensure wildlife control on the airfield. McSwain explained that synthetic aviation turf provides a non-lethal solution to mitigate wildlife and reduce the potential for bird strikes by removing food, water, or shelter near the runways.
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ABOUT ACT GLOBAL
Act Global is a world leader in synthetic turf and artificial grass manufacturing. The company’s artificial Xtreme Turf and Xtreme Lawn products replicate natural grass for use in international stadiums, indoor sport centers, synthetic lawns and other synthetic grass uses. Its LiteEarth and AvTurf products add capabilities for landfills and airport applications. Act Global has four manufacturing locations in USA, Europe and Asia and installations in over 70 countries. Act Global is notable for currently being the first company in the world that is a FIFA Preferred Producer for Football Turf, Synthetic Turf Council Certified Manufacturer, IRB Preferred Producer, and holds an ISO 9001 certification. Its products have undergone hundreds of independent laboratory tests for quality, durability and performance.
Shelby Becker is a creative content creator and marketing specialist at Act Global. She’s an animal rights activist, avid concert-goer, and scary movie enthusiast. Follow her on LinkedIn .
For more information, contact marketing at sbecker@actglobal.com
![Bonar Yarns and Act Global Announced as Finalists for Sports Technology Awards]()
by Shelby Becker
Xtreme Turf expands in Indonesia, as in this recent synthetic turf installation at Nurul Fikri School in Depok.
Highly urbanized markets with limited space are choosing longer lasting and better performing synthetic turf systems to maximize value of investment. (more…)
Shelby Becker is a creative content creator and marketing specialist at Act Global. She’s an animal rights activist, avid concert-goer, and scary movie enthusiast. Follow her on LinkedIn .
For more information, contact marketing at sbecker@actglobal.com
![Bonar Yarns and Act Global Announced as Finalists for Sports Technology Awards]()
by Shelby Becker
The FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup will be played on Xtreme Turf at the Montreal Olympic Stadium. The artificial turf pitch was built by Carpell Surfaces and achieved FIFA Two Star Certification.
AUSTIN, Texas (July 31, 2014) – Carpell Surfaces and Act Global have been selected to provide a high performance synthetic turf pitch for Montreal’s Olympic Stadium. The stadium will serve for the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup in August 2014. (more…)
Shelby Becker is a creative content creator and marketing specialist at Act Global. She’s an animal rights activist, avid concert-goer, and scary movie enthusiast. Follow her on LinkedIn .
For more information, contact marketing at sbecker@actglobal.com
