![6 Myths About Synthetic Turf]()
by Shelby Becker
Despite the fact that third-generation turf has been tested for over 20 years, there are still many myths about artificial turf. Many of the following myths originated in the 1960s, when the first primitive types became popular. Since then, the industry has seen rapid technological advances, backed up with scientific studies on the safety and efficacy of synthetic turf. Here are six of the most persistent myths and the truth behind the claims.
Myth 1: Turf is Only for Sports
Photo credit: aLive Coverage
Truth: Turf is used to replace natural grass in yards, pool areas, rooftop decks, commercial and event spaces, and more.
Most people first heard of artificial turf when professional sports leagues started to adopt the surface in the 1960s and 1970s. However, now that the technology behind the surface is even more advanced, artificial turf is also popular in residential and commercial spaces. More and more homeowners are turning to synthetic turf for an easy-to-maintain lawn that looks good every day of the year. Businesses are using turf in landscaping. Airports have increasingly adopted turf as a safer surface technology for safe-zone areas around runways and taxiways.
Myth 2: Turf is Bad for the Environment
Truth: Artificial grass is non-toxic, uses less water and reduces your carbon footprint.
Turf does not use herbicides, pesticides or fertilizers. Unlike traditional grass, turf uses much less water. For example, if a high school installs a 100-yard football field, it could save up to 1 million gallons of water per year just from the reduction in watering. The football field would use up to 20,000 recycled tires for infill, saving the tires from sitting in a landfill. Similarly, switching to a fake grass lawn will save the average homeowner 100,000 gallons of water each year. Synthetic turf also does not need to be mowed, reducing both noxious emissions and grass clippings. The EPA reports that a push mower emits as much pollution in one hour as 11 cars and a riding mower emits as much as 34 cars.
Myth 3: Rubber Infill is Not Safe
Truth: Rubber infill, often referred to as “crumb rubber”, is not toxic.
Crumb rubber is made from pulverized tires. When turf with rubber infill was first introduced, it was heavily scrutinized by health researchers. Hundreds of independent studies have verified that rubber infill does not pose a health risk to people or pets. Studies have focused on toxicities from possible ingestion, inhalation and dermal contact, but no links between rubber infill and cancer or disease have been found. For more information about the safety of rubber infill, visit the Synthetic Turf Council’s research page.
Myth 4: Turf Causes More Injuries
Truth: Turf actually reduces the number of impact injuries.
Studies conducted using the new generation of fake grass demonstrate that there is no greater injury risk from playing sports on synthetic surfaces. Studies from Sweden and Norway which followed players over a four to five year period found the injury rate is no greater on artificial turf. Studies conducted by soccer’s governing body, FIFA, also found little difference in the incidence, nature and cause of injuries observed in games played on turf versus games played on natural grass.
Myth 5: All Turf Looks Alike
Truth: Turf comes in many different varieties, and the quality is dependent on the manufacturer.
Artificial turf comes in a variety of styles for location, performance and budget.
Myth 6: Turf is Too Hot to Play On
Truth: Turf temperature is not too warm to play safely on.
Turf temperature is on average higher than natural grass. Watering the fields can lower the temperature by about 10 degrees Fahrenheit. While old reports suggested that field temperatures could reach 200 degrees, these reports were faulty. The most recent research on field temperatures suggests that at two feet above the surface, the average temperature differential between artificial grass and natural grass is four degrees. At five feet above the surface, the temperature difference is less than one degree. Act Global’s synthetic grass is engineered to withstand extreme temperatures, giving a playing field a lush green look year-round.
Be sure to keep up to date on all of our turf projects and more by following us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn.
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
![6 Myths About Synthetic Turf]()
by Shelby Becker
A lot happened this weekend in the world of sports, and we wanted to give some shout outs to the US teams and athletes.
First, the US Women’s Lacrosse team won their eighth World Cup title. The win was a hard fought battle against the Canadian Women’s team who held their own against the US. The game ended with a 10-5 final score.
Sarah Bullard, a 10 year veteran of the US nationals team who won her fourth gold medal, explained that each World Cup win is a new experience:
“Every one is different, and it never gets old. This is the most talented team I’ve ever been a part of, but what’s more special is how selfless they are, how much we are and how we want to be there for each others.”
Next for the team is The World games, a multisport event that kicks off on Thursday in Poland. The event, organized by the International World Games Association, is the first hurdle in achieving Olympic recognition.
Next, competition in the 2017 Gold Cup heated up this past weekend as teams competed in the semi-finals. On Saturday the US Men’s team battled against Costa Rica in the AT&T stadium in Arlington, Texas. At half time the game was tied at 0-0, and it wasn’t until two second-half goals in the span of 10 minutes that the US secured their win. The final score was 2-0, with the US advancing to the finals. The final game is this Wednesday, July, 26; the US will be playing against Jamaica at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California.
Finally, Clint Dempsey, a striker for the US Men’s Soccer Team, tied with Landon Donovan as MNT All-Time Leading Scorer. His 82nd minute strike in the game against Costa Rica was the 57th of his international career. The Texas native provided the team with the spark and assist that helped send the USA to the 2017 Gold Cup Finals.
Congrats to all the players of both these teams on their accomplishments!
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
![6 Myths About Synthetic Turf]()
by Shelby Becker
A new quality benchmark for artificial turf has entered the Asian sporting market, with the latest FIFA Two Star pitch from Act Global at Ho Chi Minh University of Sport. (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
![6 Myths About Synthetic Turf]()
by Shelby Becker
Xtreme Turf pitch at Olympic Stadium Montreal.
World-class Xtreme Turf pitch set to host USA and Germany in momentous semi-final match.
From design to manufacturing to installation, the synthetic turf pitch at Olympic Stadium Montreal has been expertly built to host the world’s greatest football talent. Tonight, it will stage a momentous match, as USA and Germany kick-off game one of the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2015 semi-finals.
“To see two of the top football teams in the world play here will be fantastic,” said John Baize, managing director of Act Global. “We’re honored to have supplied this world-class field with partner Carpell Surfaces, which has received excellent reviews regarding quality, aesthetics and performance.”
The artificial turf from Act Global – called Xtreme Turf DX—features the latest generation in 3G turf technology. The pitch was professionally installed by Carpell Surfaces and Certified FIFA Two Star, which is benchmarked against top natural grass in terms of ball bounce, ball roll, foot interaction, skin abrasion and shock absorption.
“We focus new turf developments on the latest player safety research, biomechanical standards, and best natural grass benchmarks,” said Baize. “Performance is confirmed through independent testing and third-party certifications.”
In addition, Carpell is actively monitoring and maintaining the condition of the Olympic Stadium pitch throughout the tournament, including for tonight’s match. The turf is groomed to keep the synthetic grass blades standing upright, and the infill is checked and topped off to precise levels. Seams, edges and line markings are inspected to ensure a consistent, safe surface for all Women’s World Cup players.
Paul Caron, president of Carpell Surfaces, said this attention to detail, quality and follow-up are fundamental to providing the best playing conditions.
“Our crews have worked extremely hard to ensure the world’s top players would enjoy playing on the very best surface for the tournament,” said Caron.
These advancements in synthetic turf quality, installation and maintenance practices have driven its sustained growth in both men’s and women’s elite sports around the world. The latest 3G turf provides a consistent, equal playing surface, proven similar in performance, fatigue levels, injury rates, and match statistics when compared to natural grass.
“As demonstrated by synthetic’s continued acceptance within professional clubs, tournaments and governing bodies of sport, it has secured a place among the elite sporting community,” said Baize. “Some of the best pitches in the world are synthetic.”
Germany and USA kick off tonight at 19:00 local time at Olympic Stadium Montreal. The winner will advance to the Women’s World Cup Final to be played July 5.
“We look forward to the final matches of the Women’s World Cup tournament, and sharing in the excitement of the fans and players around the world,” said Baize.
**The Olympic Stadium pitch features Act Global Xtreme Turf, with an exclusive MN Global Bonar Yarns fiber blend. The pitch was installed by Carpell Surfaces, over Schmitz Foam ProPlay shock pad and finished with eco-friendly performance infill.
ABOUT ACT GLOBAL
Act Global is a world leader in synthetic turf technology, with manufacturing facilities in USA, Europe and Asia, and sales in more than 70 countries. The company carries a full range of artificial turf products for sports (Xtreme Turf), landscaping (Xtreme Lawn), aviation (AvTurf) and land reclamation (LiteEarth). 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, World Rugby Preferred Turf Producer, and holds an ISO 9001 certification. Its products have undergone hundreds of independent laboratory tests for quality, durability, safety, environmental soundness, and performance. For more information, visit http://www.ActGlobal.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
![6 Myths About Synthetic Turf]()
by Shelby Becker
Xtreme Turf at Montreal Olympic Stadium
Photo credit: Tamsin Bussières © 2015 Carpell Surfaces
Artificial turf pitch from FIFA Preferred Producer for Football Turf Act Global is installed by Canadian partner Carpell Surfaces.
The football turf pitch at Montreal Olympic Stadium has been successfully installed and certified to FIFA Two Star status, to be categorized as an elite level playing surface.
As the established surface for the FIFA Women’s World Cup Canada 2015, synthetic turf will be used throughout all six tournament venues, to provide a consistent, equal, all-weather playing surface. The Montreal Olympic Stadium will host Spain against Costa Rica June 9 at 16:00 local time, and be used throughout the tournament, including the quarter-final (June 26) and semi-final (June 30) matches.
“We are honored at the opportunity to provide a world-class football turf field to host some of the game’s top talent,” said John Baize, director of Act Global.
The synthetic turf—named Xtreme Turf—was produced at Act Global’s ISO 9001 USA facility to ensure the highest quality and latest turf technology. An exclusive monofilament yarn blend, developed in collaboration by Bonar Yarns and Act Global, offers an ideal balance of performance, skin friendliness and durability. The dual-fibre system has been tested to greatly exceed the needs of a top international stadium.
“By identifying the needs of the player and how natural grass performs, we have developed a synthetic turf playing surface proven to have similar performance and safety measurements to top natural grass pitches,” said Baize.
The artificial turf was expertly installed by Carpell Surfaces over a Schmitz Foam ProPlay shock pad and finished with eco-friendly infill. The underlayer and infill provide the optimal amount of shock absorption to deliver an ideal, safe playing surface. The high-profile installation required Carpell to complete the work within a tight installation schedule and to the highest standards to meet FIFA’s tournament requirements.
The Montreal Olympic Stadium field has passed rigorous laboratory and field testing for qualities such as tuft bind, durability, UV stability, ball behavior, traction, deformation and shock absorption to meet FIFA Two Star criteria. A FIFA Two Star Recommended pitch will offer the highest level of performance, tailored towards the specific needs of elite football and international sport.
“I look forward to attending the games at Montreal Olympic Stadium, and sharing in the excitement with fans from around the world,” said Baize. “Best wishes for a memorable tournament to all players and teams!”
The FIFA Women’s World Cup Canada 2015 will take place from June 6 to July 5. For more information visit Fifa.com.
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About Act Global
Act Global has invested heavily in R&D, testing and ISO 9001 manufacturing facilities to produce artificial turf fit for top athletes and competitive play. The company is a world leader in synthetic turf manufacturing, with installations in over 70 countries. Act Global’s artificial turf products replicate natural grass for use in international stadiums, indoor sport centers, synthetic lawns, airports, landfills and other synthetic grass uses. Act Global is a FIFA Preferred Producer for Football Turf, World Rugby Preferred Turf Producer and Synthetic Turf Council Certified Manufacturer.
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
