In June of 2010 the training field in Lurgan Town was successfully tested by Labosport, conducted under FIFA Preferred Producer, ACT Global Sports.
Lurgan Town Boys Football Club in Northern Ireland was developed in 1988 to give all boys the opportunity to play football. With solid management and a strong following, the club has won many trophies and is now considered one of the top junior clubs in the country.
The club needed a new generation of football turf for their training grounds. Lurgan Town F.C. has chosen ACT Global Sports’ Xtreme Turf based on the natural appearance and proven durable playing surface. According to the clubs President, Mr. Maurice Houston, “We are very excited with this new playing field which will expand our capacity tremendously. The training field demonstrates beyond the top quality we requested from a FIFA one star field but under two star standards. The Directors of Lurgan Town Arena are extremely pleased not only with the quality of the pitch but the professional manner in which ACT Global carried out and supervised the work from start to finish.”
Director of ACT Global Sports, Wil Ditzel mentions, “In our testing protocol, all our products are tested under one and two star FIFA requirements, whereby the awarded two star certification has tighter tolerances. The club’s advantage of now having a four year certification will benefit by possibly renting shared hours of the field to local schools or other clubs. Lurgan Town F.C. is also confirmed that their members are playing on a safe surface.”
ACT Global Sports is headquartered in Austin, Texas with additional production locations in Calhoun, Georgia, Asia and Europe. The company services their international clients through offices in The Netherlands, Cyprus, Poland, China, Thailand, Hong Kong, UK and France. Local sales and support is offered through an expanding partner network of leading sport field contractors in over 50 countries.
Reprint of feature article in recent Turf Roots IV, 2010– Courtesy of FIFA FIFA Win in Africa Project by ACT Global Sports
BACKGROUND
It is apt that a football stadium with such a rich history is named “Rufaro”. The word “Rufaro” originates from the indigenous Shona language (a Zimbabwean ethnic language), which means “happiness”. This proud happiness is openly displayed on the faces of the locals when enquiries are made about their new football turf stadium. FIFA funded the renovations of the Rufaro Stadium from a natural turf stadium to a football turf stadium under its Win in Africa with Africa initiative. FIFA has so far funded the construction of 52 of these football turf facilities in Africa as part of its development initiative and in line with their three core objectives to “develop the game, touch the world and build a better future”. In the majority of the African countries where this type of synthetic pitch has been laid, it has given African associations an opportunity to use these football turf facilities as their national football stadiums, something they did not have in the past as most national stadiums were used for political rallies and other military parades.
The Rufaro Stadium has hosted world-famous artists such as reggae star Bob Marley, and when Diego Maradona visited this stadium he was taken aback by the overwhelming welcome he received from the football-crazy Zimbabweans. This football shrine, which is situated in the centre of Harare, the capital city of Zimbabwe, has a capacity of 35,000 people and is home to eight of the 16 professional football teams in Zimbabwe. The new football turf at the Rufaro Stadium was opened on 26 June 2008.
RATIONALE
Structured interviews were held with various football stakeholders in Harare to determine the attitudes towards and their perceptions of the new football turf at the Rufaro Stadium. The stakeholders who were interviewed included football administrators, players, referees, medical doctors, managers of professional teams, Harare city council members, the media and football spectators. The Rufaro Stadium is presently the home of all “Zimbabwe Warriors” national football teams, including the national women’s football team.
RESOURCES
The political and economic situation in Zimbabwe made it virtually impossible to focus on the development of sports facilities. The football administrators who were interviewed stated that the unstable political situation and the declining economic situation had cascaded down into the organisation of sport as there were far more urgent challenges the government had to channel the resources into. One administrator commented that the laying of the new football turf at the Rufaro Stadium had been the most positive development for Zimbabwean football in many years. One positive impact is that the new football turf stadium can now generate a form of income for all of the stakeholders. The city council of Harare receives a certain percentage of the weekly gate takings as the custodians of the Rufaro Stadium, which can be used to further upgrade the football facility. The teams receive a percentage of the gate takings to be used for the development of their clubs, and the Zimbabwe Football Association earns a percentage from national team games to further develop the game among their affiliates.
CLIMATIC CONDITIONS
An important contribution that FIFA intends to make to African football is to help all African footballers play on decent pitches. Climatic conditions in Africa, however, make it extremely difficult to sustain high-quality natural grass pitches. The climate in Zimbabwe does not allow for the sustainability of a natural grass pitch at international level. Heavy summer rain and dry winters make it difficult to maintain quality grass pitches in Zimbabwe. A case in question, in Harare, is the Independent Stadium, which had to be closed because it was difficult to maintain the grass field and too costly to renovate given the political and economic challenges the country is facing. Heavy summer rain caused flooding to the natural grass football pitches, which led to the abandonment or postponement of important league and international games. This also resulted in a backlog of fixtures and incomplete leagues. The reconstruction of the Rufaro Stadium into a football turf facility has answered many of the challenges facing Zimbabwean football such as usage, watering and maintaining the same condition of an international football pitch all year round. The drainage system at the new Rufaro Stadium makes it possible to continue with games after heavy rainfall.
POSITIVE IMPACT
When interviewed, Zimbabwean football administrators, players, referees and spectators unanimously agreed that the new Rufaro Stadium had definitely had a positive impact on all of them. They stated that the green pitch all year round had created a psychological feeling of wanting to play. This has had an impact on player development as the quality of the pitch psychologically brings out the best in players. A female supporter commented that: ” … seeing the pitch for the first time, I felt like running onto the pitch as a player.”
All stakeholders, when interviewed, agreed that the general appearance of pitch now encourages people to watch more games and it has given the game of football a more professional image. The players’ technique has improved and the game seems faster. One coach commented that his players had a more positive attitude when playing on the Rufaro Stadium surface. His players seemed to be enjoying the game more on the smooth football turf surface than when they played away from home on an uneven, bumpy natural grass surface.
TECHNIQUE
Coaches, players and spectators all agreed that the players’ technique was better on the Rufaro Stadium surface than on the natural grass pitches in Zimbabwe. Players find it easier to control and pass the ball on the football turf pitch than on the natural grass pitches. Players have complained that the natural grass pitches in Zimbabwe were hard and in most cases uneven, which makes it difficult to control and pass the ball. The referees who were interviewed from the Zimbabwe referees association commented on how well the game flowed and said that they too were happier to be part of the game at the Rufaro Stadium.
The referees further commented that the markings on the football turf pitch do not fade and are clear to both referees and players, which makes it easier to handle the game, especially when the ball is out of play. The clear markings allow the referees to see an infringement from a distance, unlike on natural grass pitches, on which the markings fade and make it difficult to judge when the ball is out of play or whether they were right in awarding a penalty when a player is fouled in the penalty area. One coach commented that the players’ enhanced technique will lead to more of them receiving lucrative football contracts with foreign teams.
DEVELOPMENT
The new football turf at the Rufaro Stadium has led to the field being used more for youth development. Schools are encouraged to use the pitch when the professional teams are not training. Junior teams of professional clubs play games in the morning and the professional teams play in the afternoon. This has helped to fill the huge youth football development vacuum that existed before Zimbabwean football had a football turf pitch.
FREQUENCY OF USE OF THE RUFARO STADIUM
The new Rufaro Stadium was reopened on 26 June 2008 and the new home of Zimbabwean football has been put to full use. Activity on the pitch thus far has been; 4 International games; 14 CAF Club competition games; 190 Training sessions for local teams; 103 League games; 16 Cup games; 12 Friendly games. This does not include the usage by schools and youth groups that also use the football facility.
CONCLUSION
This evidence proves that the new Rufaro football turf has contributed to the development of football in Zimbabwe. Zimbabwean football administrators have acknowledged that the new Rufaro Stadium has helped to instil a more professional approach to the preparation of national teams and they have alluded to the fact that more football turf facilities will be needed in other provinces in Zimbabwe to fast track the development of the game in the country. This would increase the number of people playing the game and help to take Zimbabwe back to their former football glory.
The manager of one of the top professional clubs in Zimbabwe commented:
“ZIFA (Zimbabwe Football Association) should appeal to FIFA to lay another artificial field in Zimbabwe. The new concept of artificial pitch has allowed the Dynamos to grow in terms of their fan base and football strength. Now that we are using the new Rufaro Stadium as our home field, we reached the semi-finals of the African Club Championship, which we had not done for many years. ”
The top Irish professional club, Crusaders F.C. plays in the IFA Premiership. Due to the harsh winter climates, the club needed a synthetic turf alternative to natural grass at its Seaview Stadium.
The club also demands a surface that performs like natural grass and protects the players from impact and lower extremity body movements. After a careful review of the many turf systems, Crusaders F.C. selected the latest Xtreme Turf for its professional players.
The transition to this synthetic football turf at Seaview will be fruitful for the club. The matches at Seaview Stadium in Northern Ireland will be the only field to survive the harsh weather conditions over the winter period. It also allows the stadium to expand its potential uses especially after earning the important FIFA Two-Star certification. This FIFA Recommended Pitch enables Seaview to host international competitions as the FIFA field test confirms the highest playability, safety and performance.
FIFA Preferred Producer for Football Turf, ACT Global Sports is pleased to have supplied Xtreme Turf for the mini-football pitch installation for the Cruyff Foundation.
“We are grateful to be involved with this exciting event. The field will benefit the community by encouraging teamwork and boost the spirits of all the young children.” -Director Chris Clapham
To great interest from journalists from all over the world, the players of the Dutch national team opened the Orange Cruyff Court Hillbrow today in Johannesburg (South Africa). The football pitch with changing rooms and a WorldCoaches office is a gift from the players to the youth of the disadvantaged neighbourhood of Hillbrow. Over the next few years, the pitch will be used to get the township’s youth involved in sport.
The opening was performed by the entire Dutch national squad, together with Johan Cruyff, Ruud Gullit (President of The HollandBelgium Bid) and Henk Kesler (CEO Professional Football of the Royal Netherlands Football Association (KNVB)).
Lasting legacy for South Africa
“The opening of a Cruyff Court is always a special moment, especially with such a delegation in such a special location,” said Johan Cruyff. “However, the opening is just the start. As with every court, we have a multiyear plan for getting the local youngsters involved with the Cruyff Court. In Hillbrow, we work closely with local organisations, such as the Witwatersrand University and Madulammoho Housing Corporation. KNVB’s WorldCoaches will use the court for years after the FIFA World Cup to give the township’s children football training and educate them with life skills – on the basis of my 14 rules that have a place at every Cruyff Court. This means that the Cruyff Court is a lasting legacy for the country.”
The players of the Dutch national team have donated a portion of their match fees to raise the funds of 1 million rand (about € 100,000) needed to build the facilities. The Orange Cruyff Court Hillbrow is a collaboration between the Dutch national team players, the KNVB, the Johan Cruyff Foundation, the Dutch embassy in Johannesburg and the local Witwatersrand University and Madulammoho Housing Corporation.
Feature-writer Guy Oldenkotte looks at the recently introduced FIFA Preferred Producer Programme that sets out to guarantee a standardised, worldwide quality of Football Turf, along with the latest developments from the artificial turf sector.
The FIFA Preferred Producer programme is the latest quality criteria to see the light of day when world football’s governing body realised that standards between FIFA licensees and new suppliers to the market was increasingly difficult for potential buyers to identify. This caused some major concerns, as FIFA recognized that artificial grass will play a significant role in the further development and promotion of the game.
The FIFA RECOMMENDED certification levels – 1 Star and 2 Star – standards only recognised particular installations and it was believed an additional standard was required to guarantee the quality of other similar installations of the same supplier, hence the introduction of a standard that considers the quality of the producer in general.
The FIFA Preferred Producer programme considers the business ethics of the supplier, the way they manage production, as well as experience in installation and maintenance. On FIFA.com the programme is described as follows: “The high standards set and enforced by the FIFA Preferred Producer Concept will subsequently provide consumers with a guarantee that turf produced and installed by FIFA Preferred Producers is of the highest standard and meets consumer requirements. A FIFA Preferred Producer therefore extends their services further than the traditional supplier/installer relationship by continually improving the quality of their product. They will be required to be both a manufacturer of Football Turf who is an established FIFA Quality Concept Licensee, and possess the additional expertise in civil engineering and project management necessary to support all elements required from inception to completion.”
To date, there are five members of the FIFA Preferred Producer programme: ACT Global Sports; Desso Sports Systems; GreenFields; Edel Grass and Limonta Sport.
“The percentage of Football Turf installations around the world that do not meet the natural grass and durability benchmarks of the FIFA Quality Concept for Football Turf is too high,” advised John Baize, Managing Director of ACT Global, one of only five companies on the FIFA Preferred Producer list. “Improvements will be achieved by focusing on quality and performance in each step of the supply chain. It starts with research and development to increase the durability and sport performance. Then the systems should be manufactured in an ISO 9001 environment. Next, the FIFA Preferred Producers are involved in training and monitoring the installation and construction, so that the final pitch matches the top quality of the original lab testing. Finally, we provide maintenance equipment and training to the end user to ensure long-term performance.”
Baize acknowledges that there is still limited buyer understanding in the United States about the benefits of the FIFA Quality Concept due to the differences in field sports. “While the FIFA Quality Concept is a major factor for international buyers, the U.S. market is still learning about the performance benefits of the FIFA Quality Concept. The buyers question whether those principles apply to a market dominated by American Football. We therefore conducted a research study at famed Kyle Field Stadium at Texas A&M University to analyze this. Kyle Field Stadium is an award-winning natural grass stadium that seats approximately 88,000 fans. Our research showed that the performance of this top American Football natural grass pitch would fall within the range of the FIFA Quality Concept for Football Turf.”
Total Quality Commitment
While the number of FIFA licensees on the FIFA 1 Star and 2 Star installation list has grown significantly in recent years, there are only five FIFA Preferred Producer’s at present. It should be noted that the three companies with the most FIFA Recommended installations – FieldTurf, Polytan and Mondo – have yet to sign up to the program.
While the FIFA Preferred Producer programme can place a lot of pressure on new entries into the market, for Desso the introduction meant only administrative changes, as Helga Webers explained: “Desso has been in the industry for the last 30 years. We are completely vertically integrated. The FIFA Preferred Producer programme only required some administrative changes from our side as our in-house service and contracting department has been there for years. They have gained sufficient experience in installing and maintaining football turf fields as the FIFA Preferred Partner programme requires.”
Experience is of vital importance, as the FIFA Preferred Partner programme places ultimate responsibility for the quality of the entire system on the producer, something that was not done before.
The minimal effort required to comply with the new programme allowed Desso to continue focusing on its research, as Helga outlined: “Our 3F Fit for the Future innovation programme has been running since 2004. In this study we have combined several research focuses that ultimately should lead to the development of a more sustainable artificial grass field, which comes even closer to natural grass than existing artificial grass fields. The interaction between players and the surface is thereby elementary for us.”
Complemented with Insurance & Assurance
Edel Grass also claimed its position on the FIFA Preferred Producer list. In line with the initiative, Edel Grass installed the first football pitch with guaranteed performance conditions. This pitch was installed at FC Breukelen in The Netherlands. The project was in cooperation with TenCate Grass and Oranjewoud Sport, and is part of the TenCate Performance Warranty Concept™. This concept ensures a five-year FIFA 2 Star performance warranty with a third party insurance by Allianz Global Risk.
Bas van den Berg, Commercial Director at Edel Grass, has high hopes for the partnership and the contribution to the quality of artificial grass systems. He confirmed: “We are pleased that the manufacturers selected by FIFA are the strongest players – because this will lift the quality and performance level of the end product, which will ensure faster and wider worldwide recognition of the advantages of artificial turf football systems at all levels of the game.”
Warranty and quality is becoming increasingly important, particularly as emerging nations have discovered the advantages of artificial grass and now have the funds to install such fields. But they lack the knowledge and experience to select the best product to meet their specific needs.
Lasting Legacy for Football in Africa
At a sod-turning ceremony in the Mogwase township, outside Rustenburg, in South Africa, FIFA Secretary General, Jerome Valcke explained why world football’s governing body is in favour of installing Football Turf pitches all over Africa: “After the last game has been played we don’t want to say ‘Thank you South Africa, you have been a good host, goodbye.’ We want to make sure we can give to each African country an assurance that in the future there will be football leagues and football academies.”
Money has been made available by the South African national lottery to have 52 Football Turf pitches installed this year alone, while almost all other African nations saw the installation of at least one Football Turf pitch materialize thanks to FIFA’s Win Africa With Africa programme.
Valcke added it was his view that: “African football cannot develop if the issue of the necessary infrastructure that enabled learners to progress was not addressed. You cannot play good football if you don’t have a good pitch, you need good infrastructure and that’s what we are working on. We need the support of our national association and the support of the [local] government to achieve this.”
Extolling the Virtues of Knowledge
Bernd Wutzer of Polytan is well aware of the absence of knowledge in many emerging nations; the company installed the only FIFA 2 Star accredited field out of five artificial grass installations in Nigeria.
Wutzer explained: “It is not that the people don’t have the money; they simply follow the masses, which is not always a good thing.”
Although Polytan does not currently appear on the FIFA Preferred Partner list, Wutzer advised: “Polytan tops the list with installations that have a FIFA 1 Star and FIFA 2 Star quality criteria. We believe that that is the best proof of the quality of our installations.”
The company was recently involved in the installation of a new pitch at the Royal Academy in Morocco, where an artificial grass field was replaced as the initial installation did not meet requirements. Wutzer commented: “The Royal Academy in Morocco had a field installed that used black infill material. This field became very hot during the summer. They therefore decided to have it replaced with a field that uses our new TPE infill material. They also believed that fields without an in-situ shock pad become very hard and that the installed fields did not perform as promised.”
As all Polytan installations automatically include an in-situ shock pad, this problem has been overcome with the new installation.
On ongoing discussion for many years has been how to avoid money being wasted on installations that do not meet with the facility’s requirements. Wutzer said: “Everybody is fighting for better solutions. But only where there is no money for maintenance or little time to look after a field, will artificial grass be the best solution.”
Vast experience and many installations should therefore be important when deciding which company to go with, Wutzer advises.
Stringent Quality Criteria
It is not only emerging nations that could benefit from a more stringent quality system.
“FIFA 1 Star seems to have become the benchmark in the UK for quality and this seems to encompass most of the criteria required at the lower level. However, the most important factor is to have in place a system whereby pitches are tested regularly as to their conformity, since this is the only way to guarantee the quality of the installation over the longer term. This will lead to a greater emphasis on maintenance, which can only be good thing,” confirmed Rick Thorley of Lano. “While many clients ask for a FIFA 1 Star-approved system, they don’t always ask for their pitch to become FIFA RECOMMENDED and it’s only by asking for this that they’ll ensure the pitch has to be well maintained. However, the cost of this is sometimes prohibitive.”
Lano has been involved in several installations in the UK, where schools have proven to be a growing market. But the company also aims at professional clubs, as Thorley highlighted: “I would say that we’re currently focusing on the top end of the market in an effort to ultimately produce the ‘perfect’ playing surface. As clients become more and more aware of the properties of third generation surfaces, they become more clued up as to its shortcomings over the longer term. These include an inconsistent playing surface over different areas of the pitch, a compaction of the surface, and a surface that fails to conform to FIFA 1 Star [status] after a few years. With that in mind, we are continually striving to address these areas and produce a surface that overcomes these failings. With our recent Profoot MXSi installation at The Trafford Training Centre, Carrington, for Manchester United FC, we feel that we’ve certainly moved a step closer to producing such a surface.”
Creating a New Market
The introduction of new or more quality criteria makes it difficult for people unfamiliar with artificial turf and the industry to make an informed decision. For Nigel Fletcher, Managing Director of Sports CSR, Marketing & Event Management, the need for more information and awareness has opened up a new market.
While Fletcher used to be involved in FIFA’s Quality Concept, he has now gone into event organisation, where he recognised a niche in the market. In December 2010, he expects some 3,000 delegates to descend on the RAI in Amsterdam for the inaugural TURF and GRASS EXPO.
Fletcher advised: “This event will simply assist organisations in understanding the benefits of artificial turf. It will give them objective, independent advice on a range of key issues. The idea is to get the facts across to the buyers for them to have the knowledge to make informed decisions. My concern is that the buyers are not always informed of which product, company, standard etc, they should choose, and what is the best value.”
FieldTurf – an industry leader in artificial turf – recently signed up as an official sponsor for The TURF and GRASS EXPO in the ‘Turf’ category.
“FieldTurf will be exhibiting the latest soccer pitch innovations in the world of artificial turf. All of FieldTurf soccer-specific pitches were designed to mirror the best of natural turf surfaces in terms of energy restitution, ball roll, ball bounce, and shock absorption,” said FieldTurf’s Marketing Manager, Jason Smollett.
“The popularity of soccer has skyrocketed in North America. The progression and success of the U.S. and Canadian men’s and women’s national teams have contributed to the soccer craze, along with the success of Major League Soccer (MLS) and the ability of teams, municipalities, and schools to provide their athletes with a quality artificial grass pitch that increases playing time, improves safety, and heightens athletic abilities,” Smollett confirmed. He continued: “FieldTurf is proud to have broken new ground with some significant ‘firsts’ in the world of soccer. FieldTurf was the first artificial turf system selected by an English premiership team, the first artificial surface to attain FIFA Recommended 1 Star and 2 Star status, the first artificial pitch to host a UEFA Cup Qualifying match, and the first artificial grass pitch to host the Major League Soccer (MLS) All-Star game. FieldTurf continues to redefine quality standards in the world of football.”
The TURF and GRASS EXPO will take place on 8 and 9 December 2010 at the RAI in Amsterdam, The Netherlands, where many players from the artificial grass industry will showcase their latest developments and conferences will educate attendees on how to obtain the best artificial turf solution for their venue.
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