The grass is always greener - a guide to Artificial Playing Surfaces

With new sports facilities popping up all over the country, players are spoilt for choice when it comes to choosing the playing surface best suited to them.

We take a look at the range of artificial surface types available.

1G - “AstroTurf”

This is the classic sand-based, very short, carpet-style pitch.

The term ‘AstroTurf’ is actually a brand name of a type of short pile synthetic turf. However, much like the brands of Sellotape, Hoover, and Frisbee became household names for sticky tape, vacuum cleaner, and flying disk, so too did AstroTurf become synonymous with synthetic turf.

2G - “Sand-based AstroTurf”

The second generation of artificial surfaces was the “Sand-based AstroTurf”. These sprang to prominence in the 1990s. There are still many Astroturf pitches across the country but they’re mostly being phased out and replaced with later generation options. It’s firm surface makes it suitable for a range of sports, but some of you might remember the stinging knee-burns from the nasty mix of rough carpet and sand infill!

3G - “Rubber crumb”

These surfaces have been popping up everywhere for years, and there doesn’t seem to be any sign of slowing down! It’s the familiar artificial grass blade with a rubber crumb infill.

The rubber crumb gives it that familiar ‘spring’ akin to a natural sports field, they perform in all weather conditions, and their reliably bump-free surface make spraying passes across the pitch much easier.

Just beware to take your shoes off outside after your game or risk plastering your floor with your own layer of rubber crumb.

4G - ”No rubber crumb”

There are various new options being advertised as fourth generation artificial surfaces. However, to date, there’s no officially accredited 4G surface. As there’s no official definition, the properties of 4G surfaces advertised varies widely but one recurring theme is that they don’t need a rubber crumb infill. Watch this space.

Whatever your surface preference, Pitchbooking has you covered. When looking for a place to play, our search filters allow you to quickly drill down to the surface type you want.

Thinking about installing your own facility?

And if you’re looking to install your own facility, here’s a list of both national and regional artificial surface providers across the UK and Ireland. Get in touch with us during installation and we’ll help you set up your online booking portal for the facility to give you complete control.

If your company also provides artificial surfaces but is not on the list then just let us know and we’ll add it.