Artificial grass facilities are increasingly popular, from amateur games right through to the top levels of professional sport. In short, their popularity is due to the fact they are less susceptible to poor weather conditions and can be utilised for upwards of 50 hours a week.
But this ability to handle higher volumes of activity means that maintenance of the facility is of increased importance, perhaps even more so than on natural grass facilities.
The sport governing bodies each release their own detailed guidelines for maintenance. We have listed a few resources that may be of interest:
We have outlined some basic maintenance guidelines taken from the above guidance to ensure your facility continues to perform at its best.
Regular Maintenance
Brush the surface
How often you need to brush the surface is directly proportional to the amount of use the facility has. Generally it is recommended the facility is brushed every 40 playing hours. For most facilities we deal with, this equates to roughly a weekly brushing as a minimum.
The main effect of brushing is to level the infill to ensure the uniformity of the surface. A second important reason for brushing a synthetic pitch is to prevent pile lean and pile flattening.
Many synthetic fibres have a tendency to lean in a particular direction or flatten with use. To overcome this, regular brushing in all directions will help to keep the fibres upright and nondirectional. Always brush in different directions, as brushing in one direction will tend to cause the fibres to lean in that direction. This will result in different ball roll characteristics in different directions. The high-wear areas will require additional attention as these zones will obviously have the most disrupted infill and pile flattening due to the intensity of the play. It is most effective to brush the surface when it is dry and during the cooler part of the day, usually in the morning.
Monitor the Infill level
High wear areas are especially prone to disruption of the infill. An example of this would be the penalty spot on soccer facilities.
Ground staff should be aware of this and be prepared to top up on a more regular basis than is necessary for routine brushing. It may be necessary to top up these areas every day during intense use. When material begins to accumulate at the edges of the pitch, debris should be removed from it and the accumulated material cleaned and brushed back into the main pitch
Keep the surface clean
Wherever and whenever contaminants are present, remove them as soon as possible. No food or beverages should be allowed on the field. Equally problematic is chewing gum, although this can be simply remedied by freezing the offending gum, which can then be broken out of the pitch when it has become solid. Smoking should be strictly forbidden.
Organic material, such as leaves, pine needles and grass on the pitch can interact detrimentally with the granulate if not removed. The possible result of this mixture is that the pitch becomes harder, there will be poorer drainage and all of this will result in algal, moss or weed growth. The problem with organic material can occur throughout the year. In the most vulnerable periods, the pitch should be cleaned daily.
__Less frequent maintenance __
Decompaction
Check for compaction of the infill, particularly in the high-use areas. Contact the installation company if you observe this and they will advise accordingly. Some installation companies supply equipment for overcoming this problem: others will undertake the work themselves under a maintenance contract. The maintenance manager can easily check for compaction by bouncing a ball on the surface. A surface with uneven compaction will show variable ball bounce, and a high ball bounce will often indicate loss of or compacted infill.
Check Seams
If the seams have failed in any place, contact the installation company as soon as possible and insist on an immediate repair under the terms of the warranty. Do not attempt to undertake the repairs yourself.
Irrigation and Waterfall
Football turf pitches will heat up during periods of warm weather. The surfaces can become so warm as to be noticeable to the players. Furthermore, a heated surface can contribute to a friction burn due to the fact that a skin temperature of approximately 60°C will potentially produce a skin burn. Water has several effects: it will lubricate and cool the surface, stabilise the infill and consequently reduce loss of infill. After heavy rainfall, it is advisable to check the infill levels as they may have become disrupted. This can be particularly significant if the pitch has a slope and the infill has migrated with the slope.
Pitch Cleaning
When a pitch begins to show signs of significant compaction and accumulation of detritus, or when permeability problems occur, use specialist machines that are capable of removing a proportion of the infill materials, cleaning them and reintroducing them back into the surface. These procedures are normally undertaken by specialised maintenance companies or the installation company.
Winter Maintenance
Pitches with undersoil heating offer players comfort in the winter as, in most cases, they will deliver almost the same quality of playing surface as in the summer. However, undersoil heating can be expensive to install and operate, and mechanical removal of snow is usually still required. Mechanical removal of snow from the pitch should only be done by trained personnel using specially designed equipment, approved by the manufacturer. Incorrect equipment and/or careless use may cause severe and costly damage. De-icing chemicals must be used with caution as they might affect the environment, the players’ shoes and clothes, and even dressing room floors. The manufacturer must always be consulted before using any kind of chemicals.