Pros & Cons of Artificial Pitches in Sport
Synthetic grass in sports, or ‘plastic pitches’ have been around in one form or another for over half a century, yet opinions have long been mixed as to the suitability of the surface for sport, especially at a professional level. In its first incarnation, ChemTurf, more popularly known as AstroTurf, was seen as the answer to sporting prayers. An all-weather, durable, high quality playing surface that could be used day in, day out without any damage being done to it seemed too good to be true. Things that seem too good to be true often are however, and this was no exception. Historical Disadvantages The downsides to plastic pitches became obvious in a relatively short space of time. The harder surfaces had far less give than real grass, and a prickly, Velcro-like texture. It soon became clear that players were at risk of sustaining far more serious injuries on this surface than on a regular grass pitch. This was especially true in sports such as football, where players have expos...
