Artificial grass is the most popular playing surface for football training grounds because it can be installed indoors and outdoors. These pitches can mimic real grass and they require no effort from a groundskeeper to maintain.
Choosing the best football artificial grass for your facility comes down to budget and whether you are an amateur or professional club.
Hybrid pitches
Hybrid pitches are made from a combination of natural grass and artificial grass. If you’ve ever seen a football pitch that appears to be synthetic being watered, then it’s probably a hybrid pitch rather than a fully synthetic one.
A recent professional example is the hybrid football pitch installed at Elland Road by Leeds United, who purchased a hybrid pitch from Tottenham Hotspur. Tottenham grew the pitch for NFL games and sold it to Leeds for £300,000.
Hybrid pitches offer similar looks and performance to natural pitches with the longevity of artificial pitches. They offer excellent playing comfort.
3G pitches
3G pitches are 100% synthetic. The green blades are made from polyethylene which is the same plastic used to make plastic bags and bottles. The fibres are coated with silicone which helps the grass spring back like natural grass.
The quality of 3G pitches has come on leaps and bounds in recent years. Playing on a good 3G pitch feels the same as playing on a natural pitch, so long as the grass is installed on a high-performance base made from soil and stone.
3G pitches are most often used in training grounds and by amateur football clubs. They are cheaper than hybrid pitches and need no maintenance.
Artificial grass quality
What makes an artificial pitch good quality? It all comes down to materials and product design. The pitch should have an expanded polypropylene base to mimic soil and a combination of blades to provide bounce and texture in play. The artificial grass should be as soft as real grass and look convincingly real.
There is a perceptible difference in quality between cheap and branded pitches as well as artificial grass that’s designed for football or not. You pay for what you get with 3G pitches and hybrid pitches. It’s always best to spend a little more.
Got an exciting football project? We’d love to work with you! Give us a call on (0)1706 260 220 and our sports surfaces specialists will help.
