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FieldTurf, AstroTurf put their money where their mouth is
2 Aug, 2009 By: Ron Hall Athletic Turf NewsSeparate (and almost simultaneous) announcements by synthetic turf competitors FieldTurf and AstroTurf that they're partnering in ambitious research efforts with two of the nation's finest turfgrass programs is great news for the industry. FieldTurf has hooked up with Penn State and AstroTurf with the University of Tennessee. (See announcements below.)
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Apart from leading to a better understanding of the characteristics of different sport surfaces in terms of player performance, player safety, maintenance and environmental considerations, the willingness of the two companies to collaborate with respected programs indicates three things to me:
• The two companies have a long-term commitment to the industry;
• they're confident of the quality, safety and utility of their products;
• and perhaps most importantly, they're serious about developing the best synthetic sports surfaces that they can.
In the case of the Penn State program, this will include research into all types of sports surfaces. Dr. Andy McNitt, who will be managing the new Center for Sports Surface Research at Penn State, says that although 80% of the research effort will be directed at synthetic and natural turf systems, surfaces commonly used for basketball, track and, as the program develops, other surfaces will be scrutinized as well.
"We hope to break ground relatively quickly," said McNitt. "We hope to have the first group of plots installed yet this fall." Much of the research at Penn State will take place at the Joseph Valentine Research Center located within sight of 107.000-seat Beaver Stadium. "All of this research will be going on n walking distance of the campus, which will be great," he added.
The Penn State effort -- 10-months in the making and fueled by financial support from FieldTurf and the University -- will involve researchers and experts from more than a half dozen disciplines -- kinesiologists (focusing on human movement and physical activity), sports surface experts, toxocologists, soil scientists, athletic trainers and field maintenance professionals, to name a few.
The Center for Sports Surface Research has a five-year agreement with FieldTurf and the Unversity, but McNitt said he will be working to secure additional funding to continue and expand the program because he sees a great need within the industry for quantifiable, reproducible data about the performance of various sports surfaces.
"We want to take performance and safety to another level. I think this is a start," McNitt added.
The AstroTurf/University of Tennessee collaboration, a year in the making, is no less ambitious although it focuses more specifically on synthetic turf and natural grass fields.
The fact that the two companies — competitors in the lucrative synthetic turf trade — have turned to some of the most respected sports turf researchers in the nation, not only to validate their marketing claims, but also to broaden everyone's knowledge of sports surfaces should be applauded.
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