Time for Turf

The trend may be irreversible. Each year, hundreds of football practice and game fields are converted from natural grass to synthetic turf. That’s not surprising, considering that today’s turf systems provide safe, consistent, all-weather playing surfaces that can be utilized 24/7 by not just the football team but by a long list of other sports and activities. ¶ Rick Doyle, President of the industry support group Synthetic Turf Council (STC), recalled a remark made by a board member at a recent meeting. “He commented that there were a total of eight ‘third generation’ infilled synthetic turf sports fields in the U.S. in 1997,” said Doyle, “and today, the estimate is 3,000-3,500.” According to the STC, the number of new turf installations, which is currently estimated at 650-800 per year, is expected to increase 10-20% each year over the next ten years. If true, by 2018