TigerTurf offers redesigned synthetic turf

Synthetic turf is continuously being modified, improved, and developed in order to meet the needs of the customer and to push the boundaries of the market sector.

From the early 1980's, a handful of English Football Clubs took the plunge and installed plastic pitches at their grounds on the proviso that they would withstand heavy and regular use and would be more tolerant of adverse weather conditions than natural grass.

The problem was that the performance, safety and aesthetics of the surface were all overlooked and by 1988 the English FA banned plastic pitches for professional use.

Since then the road to recovery has been a slow one.

With much resistance from players, fans, clubs and football governing bodies to consider the concept again, it seemed unlikely that there would ever be a replacement or alternative for natural grass.

Although it appears as though a new generation of synthetic turf has altered some opinions.

In some parts of Europe, there has been increased interest in synthetic turf pitches over recent years.

Synthetic turf for football hasn't been customised or adapted, it's undergone a complete transformation.

Gone are the days of players being frightened to tackle through fear of joint injuries or friction burns, no longer does the ball bounce about like it's in a pinball machine and the appearance is so lifelike you would be forgiven for thinking it is natural grass.

It has been redesigned to replicate natural grass as much as possible.

Each element of the system has been carefully designed to imitate every performance characteristic of a natural turf pitch.

From the ball-surface interaction to the player safety and comfort, each element is stringently tested to performance criteria that matches or surpasses the quality standards of natural grass.

The choice of products within the football turf selection has also massively progressed.

From a specification point of view the options are vast to say the least.

The yarn which replicates the blades of grass can be made of different types of plastic, extruded differently (and therefore be of varying forms), they can have a shape or profile in their spine to encourage blade recovery or infill encapsulation and the thickness (dtex) of the yarn can affect the aesthetics, weight and density of the finished turf.

On top of variations with yarn specification, the construction specifications also play a big part in the finished product and can affect the product density, pile height, weight and texture.

All of these possible combinations will greatly determine performance, durability, aesthetics and longevity.

In today's UK market most local community and education centres are turning to synthetic turf to offer an all weather solution for their playing fields or football pitch.

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