Technique Support

ABOUT FOOTBALL TURF

Artificial turf has been around for decades and has been used in different sports – with varying degrees of success and intensity – since the first-generation turf of the 1960s.
Artificial turf

The suitability of unfilled or sand-filled artificial turf systems for football has always been a matter of much debate and it was therefore only with the introduction of third-generation systems (3G), which include both sand and rubber infill, that the surfaces became a true alternative.
It was in this context that FIFA recognised the potential of artificial turf for the further development of football. Due to its resistance to weather and more intense use, it is the best alternative to natural grass. However, there are huge differences in terms of quality between the various systems of third-generation surfaces that are available on the market.
Only artificial playing surfaces which have been tested in the laboratory and on the field according to the stringent testing criteria of the FIFA Quality Programme can be called football turf. This name means that these systems fulfil the quality requirements necessary for football in terms of playing performance, safety, durability and quality assurance.
To identify football turf pitches, FIFA awards the FIFA QUALITY mark to pitches that meet the standard for community and amateur pitches, and the FIFA QUALITY PRO mark to pitches that ensure the highest playing performance for professional-level football.