The excessive rainfall of the first six months of 2023 has helped Brockfill to showcase its unique ability to remain firmly in place instead of floating away. None of the artificial turf fields installed with this 100% natural replacement of polymeric infill has reported any issue.

For many parts of the world, 2023 is already the wettest year ever recorded. This has caused headaches for a number of municipalities and clubs that had invested in an artificial turf surface with natural infill. Much of their investment went literally down the drain when the air trapped inside the infill or recently installed artificial turf system, caused it to float due to the continuous presence of water.

With Brockfill, this is not the case. Its solid structure gives the particles an over-average weight that, combined with the well-considered shape of the infill and positioning of the artificial turf filaments of the carpet, maintain the infill where it is supposed to be.

As each particle has a unique shape, the infill also crochets together, making it even more difficult for individual particles to float.

New experience

Playing on Brockfill is often a new and a totally different experience, particularly for players who used to play on a field with SBR infill. Contrary to the older concept where the infill provides the shock absorption, Condor Grass has opted to use a shockpad to deliver the required comfort and safety. A shockpad is more consistent, performs much longer and doesn’t require maintenance. The purpose of Brockfill in such a system is to deliver stability to the player, hence the thickness of the layer and cushioning effect is much less than what players used to experience on an artificial turf field with SBR infill. Nevertheless, tests by independent test institutes continually confirm that a field with Brockfill and a shockpad does deliver the performance the various football governing bodies, stipulate.

Growing recognition

In the past few months, several Condor Grass partners have used the wood particles as infill in a variety of installations. Sports & Playgrass used it in a small-sided football court at VV DEES in the Netherlands.

Preparations for the installation of several full-sized artificial turf football fields with Brockfill as performance infill are currently also in full swing.

Following the announcement of two fields for KSVB Driehoek in Belgium earlier this year, football club KWFC from Wuustwezel also confirmed that it will invest in two Condor Grass artificial turf football fields with Brockfill.

Both clubs value the fact that Brockfill is a 100% natural infill that can safely be used, even in areas where stringent legislation protects local wildlife or natural water sources. Natural infills are increasingly becoming the norm, as the European Commission is set to vote on the ban of polymeric infill to prevent it from continuing to pollute the environment with microplastics. It is expected that this vote will happen in July or August this year.

Brockfill is derived from pine trees that have been specifically cultivated for this purpose. The arborists saw to it that they didn’t use any pesticides, to ensure Brockfill remains a 100% natural and safe material.