Where meteorologists fear a super El Niño weather phenomenon later this year which could lead to widespread droughts and heat in the Australasian region in particular, clubs and associations in this region continue to prefer wet synthetic turf hockey surfaces over Dry turf. What is happening with this product that was developed to stimulate the popularity of hockey worldwide by making surfaces less reliant on potable water?
By: Guy Oldenkotte
The FIH lists 70 different Dry turf products from 16 producers that are certified as complying with the FIH Dry turf innovation category. Yet the list with installations that are Dry turf certified only contains 17 clubs. Three of those installations (two in France and one in Japan) are actually the beneficiaries of surfaces that were used for hosting the Olympic tournaments in these countries. It is a disappointing number given the growth hockey is experiencing. In particular in India, the old hockey powerhouse that lost touch with the sport once synthetic turf surfaces became more common, the focus is still on wet surfaces.
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