However, high concentrations can be a financial burden to the club and are harmful to people and nature. Nitrates and nitrogen that enter groundwater through leaching can make water unsuitable as drinking water and cause the excessive growth of algae in water systems. This affects the natural ecosystem and can lead to depletion of the oxygen in the water. This phenomenon, known as eutrophication, has negative consequences for biodiversity, fisheries and recreational activities. In 2000, the European Commission ratified the European Water Framework Directive in 2000 to stop this from happening. By 2027 latest, EU member states are expected to have established a chemically clean and ecologically sound surface water and ground water system. This inspired the Dutch industry organisation for Sports and Cultural Engineering (BSNC) to commission a study into the actual effect of the current fertilisation programmes used for sports turf, which mechanisms play a role in a possible washout, and what it is that can be done to reduce this leaching. They focused on hybrid turf surfaces in particular, as the popularity of this type of surface has been growing in recent years. “There is a clear difference between water and nutrient management on grass and hybrid sports surfaces,” explains Pleun Lok. He chairs the Hybrid Surfaces Working Group of the BSNC.