A woven version of the PlayMaster lay and play hybrid system is the first of a range of more sustainable products Tarkett Sports will release this year. The PlayMaster-Woven hybrid turf cloth was specially developed in collaboration with the Johan Cruijff ArenA and InfraGrass from the Netherlands.
The PlayMaster-Woven contains only 1kg plastic/m2 and is completely circular. The synthetic turf component of this hybrid field carries some unique features. “The 12000 Dtex, 150 micron MET linked monofilament yarn is fused to the backing instead of using latex or PU,” says Arjan Knottnerus, the regional director Benelux for Tarkett Sports.
“The Leno 2D weaving process used for producing this carpet is creating an open backing immediately. It ensures that all gaps are similar in size. The Leno technique we used twists the warp threads that run over the length of the carpet, which fix the weft threads that run cross wise. Some of the threads for the backing are bi-component, whereby the core remains intact but the layer on the outside melts once heated. The melted yarn will fix the pile yarn to the backing,” Ed Donkers, marketing manager of InfraGrass explains.
The hybrid carpet has a special paper attached to it.
“This biodegradable paper is fixed to the carpet at the same time the yarn is heated and gives the carpet more stability for easy installation. More importantly, it retains the moisture in the rootzone and prevents the sand passing through the backing,” Knottnerus adds. “The paper also helps deliver the grass seeds the perfect environment in which to germinate and to root into the soil.”
Tarkett Sports ran successful trials at Hendriks Graszoden, whereby the first layer of grass seeds germinated directly on the paper, while the top was over-seeded.
The paper dissolves naturally within two months of installation of the surface, thus avoiding causing a fault line in the rootzone layer in the long run.
Tested at the Johan Cruijff Arena
The new hybrid surface was tested at the Johan Cruijff Arena in Amsterdam. “It was installed in some sections of the field last summer and the PlayMaster-Woven has performed ever since,” Knottnerus continues. Tarkett Sports is one of the few companies that is part of the Living Lab of the Johan Cruijff Arena. In April, I discussed the tests HI Sports is doing with shoes that can measure the performance and quality of the surface. This article can be read here.
“Tarkett and JCA have been working long time already to improve the cultivation, installation and management of the pitch. By digitizing the turf we have been collecting data for years. This provides us with new insights regarding the various steps, from cultivation all the way to the maintenance of the field,” says Henk van Raan, Director Facilities Management at the JCA. He calls it a logical step for Tarkett to now introduce its PlayMaster-Woven concept.
“In the future, we will further optimize our processes with the help of data and information. Apart from linking the quality of the field to its use, we also anticipate that this will also positively influence costs.”
A PlayMaster (Woven) lay and play hybrid comes in rolls of 4-meter width and the length is variable and tailor-made from 25 meters up to 200 meters length on one roll. The field can last for three to five years. “After that, it can be lifted and cleaned before it is mechanically recycled. At present, we use recycled synthetic turf for the production of our Promax infill. Later this year, we will release more and new synthetic turf products for which we have used recycled synthetic turf,” Knottnerus concludes