The Cymru Football Foundation (CFF) will run a trial on non-fill synthetic turf. Through its CFF Fit-For-Future Facilities programme and in collaboration with football clubs CPD Dinas Bangor 1876 and Nantporth C.I.C., a field will be installed at Bangor City Stadium.
The CFF has allocated GBP 350,000 to install the new pitch.
Non-fill synthetic turf is a synthetic turf carpet that doesn’t hold any infill: neither stabilising sand nor performance infill. It is perceived as being the successor to third-generation or (rubber) infill pitches. Those in favour of the surface point out that this type of surface doesn’t require the maintenance as is currently the case with synthetic turf surfaces presently used for football. They also hail the absence of (polymeric) infill and point out that non-fill surfaces, as such, don’t contribute to microplastic pollution.
However, a non-fill surface contains approximately three to four times more synthetic turf fibres compared to a third-generation surface.
Stadium director Lee Dixon said: “We are absolutely delighted to have received the CFF funding approval, and we thank them for this substantial investment. A combined total project investment of nearly GBP 520,000 will be invested into the current fourth generation (4G) facilities, where we will also provide new state of the art dressing rooms, toilets and catering facilities.
“The state-of-the-art 4G surface will put the city on the map to show clubs around the UK that we are a leader in providing ‘best in class’ sporting facilities.”
Director at the Cymru Football Foundation, Aled Lewis said: “We are thrilled to be installing the UK’s first full-size 4G pitch at Bangor City Stadium. At the Cymru football foundation, we are passionate about testing and trialling innovative approaches and embracing new technology to deliver the best facilities for our communities, and this project represents a significant milestone in the development of artificial pitch technology. I’d like to thank Nantporth C.I.C, Sports Labs and Tiger Turf for their support in developing this project.”
Tiger Turf is part of the TenCate grass group. At present, TenCate is the only major synthetic turf supplier that still believes in non-fill surfaces. All other producers are focusing on mineral-filled surfaces, where the carpet is still filled with stabilising sand.
No FIFA approval yet
International football governing body FIFA currently does not accept non-fill synthetic turf systems for its FIFA quality turf programme. The football governing body is still investigating the surface and the quality standards such a surface should meet.
As it stands, FIFA believes a new set of testing criteria should be developed to establish the quality of such a pitch. Non-fill surfaces are intrinsically different from the surfaces that currently are being approved for the FIFA quality turf programme.