The decision by the International Hockey Federation (FIH) to postpone the introduction of dry turf at top level for the time being says less about the quality of the current innovations and more about the change that developed hockey nations will have to make.
The FIH’s decision to have the 2026 World Cup in Belgium and the Netherlands played on a water-based synthetic turf surface after all, sparked rumours about the status of the latest development. The FIH took the decision fairly shortly after its first official test with this type of surface in Oman in January this year. Proponents of the decision pointed to the unusually high number as well as the severity of injuries that forced several participants in the Hockey5s World Cup to leave Oman prematurely. The FIH put its decision into perspective by pointing to the need for the World Cup organisers to take certain decisions this year. “The pitch in Belgium’s new national hockey stadium will be installed this year and its original budget and design did not include a sprinkler system. By taking this decision, we will give the organisation ample time to adjust the budget and design to still have a World Cup quality surface installed,” the FIH said in its announcement. Yet Jan Willem Boon of Polytan, FIH Olympic and World Cup Hockey Turf Partner, is anything but disappointed. “We already meet the criteria the FIH has set for dry turf,” he says. “The Paris Olympics will be played on a dry turf pitch that has been tested as such. The only difference is that the organisers knew beforehand that it is allowed to spray the pitches. They will do so because it is expected by the players. These players have not had enough time to become familiar with a completely dry synthetic turf hockey surface.”
Boon claims that the concept is being increasingly well received, especially in those countries for which the FIH envisaged an improvement. “People in Africa are lyrical about the pitch,” he notes, referring to the first approved dry turf pitch in South Africa. Such a pitch has also already been built in France, Germany, and England, and at an arid site in Namibia. These too are said to have been well received. “When you have seen the surface they played on before, you will understand that this is quite an improvement for these clubs, both in terms of the sports as well as the providing of a quality surface. They are now no longer dependent on scarce water to still play the type of hockey that is played by the established hockey nations. It also saves in the construction costs of the pitch.” It is precisely these kinds of savings that were the point of departure for the FIH logic behind dry turf.
Requires change of mindset
Boon calls the ease with which we have access to clean water, especially in Europe and North America, as the limiting factor for embracing the new development. “Water is so cheap and readily available in these regions that we don’t consider its use for watering sports surfaces to be wasteful.” Matthijs Verhoef of CSC Sport/Greenfields concurs. “Hockey players in India, Spain, Australia, Germany and France already have embraced our dry turf concept. When asked for their preference, they will mention a wet surface first. However, next comes our Pure EP, well before their choice of a water pitch in dry conditions, let alone a sand-dressed synthetic turf surface.” Both Verhoef and Boon are concerned about the negative attitude in many Western countries. “We focus too much on the negatives,” states Verhoef. Boon adds, “Especially in the Netherlands, you have very much a ‘Yes but’ attitude, plus everyone expects their opinion to be considered.” Both believe it is only a matter of time and habituation before dry turf is widely embraced, even in Western countries. “Players initially describe the pitch as annoying or troublesome. It takes them three to four months to get used to it. Once they are familiar with the surface, they admit that they can play perfectly well on this surface,” Verhoef argues. The reason is obvious, says Chantal Mies. “This surface allows you to apply techniques that you cannot do on sand-dressed surfaces,” says the Head of Infrastructure Affairs at the Dutch hockey federation KNHB. Facilitating the 3D hockey that characterises modern hockey was precisely one of the parameters for which the FIH adjusted the requirements for dry turf. “It is very important to bring these kinds of differences to the forefront when a club is considering investing in such a concept.” According to Mies, wearing the right footwear can also make a difference. “I applaud it when players match their footwear to the pitch. In the past, you used to have one type of shoe for all kinds of surfaces but that has changed over the years. The same now applies to dry turf: this type of surface also requires its own shoe design.”
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New concepts
The decision to pursue dry turf prompted the World Hockey Federation to also adapt its quality criteria to the modern game. This had major implications for tufters and synthetic turf producers, for whom water had become an essential component to achieve the desired stability, grip and comfort. The FIH established a special Innovation Category for dry turf products to meet the challenge. Verhoef understands the FIH’s thinking. “The current synthetic turf surfaces for hockey cannot do without water. As soon as you remove that component, the surface becomes rigid and the grip changes. We have chosen to move away from the existing ideas and opted for a radically new approach that is ‘dedicated’ to no more water.” Verhoef believes that both the FIH’s call-out and the prevailing opinion among clubs and players make it precisely necessary to take a radical step. “We can no longer continue to slightly adjust the dials to achieve radical improvements.” This video explains the thinking behind the CSC Sport/Greenfields surface. According to Verhoef, the critical initial user experiences are easily explained. “Firmness or slipperiness is not something you can simulate in a lab situation. That only emerges once players experience it. Hence, the first installations are mainly to provide us feedback to improve the product.”
Polytan has a different view on taking on the challenge. “We have added an extra additive to improve the properties of the fibre for a dry turf pitch,” Boon states. They believe that achieving the FIH requirements can be done within the existing thinking about synthetic turf hockey surfaces. Polytan can do so, as they control every step of the production of synthetic turf (surfaces). They do their own compounding of the raw materials as well as the extrusion, tufting and coating.
Realistic expectations
Many countries in the northern hemisphere present dry turf developers with an additional challenge than, say, the hockey community in Africa. “A dry turf pitch must offer the same playing characteristics and experience as a wet surface, but without water. Such a situation is only possible in places with little to no precipitation, where the air is dry or where they experience a lot of evaporation,” Verhoef says. “Generally speaking, the climate in countries like the Netherlands and other northern European countries can be considered as wet or humid at the least. If it is not from a rainy shower, then it is because of morning dew. Also, many fields here are in the shade for much of the day, which will result in two different playing characteristics on the same pitch. Yet we expect synthetic turf manufacturers to deliver a uniform experience all over the surface and an experience that matches what we know from playing on a water surface.” The better homogeneity of playing characteristics as well as the improved chance of performing the modern game of hockey are additional reasons why countries in dry areas are more likely to embrace this innovation much quicker.
Mies understands the frustration Verhoef voices but argues that it is inevitable that countries like the Netherlands embrace the innovation too. “We will have to adjust our dependence on water anyway, irrespective of natural conditions. The periods without any rainfall are getting lengthier. In addition, water abstraction, particularly in the coastal areas, is becoming increasingly problematic because it can lead to salinisation.”
Don’t underestimate the shock pad
Clubs or municipalities considering renovating an existing watered turf to a dry turf surface are warned that they should also reassess the shock pad. Verhoef points out the selection of the shock pad is vital to the success of the surface. “Due to the thin carpet, you actually want a firmer shock pad or else everything will curl up,” he says. The significance of the selection of the shock pad is partly caused by the adjustment of the quality criteria for dry turf. “A dry turf pitch looks more at the dynamic properties of a pitch. It is therefore assessed based on new parameters. For example, the ball bounce has now become an angled ball bounce,” Marcel Spaan of Schmitz Foam Products explains. It is a criterion that FIFA and World Rugby are also considering to assess for synthetic turf pitches. The consequence, however, is that for the interim assessment of a new development, parties are heavily dependent on testing laboratories. They are the only places which already have the new test set-up for testing the “angled” ball bounce on a synthetic turf system. Given the volume of (new) pitches for the various sports for which they have to establish the parameters, it is a process that takes more time than many had anticipated.
Spaan also agrees that a dry turf pitch requires a thinner, denser shock pad. “It needs to be stiffer and more compact to provide robustness and stability to the pitch.” For the time being, he expects that their shock pad for water-based pitches will also suffice for dry turf.
Hopeful
Despite all the challenges, Mies is satisfied with the way developments regarding dry turf are progressing. “The number of products is increasing. Lano Sports and Edel Grass also have a product certified by the FIH. It is better for everyone when there are several suppliers, each with its own solution to the challenge.” She says that, in an ideal world, there should be some 15 to 25 dry turf pitches from different suppliers out of the 900 synthetic turf hockey surfaces in the Netherlands to help those interested to make an informed decision.
CSC Sport/Greenfields is already pushing for more installations. “I expect that we will have installed at least 10 of these fields by the end of the year,” says Verhoef. Their product has already been approved by the authorities that govern the quality and safety of sports infrastructure in the Netherlands. Boon hopes the Olympic hockey tournament in Paris will stir up some extra interest. “We only need one club willing to stick its neck out so that hockey players in the Netherlands can experience our system.” It is a claim Edel Grass and Lano Sports will also certainly be making, as will any other synthetic turf installing company for which a dry turf concept has been approved. Mies sums it all up succinctly: “The need for dry turf is inescapable but it requires adaptation by all parties involved: a new surface by the suppliers to make that possible but also clubs and players open to change. We just have to give it a good chance to make things possible and to enable the surface to succeed.”
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