‘TestbedNordic’ has completed its first cycle of testing and monitoring of four small-sided football fields in Solna, Sweden. The innovation in the first cycle was new environmentally friendly performance infill.
The performance testing and player feedback collated provides both objective and subjective feedback that 75% of the football turf surfaces, on the whole, meet user group needs.
Testing evidence of safety and performance compliance to common international standards confirms this too.
The site with two five-a-side fields and two seven-a-side fields were performance tested on installation. Player feedback was collated through a whole season’s usage (12-18 months) before the field was tested at completion of the programme to provide objective test data that the fields were still compliant.
A Pitch Rater system of ‘1 very poor’ to ‘5 very good,’ similar to that used in UEFA club competitions, was used. A 3.0 would be rated as satisfactory.
Four different infills
The four fields used different infills:
- Organic 201, Amorim Sports
- Olive Pits, Solna City
- Flow GT, Polytan
- Eliá Renufill, Sports Provision
Results
The first results drafted by testing institute Sports Labs are the following:
| Organic 201 | Olive Pits | Flow GT | Eliá Renufill | |
| Hardness | 67% ‘normal’ | 67% ‘normal’ | 77% ‘normal’ | 72% ‘normal’ |
| Grip | 77% ‘good’ | 91% ‘good’ | 77% ‘good’ | 87% ‘good’ |
| Ball roll | 74% ‘normal’ | 82% ‘normal’ | 80% ‘normal’ | 80% ‘normal’ |
| Slipperiness | 87% ‘not slippery’ | 88% ‘not slippery’ | 70% ‘not slippery’ | 77% ‘not slippery’ |
| Pitch stability | 69% ‘stable’ | 97% ‘stable’ | 84% ‘stable’ | 81% ‘stable’ |
| Skin injuries | 62% ‘no skin injuries’ | 79% ‘no skin injuries’ | 74% ‘no skin injuries’ | 74% ‘no skin injuries’ |
| Body experience | 61% ‘felt okay’ | xx | 93% ‘felt okay’ | 94% ‘felt okay’ |
| Ball bounce | 73% ‘ok’ | 91% ‘ok’ | xx | 66% ‘ok’ |
According to the disclaimer, the field with Amorin Sports Organic 201 infill did not pass the test. However, being the first field that was installed, the extended exposure it had experienced was blamed for the lesser results recorded.
All fields recorded over 3200 hours/year usage, with the field with Organic 201 being used up to 3600 hours a year, while the one with olive pits experienced 4486 usage hours.
The project is a joint project between the Stockholm Football Association, Solna City, the Swedish FA and Sports Labs.
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