A Comparison of the Mechanical Charatceristics of Natural Turf and Artificial Turf Football Pitches

Abstract

The aim of this study was to investigate the mechanical characteristics of football pitches such as hardness and traction. Field tests, including an impact hammer test and a traction test, were performed at 13 natural-turf pitches and eight artificial-turf pitches. Based on the field test data, differences between the natural-turf and artificial-turf pitches, and seasonal variations in their mechanical characteristics, and the influence of the presence or absence of turf-grass on traction characteristics are discussed. The main difference between natural-turf and artificial-turf is highlighted in the shape of a rotational resistance curve. Furthermore, the natural-turf pitch had significant seasonal variation in both hardness and traction, while that was not the case with the artificial-turf pitch.