Impressive performance of synthetic grass field in Kloten, Zurich

In the beginning of 2014, the Zurich-based municipality of Kloten saw the installation of a new synthetic turf football pitch. This field currently hosts training and matches of the local football club as well as hosting sporting activities of a nearby school. About 400 junior football players regularly practice on the pitch, making the surface worth the investment from the local town council.

Back when the pitch was freshly installed, a delegation from the Premier League club Arsenal FC actually visited to try out the surface as part of a process of choosing a new synthetic surface for their own training centre in Hertfordshire. The delegation, composed of a few youth coaches and a technical director, conducted a few tests on the pitch and it turned out they were rather impressed by the quality of it: “the qualities of this synthetic grass are remarkable,” said club technical director Jack Ironside. Indeed, this facility in Kloten not only exhibits the same ball behaviour as on natural grass but also provides lower risk of injury.

This surface is based on a new bi-component fibre. The synthetic turf blade consists of a hard core and a soft coat, thus eliminating the conventional support with sand or granules. This new development lead to the Arsenal delegation to be convinced: “Until now, I have not been aware of a synthetic turf without sand infill” says Ironside. This gives the product a good chance to be installed at the training centre of one of English top clubs Arsenal.