Interview with Lebanese Football coach Jad - ESTC

Question 1: Hello Mr. Jad can you please present your self and tell us what you do?

J: Hello my name is Jad I am a Lebanese football coach, I coach players under the age of 21 in some academies and clubs in Lebanon. I enjoy doing so as I help young talented players in Lebanon to develop their skills and make a career out of it

Question 2: Are the facilities and training grounds you coach on supplied with synthetic turf?

J: In Lebanon most of the clubs didn’t have a lot of Intel on synthetic turf at first and some of the big stadiums had and still has natural grass which makes it difficult for the players in some matches because of the bad conditions of the pitch. Recently sports venues and some clubs upgraded their pitch with synthetic turf, which made it a lot easier and more comfortable for us and for the players.

J: I coach on fields with synthetic turf 4 days a week, especially when I am coaching in the new academies or in football clubs in Lebanon as they are the ones that upgraded their pitches.

Question 4: Is the synthetic turf pitch always in good conditions each time you coach your players?

J: The synthetic turf pitch is always in good conditions and this is what surprises me, I coach a lot on it and there is other trainings and people using it everyday and it held all the pressure and daily use and never bothered me or my players.

Question 5: what advantages did the synthetic turf bring to football, especially for you as a coach?

J: One of the biggest challenges we face in football especially for us the coaches are the injuries. A lot of players were injured not from knocks or severe challenges with other players but because of bad pitch conditions especially when it comes to natural grass. Many players get broken ankles, torn muscles and other injuries. Synthetic turf came as a savior for us because it helped us a lot with preventing these injuries as the pitch is always in good condition and it even boosted the performance of our players, they now have an easier ability to work with the ball, to show their skills, to have control, to pass and play tactically. All of these advantages to the game and to the players are thank to synthetic turf.

Question 6: Can you think of any improvements that could be made to the synthetic pitches?

J: I think the use of the tiny rubber pellets I see on some synthetic pitches should be encouraged as it creates lots of traction and grip, it makes it easier for the players to turn and to be in control of their speed and their body without slipping or falling down. Making this very common or mandatory on all pitches I think would really benefit athletes and reduce the rates of some injuries.

J: In Lebanon the biggest problems in the stadiums or clubs are the lack of maintenance. A lot of big stadiums have no maintenance staff taking care of the pitch which is made of natural grass and needs a lot of care, in contrary to synthetic turf that brings huge benefits as it doesn’t need a staff to take care of it. Second in Lebanon we have a lot of problems with water. A big amount of our water is wasted in the sea and natural grass in big stadiums needs a lot of water to say in good conditions, the synthetic turf does not need any water which means less water is wasted, better for the environment and more affordable for the community.

Question 8: Do you think that synthetic turf has an impact on the Lebanese community?

J: synthetic turf has a very big impact on the Lebanese community, us coaches were searching for something to encourage young players to come out and show us their talents, especially that for some parents believed that there is no future for football for Lebanon. But with the use of synthetic turf in Lebanon and the academies that are opening its doors parents are more confident of the situation of football in Lebanon and are sending their kids out.

J: It plays an increasingly important role. With artificial fields there are nearly no cancelations, which means no delays in
the competition schedule. Due to maintenance periods natural grass pitches cannot be used around 10 to 12 weeks a year whereas an artificial field can be used on a constant level throughout the year. This is a major advantage for clubs as they can organize tournaments during the holidays or use their pitches for other activities inside or outside of the out-of- competition period. Apart from the regular schedule, this is also vital for other factors such as the promotion of youth teams and young talents.

Question 10: Did you notice a difference in a player’s performance between a natural grass field and a synthetic turf one?

J: There is a big difference, a player that is playing on the natural grass has to adapt to the condition of the pitch and is limited by his actions, because sometimes on the natural fields the ball doesn’t respond as the players needs, as for the artificial turf fields, the player is free, he is is not limited by his actions, the ball responds more quickly, passing and rotations are much easier which helps a lot in the player performance.

Question 11: What do the players that you train prefer natural or artificial turf?

J: My players’ train during the weekdays on synthetic turf pitches and on weekends the games are usually played in the big stadiums where some of them have natural fields. I always hear them complain on the bad conditions and that they prefer to play the matches where they train. I even had some players complaining that their shoes where totally damaged because of the bad conditions of the natural pitch

J: Yes absolutely, the pitch helped us a lot as coaches for our techniques as they are much more applicable now and easier to train on and preform. Many techniques failed in game or training because of a wet pitch and bad conditions.

Question 13: Did the new open academies and fields motivate new women football teams?

J: All of the new academies are using indoor fields with synthetic turf; these kinds of fields spread out through the city, and caught the attention of not only men but women also. This pushed some academies to have a women’s team and it worked quite well. These players love to play football and they are doing it on a green clean shiny pitch, not on a muddy wet dirty one and that’s what pushed girls to take part more and more.

Question 14: Are there any restrictions on playing professional football on artificial turf in Lebanon?

J: There are no restrictions for playing on artificial turf, neither for the professional league, nor the amateur league. However most football players prefer to train and play on the same pitch for the professional league it is important to train on the same pitch on which competition is played, because you get the same conditions that is not applicable in Lebanon because some and not all pitches are made of natural grass whereas the training grounds are new and are made of artificial turf.

Question 15: Did synthetic turf help a country like Lebanon to create more spaces and sporting venues?

J: In a country like Lebanon and a city like Beirut there is a high number of population and there is a need of spaces and sporting venues for people to go to and enjoy. Synthetic turf played a big role in this situation as some empty spaces were taken in advantage and synthetic turf fields were placed there.