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Field in a box™ part of the Olympic Experience in Scheveningen

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During the 2016 Olympic Experience on the beach of Scheveningen, the Netherlands, Field in a box™ will be shown to the visiting public as the Box full of hopes & dreams©. A temporary mini hockey court of 20 x 40 meters is constructed for the Dutch Olympic Committee NOC*NSF, and the Royal Dutch Hockey Association KNHB. Anyone that wants to experience the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro the best but has no ability to travel to Brazil this year, is welcome on the beach of Scheveningen, near The Hague. During daytime a variety of sports can be played under the guidance of more than 20 different Dutch sports associations, such as the KNHB. In the afternoon and evening, the 2016 Olympic Games in Brazil can be followed live on large screens, and can be enjoyed during media commentaries, other entertainment and the presence of former athletes and former Olympians.

The event takes place from 6 to 21 August and is intended for sports fans, families and other interested parties who want to experience the best of the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro from the Netherlands. TenCate organizes four special days for selected stakeholders and TenCate relations interested in the Field in a box™ concept.

Learn more about Field in a box™ op: www.fieldinabox.com

Learn more about the 2016 Olympic Experience: http://denhaag.com/en/event/40096/olympic-experience

Continued Partnership for TenCate Grass and KNHB

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The Royal Dutch Hockey Association and turf producer TenCate Grass will continue their successful partnership, which began a few years ago at the World Cup Hockey in The Hague. As part of the collaboration, the artificial turf hockey pitch for the new Wagener stadium by TenCate Grass will be equipped with the latest GreenFields® TX surface. This pitch will be built in time for the 2017 European Field Hockey Championships.

The state-of-the-art GreenFields® TX artificial turf pitch, is being developed in close collaboration with elite hockey players and will focus on the optimum properties for player performanceat top international hockey level.

Leading hockey System

Ton Raaphorst, Managing Director of TenCate Grass EMEA, is enthusiastic about the ongoing collaboration: “We are delighted that our excellent relationship will be continued with the KNHB. Along with the KNHB we strive for further sustainable development of our GreenFields hockey systems , aimed at optimum playability opportunities for both elite athletes and grassroots hockey in theNetherlands.”

A renewed partnership

Erik Gerritsen, Director of the KNHB, also welcomed the continued collaboration with TenCate Grass: “The KNHB strives to build long-term relationships with its partners, sponsors and suppliers. We are proud that TenCate Grass in the coming years will remain with us. The extended collaboration also assures us a good playing field for the European Championships in 2017 in Amstelveen.”

Europe’s first Field in a box™ opened in Madrid

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The first TenCate Field in a box™ system is installed and opened in Europe. The first European Field in a box™ was opened in Madrid. The field was commissioned by UEFA. FedEx helped make the installation possible. FedEx is fully committed to social investments in the markets in which it operates. The TenCate Field in a box™ system from TenCate Grass connects sports to social, educational and economic objectives.

TenCate Field in a box™ is an integrated, easy-to-install solution based on an artificial grass system and is comprised of an artificial turf mat of 20 by 40 metres, a foundation and boarding. Materials from TenCate Grass and TenCate Geosynthetics are used as a basis for the system. The system is packaged and delivered in a container, installed on location and equipped with all the extras. The field can provide incentives for employment opportunities and increase involvement from the local population. The system also addresses the global goals of the UN for sustainable development.

Cañada Real Galiana, Madrid
The field in Madrid was provided on behalf of the football organisation UEFA and is located in Cañada Real Galiana, an underprivileged neighbourhood in the Spanish capital. Funding for the installation of the field in Madrid was provided by FedEx. The courier and logistical services company is impressed by the innovative design of TenCate Field in a box™ and in particular by its sustainability. The FedEx Trade Networks division provides international transportation services and can ship the containers all over the world.

Delivering for good
With its global ‘delivering for good’ programme, FedEx is fully committed to social investments in the markets in which it operates. It is utilising its tools and networks to connect local communities to facilities that they would otherwise have no access to. In Madrid, FedEx is working together with Red Deporte Y Cooperación. This local, non-governmental organisation is involved in education, health, integration, peace-building and sports participation. As the main sponsor of the UEFA Europa League, FedEx is working together with the UEFA Foundation for Children and streetfootballworld. That is a global, non-profit network that uses football as a tool to bring about social change and to define communities that could profit most from a sports field. Red Deporte Y Cooperación is a part of the streetfootballworld network.

‘A smart approach’
TenCate Grass has already been approached for cooperation by a variety of institutions and companies both domestically and internationally, explains Hein Heerink. Heerink is product manager at TenCate Grass and co-designer of the system. ‘It is important for us to show that we can take a smart approach to installing artificial grass fields that also have a social objective. The first fields will serve as credentials for future projects.’

GreenFields becomes Official Supplier to PSV Eindhoven

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GreenFields, the innovative market leader in synthetic turf systems, has undertaken to be the Official Supplier to PSV Eindhoven until 2018. GreenFields – part of materials technology company TenCate – will, under the terms of the agreement with PSV Eindhoven, install various new synthetic turf systems at De Herdgang sports complex in Eindhoven, the Netherlands. GreenFields and TenCate will use the PSV sports complex as the FieldLab for sports-related technical research and as a showcase for international customers.

De Herdgang in Eindhoven boasts numerous pitches produced by TenCate and installed by GreenFields, including the main pitch on the youth side, the synthetic turf pitch near the professionals and the innovative FieldLab. All the pitches are equipped with the latest technology related to synthetic turf systems. The mini-pitch, which has already been installed and on which youth teams can enjoy very specific training through the use of innovative techniques, has also been provided with a woven GreenFields® MX synthetic turf system.

More intensive training

Marcel Brands, technical manager of PSV Eindhoven, states that he is delighted with the installation of the new synthetic turf pitches at De Herdgang. “The GreenFields pitches enable all the youth teams to train more intensively and to make even better use of the pitches. And what is even more interesting is the fact that we together with GreenFields are going to look at the development of hybrid pitches.” A XtraGrass™ hybrid system is a combination of a natural grass pitch reinforced with a woven synthetic turf backing. This system is fully recyclable and in part biodegradable.

Innovation driven

Toon Gerbrands, general manager of PSV Eindhoven and Ton Raaphorst, director of TenCate Grass and GreenFields signed the contract earlier this month. Raaphorst is very enthusiastic: “PSV made the sealing of our collaboration an unexpectedly great moment. It was well deserved, as both parties are driven by innovation: on the one hand, sporting innovation and on the other, technological innovation. And don’t forget, GreenFields is the holder of credentials from countless professional sports organisations worldwide, including American Lacrosse, FIFA, World Rugby and the FIH – the International Hockey Federation. GreenFields has more than 3,000 sports pitch installations across the world.”

First Cruyff court in Liverpool installed with TenCate Ecocept™

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GreenFields and the Cruijff Foundation are proud to announce the official opening of the new court in Anfield-Liverpool. The new court is part of a £260 million regeneration of Anfield, courtesy of funding partners Liverpool City Council, Liverpool Football Club and Your Housing Group, working together to improve housing and sporting facilities in the area. There are currently only two existing Courts in the UK, both of which reside in London: Cruyff Court Dennis Bergkamp and Cruyff Court Tottenham Hotspur – the Anfield Sports and Community Centre Cruyff Court will be the first outside of the UK’s capital, and the first which GreenFields have installed.

This particular Cruyff court is very special as it is the first court where the new TenCate Ecocept™ performance sports base is used. TenCate Ecocept™ is a new innovative sports base specifically developed for synthetic turf athletic playing surfaces. Is integrates seamlessly with the synthetic turf product. This product is a new sports base which utilises a 50/50 mix of recycled rubber and plastic, and saves roughly 140 tonnes of materials from landfill for every full size pitch. This system gives an improved shock absorbency for players, due to the stability of the base, and provides several functions in a single layer.

In the meanwhile the Cruyff Foundation, founded in 2003, has installed more than worldwide – including Argentina, South Africa, and Brazil. The foundation supports various projects that encourage young people to exercise in a safe environment.

Football clubs and korfball club in Almelo opt for GreenFields® slide max XQ™

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GreenFields has installed four soccer and one korfball pitch in Almelo during the summer months under instruction from the region’s municipal sports trust. Mid-week evening training sessions on the new surfaces are in full swing, with league games being played at weekends, which has led to very ethousiastic reactions of the players of all clubs.

Selected on intensity of use and durability

The clubs in question were all consulted on the choice of pitch. Nieuwmeier comments: “Representatives from clubs based in the region were involved in the selection process, looking at the different pitch options available. This pitch system came out on top in terms of the intensity of use and durability, in particular. For us, we’re talking around 1,500 hours of use each year. The system will last us twelve years and will retain its properties.”

Football clubs Oranje Nassau and Almelo are based on a complex which sits in the shadows of the Heracles Almelo stadium. Plans to grant the two amateur clubs a couple of new artificial turf pitches have been in place since the re-development of the first division club’s stadium, one year ago.

Joint approach for greater efficiency

The project was a substantial one, albeit that more and more municipalities are choosing to lay a number of artificial pitches simultaneously with a view to maximising efficiency and saving costs. The various stages of work involved – from digging and laying the underlays to installing the turf – took place sequentially, moving from one sports complex on to the next.

Hatko installs second FIFA two star artificial grass pitch with TenCate Grass fibres

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Early may 2015, Hatko installed a second FIFA** pitch in Cyprus using TenCate Grass artificial grass fibres as its base. The pitch is located in Gazimağusa, a town on the country’s east coast, and measures 106 by 76 meters. It is named after the Turkish-Cypriot politician, Rauf Denktaş, who passed away in 2012.

Hatko Dokuma Tekstil insaat Taahhut Ve Ticaret Ltd Sti. is TenCate Grass’ partner in Turkey. The customer opted for the Omega Turf – Hatko’s top of the range pitch. TenCate Grass Middle East Ltd. engineered and produced the synthetic turf fibres within the space of a single week. The entire installation process took just three weeks to complete.

According to Hatko, the Omega Turf is renowned for its unique, curved shape and three ‘spines’, which create a bouncy grass fibre offering excellent flexibility and durability. Testing and analysis performed by Hatko engineers showed that the system’s durability remained uncompromised after as many as 40,000 Lisport Test cycles.

Hatko Sports has been using TenCate synthetic grass yarns for a number of years. The company has successfully completed many sports and landscaping projects throughout Turkey and the Middle East using TenCate technology.

Re-use of re-bounce® shock pad, the highest level of recycling

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In the summer of 2014 not only the artificial turf was relocated, but a complete artificial turf system including a re-bounce® shock pad was removed and reinstalled at another location.

In 2006 a re-bounce® shock pad was installed at the Aspmyra Stadium in Bodø, Norway as part of the artificial turf pitch.

Back then, the choice for the re-bounce® shock pad was made after extensive testing. A test group consisting of football players tested different artificial turf systems in Europe, all with different types of shock pads. In the end they chose for a system including re-bounce®.

During 8 years of intensive use by the Norwegian first league football team FK Bodø/Glimt the pitch obtained the highest certification year after year.

This summer, it was decided that it was time for a new artificial turf system at the Aspmyra Stadium, again with the proven re-bounce® shock pad.

Since it was still in excellent shape, the re-bounce® shock pad has been removed together with the old artificial turf carpet and installed again by Unisport in Saltstraumen, Norway, starting a second life at a different location.

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Saltex Case Study: AKA Arena, Honefoss BK

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Case Study by Saltex
AKA Arena, Hønefoss BK

City, Country: Hønefoss, Norway
Quality: Saltex DROP4009 MTRX PRC10
Size: 7.992 m2
Project included: Removal of the existing artificial grass and installation of Saltex DROP 4009 MTRX PRC10

Background

Hønefoss BK is a professional Norwegian Football club, playing in the Adecco League, with great ambitions. The facilities of such a club, including the stadium field; the stage where it all happens, need to support these sportive ambitions. Hønefoss BK needs a a top level playing field at the AKA Arena.

After four years of use, the existing facility wasn’t meeting the criteria for top football in Norway anymore. This resulted in the field not meeting the FIFA 2 star criteria anymore and complaints from players and trainers about the playing surface related to unnatural ball-behavior like ball bounce, sliding characteristics and back injuries. Finally, the field couldn’t be used for training purposes anymore and a new field was needed.

Based on their experience with the existing field, the club set a number of criteria for the new field to meet. The most important demands from the players were: a better player/ field interaction, easier to turn, more natural ball reaction and less rubber infill splash.

Saltex Solution

Saltex’ solution to support the clubs ambition was a combination of the proven performance and durability of Saltex DROP fiber and the unique Saltex MTRX technique. This combination gives the players of Hønefosss BK the optimal playing field. With proven better ball bounce, rotational resistance and free infill movement, the Saltex Drop MTRX meets the expectations of the players.

Saltex MTRX: with traditional artificial grass systems the fibers are positioned one by one in the backing in a pre determined distance from each other. This way of producing is standard for the industry and this directly shows the limitations in the development of artificial grass. Up until now: by creating natural grass like bundles we create a similar structure like natural grass fields; with the same playing characteristics and experience. A development, which we are the only ones to achieve!

With natural grass as our inspiration we have created the most natural looking, feeling and playing artificial grass pitch available, proved!

User comments:

“Very good, this is reminiscent of what other elite clubs have, very good.” says Mats Andre Kaland.

“The difference between the old and the new grass is that it’s now easier to get under the ball and the sliding is much better”, says Kristian Örn Sigurdsson. He continues: “Many people struggled with back problems last year, I did too, this new field feels much better on the body.”

“The old field had too high ball bounce, the new field feels more natural, also it’s much easier to turn. I think it will make a very big difference for our game.” says Kevin Beugre.

Toni Kolehmainen concludes “The better the field, the more fun it is to play, I think we all have been waiting for this. Now we don’t have to drive elsewhere to train”.

Source: Ringerikes Blad

Alfheim Stadion, Tromsø, Norway

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Alfheim Stadion, Tromsø, Norway

Alfheim Stadion is a football stadium located in Tromsø, Norway and home of Norwegian Premier League side Tromsø IL. The stadium has a seating capacity of 6,859 and artificial turf. It is the northern-most stadium to have been used in European football.

In 2006 a playing surface made of synthetic turf with under-soil heating was installed as the condition of the pitch, especially during the winter months, received considerable criticism from sports pundits and visiting managers. The climatic conditions in Tromsø along with the wear and tear from football matches and practicing sessions, caused the grass to disappear and reduced the pitch to a muddy field. Funding for the artificial turf came from contributions to the club from several businesses in Tromsø, including 7.5 million NOK from an anonymous donor.