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Superior Limonta Sport rugby field for Asd Pesaro Rugby

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Asd Pesaro Rugby was founded in 1969 thanks to Tonino Uguccioni, the quintessential President who in 2007 was awarded the “Golden Oval” (Ovale d’oro) by the Italian Rugby Federation, an accolade reserved for those individuals who work to develop rugby. The club, currently in the Second Division, played in the top Championship Division for the first time in its history in the 2016-17 season.

To celebrate its 50th anniversary, a pitch in synthetic turf was installed alongside the natural turf pitch. “The club deserved this development: 50 years of glorious history constructed from hard work, our land, and friendship. In addition to growing the club, the structures also had to be improved. It was an important operation” – The words of the Mayor during the inauguration in November 2019. The result of an undertaking by the Municipality, owner of the grounds, which obtained 950,000 euro funding from CIPE (Interdepartmental Committee for Economic Planning, from the Development and Cohesion Fund 2007–2013) as an investment within the framework of the candidature for “European city of sport”, the operation was for the installation of a training pitch in synthetic turf, an addition to the natural turf pitch used by the first team.

TECHNOLOGY

For the new rugby pitch in synthetic turf, measuring 107 x 67 metres, with a 7-metre try zone, the customer chose an innovative turf solution. TriShape turf consists of a special fibre with a
characteristic structure comprising three sections that are combined and bonded, not twisted, with a diamond-shaped central reinforcement. The unique three-section structure, the textured surface and the special polyethylene polymer guarantee durability and excellent playing comfort. GEOLASTIC, the ecological, eco-compatible performance infill, consists of a blend of plant-based organic materials produced by defibering parts of trees, with a percentage of enhanced brown-colour encapsulated elastomeric granules derived from the mechanical shredding of worn-out tyres.

The system is completed by a performance underlay in closed-cell expanded polyethylene, 23 mm thick, designed to provide very high levels of performance, and surface drainage by means of specially-gouged channels.

Why the Fiber Performance Index Will Change How People Buy Artificial Turf

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Almost everything we buy today — from books to cars — is subject to a rating system designed to help consumers invest in the best possible product. The more reliable the source or individual reviewer, the greater the public trust put in that particular ranking.

For years, organizations investing in artificial turf, did not have an objective source of information to turn to when it came to factors such as durability and resilience in competing surfaces. Thankfully this has now changed however, with the advent of Labosport’s Fiber Performance Index.

Responding to the needs of architects, facility owners and venue operators, Labosport — a sport-surface certification company — introduced the Fiber Performance Index in late 2015. Considered the first true measurement of fiber quality, the FPI establishes a rating for turf fiber and helps turf consumers understand and weigh the qualities of an individual product’s turf fibers.

FieldTurf is actively involved in the FPI programme, which as an independent concept, focuses on three key factors:

Durability,
measured by UV exposure and fiber wear resistance

Resilience,
measured by the recovery of the fiber after compression

Softness,
measured by the feel of the fiber

These key aspects are measured by 4 specific tests:

• Tear: Measures a fiber’s cross tenacity; this test is commonly used by the plastics industry for quality control purposes.

• Recovery: Measures fiber resilience after an exhaustive 6,000-cycle compression test; this test uses specially designed
equipment to reproduce athletes running on a field.

• UV: Measures a fiber’s resistance to UV exposure; this test is designed to match the most demanding standards.

• Feel: Measures a fiber’s softness using an innovative method from the consumer goods industry; qualified technicians conduct this test, and results are processed through a statistical model to ensure repeatability and accuracy.

Fiber is measured after undergoing this battery of tests and is then assigned a grade based on a scale of 1 to 100 in each category. The result is a final Fiber Performance Index number, which describes the overall fiber quality. The higher the number, the better.

An example of a FPI score would look like this:

Tear: 51

Recovery: 82

UV: 48

Feel: 62

Fiber Performance Index: 62

It’s important to remember that the choice of fiber is only one of many important decisions that need to be made when installing an artificial turf field. As significant as the FPI is, other components of the turf system — such as infill, backing, drainage and construction — are equally important. The best combination of them all results in the artificial turf field of your dreams.

At FieldTurf, we continue to certify our systems according to the FPI programme, making it easier for all project stakeholders to make an informed choice.

New rugby field Amsterdam moved in only 2 days!

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Following the example of major European clubs such as Cardiff Arms Park Cardiff Blues, the National Rugby Center Amsterdam and the AAC Rugby union also received a world-class artificial turf rugby field at Sportpark ‘De Eendracht’.

The synthetic turf system at Sportpark ‘De Eendracht’ consists of a high quality artificial grass field from FieldTurf on top of a shockabsorbing ProPlay layer.

Despite the bad weather the almost 12,000 m2 field was moved within two days. On the first day, a team from K.S.P. moved the ProPlay in collaboration with Bas Lodewijkx Synthetic Grass Specialist. On the second day, J & E Sports BV immediately moved the grass. Due to the bad weather conditions it was a huge challenge to get the job done. Thanks to the workmanship of KSP, Lodewijkx and J & E Sports BV the installation went smoothly.

ProPlay shockabsorbing layers are globally leader in the field of shockabsorbing products for artificial turf. The combination of great shock absorption, pleasant play behavior, optimal sport technical characteristics and 25 year warranty are worldwide unique.