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Re-Match Turf Tips: When to make a replacement call?
16 August 2016
- When should you as a pitch owner make the replacement call?
A number of (local) conditions will usually play a major role determining the actual, technical lifetime of your artificial turf system. The most important factors include the original product quality of the used infill and carpet; the construction of the base and under layer; the wear and tear from players, maintenance machinery and unauthorized users as well as all-year weather conditions.
- The technical life-time:
- By normal usage, the technical lifetime for standard artificial turf systems average 8-10 years. Hereafter you should be expecting:
- Loop holes in the carpet, which are hard to mend. Thus, players are likely to face a higher risk of injuries. In addition, it may become almost impossible to regain an acceptable playing condition around the mended spots.
- The grass fibers are worn and torn – also, they often lie flat. It may be very difficult to brush up the fibers, making it impossible to secure proper playing conditions (speed of the ball).
- Over time, the volume of external impurities will grow and thereby pose a hazard to the health of the players and create drainage problems. Such impurities may include fractions of glass, metal, pencils, capsules etc.
- During the usage, small particles will loosen from the material fractions of the turf system. These rub-off particles are likely to stick-together and clog up the drainage system. As a result flooding is likely to occur and subsequently the infill will “sail away” – even beyond the boundaries of the pitches. During wintertime, the pitches will be covered by ice, because of a clogged drainage system.
- By normal usage, the technical lifetime for standard artificial turf systems average 8-10 years. Hereafter you should be expecting:
- Costs – maintenance of old and new pitch systems.
- At some point in time, owners of artificial turf systems are faced with maintenance costs for an old turf installation, which are likely much higher than the depreciation of a new pitch.
- In addition, it is worth noting that product development is really moving fast these years. Investment in third or 4th generation pitches will normally help the pitch owner to reduce the maintenance costs considerably – and with clearly improved playability, new pitches are likely to attract a wider crowd of players – maybe from a higher league, which will often overcompensate and justify an investment.
- The technical life-time:
Sponsors are also more attracted to the new generation of pitches. Do not forget to include additional sponsor opportunities in your final calculation.
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