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[No.74] NFLPA President JC Tretter calls on NFL to get rid of artificial turf.

[No. 73] English Rugby Players’ Association call for an end to artificial grass pitches. June 2019.

[No. 72] U.S. National Soccer Team Players Association - No artificial turf, no sod on top of artificial turf either. May 2019.

[No.74] NFLPA President JC Tretter calls on NFL to get rid of artificial turf. SynTurf.org, Newton, Mass. 31 December 2021. We have known for a long time how much NFL players like to play on artificial turf fields! That statement however would be true only if we did not have the data to show the contrary. Long before the League office or the owners’ association nixed the annual players’ survey of playing surveys, we would post, from time to time, on this page, the results of those surveys. See for yourself why NFL players would say time after time that playing in artificial turf hut them and cut their careers shorter than if they played on grass fields. See the posts on this page http://www.synturf.org/playersview.html at Items Nos. 47 [No biennial (2011-2012) ‘NFPLA Survey of Playing Surfaces’ to be issued in February 2013]; 39 [NFL Players Field Survey (2010): Artificial turf is more likely to contribute to injury, soreness and fatigue, shortened career, and negatively impact quality of life after football]; 24 [NFL Players Field Survey: Artificial turf is more likely to contribute to injury. (2008)]; 5 [2006 NFL Players Playing Surfaces Opinion Survey]. And, from time time, we have advocated for the NFL and other professional sports that play of grass-like surfaces to make the effort to eliminate or limit significantly their play on artificial turf as a matter of workplace safety and health issue through collective bargaining. See, for example,  http://www.synturf.org/health.html Item No.  94 [For soccer players artificial turf is an issue of occupational safety and health] [some European attempts at collective bargaining approach]; http://www.synturf.org/playersview.html (Item No. 59 [French professional soccer players’ union calls for end to synthetic turf fields]. See also Patrick Barnard, Pimento # 3: Happy Birthday SynTurf.org!!! 15 March 2017 on You Tube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G4GCkPWBYqg .

So it came as no surprise to see that the NFL Players Association President JC Tretter take pen to paper and publish an open letter on the Association’s website https://nflpa.com/ in September 2020, calling for an end to artificial turf in the NFL until the industry can engineer a product as safe as natural grass. Drawing from his own experience as a player, Tretter points to the “unforgiving nature of artificial turf compound[ing] the grind on the body [players] already bear from playing a contact sport.” “On synthetic surfaces,” he writes, “there is less give, meaning our feet, ankles and knees absorb the force, which makes injury more likely to follow.” Pointing to the data, he continues, “Specifically, players have a 28% higher rate of non-contact lower extremity injuries when playing on artificial turf. Of those non-contact injuries, players have a 32% higher rate of non-contact knee injuries on turf and a staggering 69% higher rate of non-contact foot/ankle injuries on turf compared to grass.” Following the reveal that NFL and NFLPA has tasked the artificial turf manufacturers to produce a product that is as safe as natural grass, Tretter writes: “Until a product is developed that satisfies engineering specifications, we must take steps to protect players fron unsafe field surfaces.” “In short,” he urges, “NFL clubs should proactively change all field surfaces to natural grass.” (Emphasis in original). Wisely, Tretter brushes aside the tired old excuse of weather as the reason for having artificial turf fields. He writes: “Climate and weather are not barriers to natural grass practice or game fields. Cold-climate teams like the Packers, Steelers and Browns successfully maintain natural grass fields. Indoor stadiums shouldn't be a barrier for grass fields, either. The Cardinals and Raiders have figured out how to provide a natural grass playing surface indoors. Agronomically, natural grass field surfaces are possible everywhere.” (emphasis in original). In another reveal, Tretter write: “Our union has raised this concern repeatedly over the past few years, and we believe it is now time for a complete overhaul. Our occupation is dangerous enough, and the increased rate of lower extremity injuries linked to the field surface we are forced to play on is unacceptable.” “The NFLPA,” he emphasizes, “is advocating for teams to convert artificial practice and game fields to natural grass fields.” (Emphasis in original).

For Tretter’s letter title “Only Natural Grass Cab Level The NFL’s Playing Field” in its entirety go to https://nflpa.com/posts/only-natural-grass-can-level-the-nfls-playing-field  (pdf) . For news stories that followed the publication of Tretter’s letter, see Jake Trotter, “NFLPA President Calls On NFL To Eliminate Artificial Turf,” on RealGM,  30 September 2020, at https://football.realgm.com/wiretap/44886/NFLPA-President-Calls-On-NFL-To-Eliminate-Artificial-Turf (pdf) (about Tretter’s videoconferencing with the media); Billy Heyen, “MetLife Stadium turf, explained: Why NFL players keep getting injured against Jets, Giants,” on Sporting News, 4 October 2020, at https://www.sportingnews.com/us/nfl/news/metlife-stadium-turf-nfl-injured-jets-giants/1ifxmbcsuckp21lhvlnsjcz5y2 (with material about the other stadiums) (pdf); Mike Deprisco, “NFLPA's DeMaurice Smith Calls on NFL to Address Turf Issue, Wants All Grass Fields,” on WRC-TV (NBC affiliate in Washington DC area – Channel 4), 2 October 2020 (“D” Smith is the Executive Director of the National Football League Players Association),  at https://www.nbcwashington.com/news/sports/nbcsports/nflpas-demaurice-smith-calls-on-nfl-to-address-turf-issue-wants-all-grass-fields/2433835/ (pdf).

[No. 73] English Rugby Players’ Association call for an end to artificial grass pitches. According to a news article in The Telegraph (6 May 2019), “[t]he Rugby Players’ Association is demanding a halt to the construction of artificial grass pitches [AGPs] at Premiership level after mounting concern over the injury risk posed by plastic surfaces. There are three AGPs in the Gallagher Premiership at Saracens’ Allianz Park [London], Worcester Warriors’ Sixways and Newcastle Falcons’ Kingston Park stadiums. Data from the past five seasons compiled in the Rugby Football Union’s Professional Rugby Injury Surveillance Project (PRISP) shows that it takes 39 days to recover from an injury sustained on an AGP versus 30 days on grass. Lower limb injuries, including toe, foot and hamstring, are most prevalent on AGPs.” Source: Daniel Schofield, “Exclusive: Players demand end to new plastic pitches in Premiership as concerns mount over increased risk of injury,” in The Telegraph, 6 May 2019, at https://www.telegraph.co.uk/rugby-union/2019/05/06/players-demand-end-new-plastic-pitches-premiership-concerns/

[No. 72] U.S. National Soccer Team Players Association - No artificial turf, no sod on top of artificial turf either. According to a news report in Wall Street Journal (20 April 2019), “[t]he U.S. Men’s National Team players association criticized the U.S. Soccer Federation’s plan to hold an upcoming game on a sod field laid atop artificial turf, saying the setup puts players at increased risk of injury. On Thursday [18 April] morning, the soccer federation announced the Men’s National Team would play Venezuela on June 9 at Cincinnati’s Nippert Stadium in its last friendly before the Concacaf Gold Cup starts June 15. The venue has an artificial surface.” Source: Rachel Bachman  “U.S. Men’s Soccer Players Oppose Play on Temporary Grass,” in Wall Street Journal, 20 April 2019, at  https://www.wsj.com/articles/u-s-mens-soccer-players-oppose-play-on-temporary-grass-11555668000 . Meanwhile, the Washington Post (18 April 2019) had reported the U.S. National Soccer Team Players Association saying in a statement on Thursday [18 April] that “ ‘[t]he United States Soccer Federation is not advancing the interests of the sport of soccer or the interests of the players or the fans, but is solely focused on generating ever-increasing revenues and profits for the federation, its employees, its sponsors, and private businesses associated with the federation.’ The union released an April 2 email it said it sent to USSF President Carlos Cordeiro in which players said the friendly ‘would be waste of time and resources, is a threat to player safety, and would be damaging to the effort to develop the United States men’s national team and help the team achieve competitive success.’ … Players said ‘a game played on sod on top of artificial turf will be a waste of 90 minutes and also presents a substantially increased risk of player injury.’ ‘We do not know if the decisions about field selection are being made to reward MLS owners or to seek a venue where fans have been supporting their MLS team in significant numbers,’ the union said, ‘but it appears that either some sort of economic motivation or a deal with MLS or a lack of understanding of the many problems associated with sod on an artificial surface, or some combination of those factors has led to this decision.’”  Source: Associated Press, “US players object to exhibition vs Venezuela in Cincinnati,” in Washington Post, 18 April 2019, at https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/dcunited/us-to-play-exhibition-vs-venezuela-on-june-9-in-cincinnati/2019/04/18/2b18a440-61f4-11e9-bf24-db4b9fb62aa2_story.html?noredirect=on&utm_term=.df5e38a0e390

[No. 71] Sports Illustrated ranks the NFL’s fields (2015). The following are excerpts from an article by Tim Newcomb, “Turf time: Which stadiums have the best and worst fields in the NFL?,” on SI.com, 29 September 2015, at https://www.si.com/nfl/2015/10/01/nfl-stadium-turf-grass-rankings .

“While players uniformly prefer natural grass over artificial turf, the warm-weather variety of Bermuda grass has a higher durability and quicker recovery time than a cool-weather variety such as Kentucky bluegrass, helping Bermuda perform better over the course of an entire season. And natural grass is wonderful until owners don’t spend the money to keep it pristine—it will cost about $100,000 to $125,000 for a full re-sod of a field, often needed in cold-weather environments.”

The top 12 of the NFL’s 31 fields are natural grass or a natural grass/synthetic hybrid: They are by ranking:

“1. Arizona Cardinals: University of Phoenix Stadium, Glendale, Ariz. You’ll hear very little argument about who holds the top spot for the best field in the NFL. Sure, Arizona has plenty of sunshine and can grow a healthy amount of Tifway 419 Bermuda grass, but more importantly, the Cardinals have the pleasure of rolling the field outside the stadium. The entire playing surface is retractable, in one giant tray, allowing the turf to grow and get maintained outside the stadium, coming inside only for NFL football games. And with a groundskeeping staff doing a stellar job with the turf, Arizona earns the top spot.

"2. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Raymond James Stadium, Tampa, Fla. There are not many NFL fields on the east side of the country that are nicer than the Tifway 419 Bermuda grass that covers Raymond James Stadium in Tampa. Well, unless you’re you’re Aaron Rodgers. The turf in Tampa has proven popular for years, but late last season Rodgers complained about the softness of the sod. His complaints aside, Tampa's field still deserves one of the top spots on this list.

"3. Miami Dolphins: Sun Life Stadium, Miami Gardens, Fla.  Finally the pristine Tifway 419 Bermuda grass in Miami has a sparkling new seating bowl to go with it. Long considered one of the top fields in the NFL, the Miami climate allows the Bermuda warm-weather grass to flourish with plenty of sunshine and a long growing season needed for quick recovery.

"4. San Diego Chargers: Qualcomm Stadium, San Diego, Calif. Let’s revisit the formula that makes for some high-quality growing: southern sunshine. That sun bathes the Bandera Bermuda grass in this unloved stadium, helping to keep the Qualcomm Stadium turf in pristine condition, even if the rest of the stadium is likely nearing the end of its days.

"5. Carolina Panthers: Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte, N.C. Long live the Bermuda. The use of Voyager Bermuda grass—the only field using the Voyager style of Bermuda—in Charlotte helps keep the Panthers’ field strong all season. The ability of Bermuda to stand up to heavy use and with quick recovery plays well in Charlotte.

"6. Jacksonville Jaguars: EverBank Field, Jacksonville, Fla. Florida fields rank high when it comes to this list, thanks to the ample sunshine keeping the Bermuda grass plenty healthy. EverBank Field is able to keep its Tifway 419 Bermuda natural grass on solid footing all season long.

"7. Denver Broncos: Sports Authority Field at Mile High, Denver, Colo. Easily the best cool-season natural grass in the league, the Broncos have made everything even better for the 2015 season. A complete overhaul of the field prior to this season saw a brand new underfield heating system, under-soil base and a change back to a 100% Kentucky Bluegrass sod from the Grassmaster system. The Broncos take good care of their turf, which is the envy of every cold-weather field (and even put some warm-weather fields to shame). The updates might be good news for Doug Baldwin, who complained about the 'terrible' field after a game there in 2014.

"8. Kansas City Chiefs: Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Mo. The Chiefs have had their Latitude 36 Bermuda grass growing ever since replacing the old-school Astroturf in 1994. It can be a tricky endeavor to keep the Bermuda going strong in the winter, but Kansas City has successfully balanced cold weather and warm-weather grass while staying all natural for the last 20-plus years.

"9. Green Bay Packers: Lambeau Field, Green Bay, Wis. Now the only stadium in the league to use the Desso GrassMaster system (which Denver gave up in their field renovation this year) that weaves artificial turf into a predominantly natural-grass surface, this hybrid has proven to work in Green Bay, giving the cold-weather climate an added boost and strength during the winter. The Packers are also the first team to install a heating system under the field (it's been upgraded since the original installment), which keeps the field from ever really turning into the Frozen Tundra.

"10. Tennessee Titans: Nissan Stadium, Nashville, Tenn. The TifSport Bermuda grass in Nashville offers up a steady carpet of warm-weather grass for the Titans, but it can certainly start to struggle in the winter. Heavy use on the grass field can take its toll by the end of the season, especially with Nissan Stadium lacking a heating system under the field.

"11. Cleveland Browns: FirstEnergy Stadium, Cleveland, Ohio.  As far as cool-season fields go, FirstEnergy Stadium has one of the better swaths of Kentucky Bluegrass in the league right now. Cleveland has always played its home games on natural grass and while cool-weather stadiums generally waffle between artificial and natural, the Browns have stayed true to natural grass, even if some foul weather and overuse has made for tough patches in the past.

"12. Philadelphia Eagles: Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia, Penn. The Eagles want the best of both worlds with their natural grass. The season starts with warm-weather Bermuda and sometime before the fall ends the Eagles make a switch suitable for the north, installing cold-weather Kentucky bluegrass boosted by the under-field heating system. Philadelphia's dedication and effort to putting forth a quality grass field is clear, even with a hefty lineup of events coming through the Linc.”

The best of the NFL’s artificial turf fields is 13^th in an overall ranking -

“13. Indianapolis Colts: Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis, Ind. The FieldTurf Classic HD in Indianapolis does a great job of feeling like natural grass. With a new fiber designed for softness and durability designed to also hold in the rubber infill for less “splash,” the Colts play on a popular artificial surface.

"14. New York Jets/New York Giants: MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, N.J. To help pay for this $1 billion-plus stadium, MetLife Stadium needs to host as many events as possible, and with the cold weather in New Jersey, going artificial was a must for that to work. Using the UBU Speed Series S5-M Synthetic Turf, two teams successfully use this field without any major playing issues.

"15. Seattle Seahawks: Century Link Field, Seattle, Wash. The first NFL stadium to install FieldTurf, Century Link now has the brand’s Revolution product, the same turf the Patriots have installed in Massachusetts. The Revolution puts a focus on durability and longevity. Aesthetically the Seahawks struggle when the Sounders’ season overlaps, but the aesthetics don’t matter when it comes to footing, which remains solid in Seattle.”

Here is the remainder of the rankings:

“16. San Francisco 49ers: Levi’s Stadium, Santa Clara, Calif. The first season in Levi’s Stadium was a turf disaster. While the ever-shifting sod didn’t mar games, the team was unable to practice on the surface and spent time and money trying to resod the venue to ensure games could go on. This past offseason, the 49ers rebuilt the baselayer under the sod, but still had plenty of trouble in the preseason—as we saw by complaints from Jerry Jones, among others—largely blamed on overuse. The 49ers have installed more sod in one year than most teams do in a half-dozen years, but the latest version of Bermuda grass has taken to the new drainage system and baselayer and appears to provide the 49ers solid footing for this season. The current state of the field moves Levi’s Stadium up on the list and provides a bit of hope it can successfully host Super Bowl 50 in February.

"17. Pittsburgh Steelers: Heinz Field, Pittsburgh, Penn. Many folks following field conditions may be surprised that Pittsburgh doesn’t drop farther down this list. But the past woes of Pittsburgh near-dirt and waterlogged fields have changed with a renewed focus on natural grass. Using the Grassmaster system meant that Pittsburgh wasn’t able to replace sod midway through a season, leading to tough conditions late in seasons. Resodding is often a must in cool-weather climates. But since going to an all-natural Kentucky bluegrass, the Steelers can replace the field multiple times, improving their turf conditions throughout the season.

"18. New England Patriots: Gilette Stadium, Foxborough, Mass. In 2006, the Patriots grew so frustrated with keeping the natural grass growing that they became the first NFL team to switch from grass to artificial turf in-season. In 2014, the Patriots upgraded their FieldTurf to the latest variety—Revolution—that gave the field a better in-fill system, drainage and cushioning.

"19. Detroit Lions: Ford Field, Detroit, Mich. Ford Field has gone with FieldTurf since opening in 2002 and upgraded to the newer Classic HD version in '13, improving the softness and durability of the field at that time.

"20. Dallas Cowboys: AT&T Stadium, Arlington, Texas. Games, concerts and events run through this mega-money, mega-building on a routine basis, and using a Matrix RealGrass artificial surface has kept this field hosting aplenty. The only stadium in the league to use the Matrix brand of turf, this Alabama-made system uses a rubber infill system common in modern artificial surfaces.

"21. New Orleans Saints: Mercedes-Benz Superdome, New Orleans, La. The second most popular artificial turf makes an appearance in New Oreleans. The UBU Speed Series S5-M Synthetic Turf has a heightened artificial fiber with a 70 percent rubber/30 percent sand infill system aimed at staying even across the playing surface.

"22. Cincinnati Bengals: Paul Brown Stadium, Cincinnati, Ohio. There may be no other stadium in the league with such a varied field past than Paul Brown Stadium. The grass that was in place from the stadium’s opening until 2003 was replaced by FieldTurf and then, in '12, switched to UBU Speed Series S5-M Synthetic Turf.

"23. Baltimore Ravens: M&T Bank Stadium, Baltimore, Md. The only NFL stadium using Shaw Sports Momentum 51 artificial surface, the design of the fibers are said to help hold in the infill system. Baltimore had a natural-grass surface over a decade ago, but struggled to keep the field in good shape throughout the winter, forcing the move to an artificial surface.

"24. Atlanta Falcons: Georgia Dome, Atlanta, Ga. The FieldTurf Classic HD artificial turf fills the Georgia Dome for the last years of the Falcons playing inside the dome. The rubber-infill system gets heavy use inside a dome, making it difficult to keep the infill evenly distributed across the field.

"25. Oakland Raiders: O.co Coliseum, Oakland, Calif. You really have to take into account the changing of seasons when ranking fields and O.co Coliseum ranks this high on the list because not all the Raiders’ game are played during baseball season. The only stadium still hosting both MLB and NFL, if this ranking took into account only September, O.co would drop even lower with the mix of grass and dirt making footing sketchy, according to players, but the Tifway II Bermuda gets going strong enough post-baseball to move this field up the list, ever so slightly.

"26. Washington: FedEx Field, Landover, Md. The warm-weather Latitude 36 Bermuda grass has certainly seen its share of issues in the past. The warm-weather turf has turned to nearly all hard dirt during past winters, a process easily navigated through with money allocated for resodding. A wealth of turf farms in the area should mean that Washington has a better natural field, but the fact they don’t is on the ownership. We saw major problems in 2013 for the Redskins and the Seahawks, which were remedied by new turf later that year, but there's still a long way to go for FedEx Field's field.

"27. St. Louis Rams: Edward Jones Dome, St. Louis, Mo. The old AstroTurf certainly offered a completely new way of doing turf in stadiums, but it was a way that was abandoned for its lack of give and subpar cushioning. The Rams were once the only NFL team still using the AstoTurf brand, but not the old stuff, having installed the company’s GameDay Grass 3D system, a rubber infill system similar to the others across the league.

"28. Chicago Bears: Soldier Field, Chicago, Ill. The Kentucky Bluegrass in Chicago doesn’t have the ownership backing it needs to keep the cool-season grass replenished all season long. The lack of commitment can render this field tough for NFL players late in the season, a constant point of contention year after year. Kicker Robbie Gould even complained about his own team's field during a radio interview in 2012, saying it had sunk to new lows.

"29. Buffalo Bills: Ralph Wilson Stadium, Orchard Park, N.Y. The only field using the A-Turf Titan infill artificial system hasn’t gotten a good rap around the league. It is tough to tell if the cold weather in Buffalo has put a difficult spin on the Ralph Wilson Stadium turf or if this style of artificial turf just doesn’t have the same comfort level as the rest of the league.

"30. Houston Texans: NRG Stadium, Houston, Texas. Houston has two things that should boost this field way up the list: natural grass and warm-weather Bermuda. But where this Tifway 419 Bermuda falters is in its foundation. This heavily used stadium was built with a removable field. All the natural grass—the stadium has three fields—lives in trays outside behind the old Astrodome and gets brought in and assembled for NFL games. That assembly, though, can create seems and uneven footing between the trays, allegedly leading to major injuries for Jadeveon Clowney, Wes Welker and more. The eight-foot by eight-foot tray system has gotten so bad that the Texans announced in September it switched to an artificial system—they also have a movable AstroTurf GameDay Grass 3D system—for the rest of the regular season and will then revisit the turf issue at the end of the season. But even a tray system of artificial turf doesn’t solve all the problems in Houston.

"[31.] NR: Minnesota Vikings: U.S. Bank Stadium, Minneapolis, Minn. This new fully indoor stadium won’t open in the NFL until next year. When it does, it will offer an infill artificial field.”

[No. 70] Scotland’s  Professional Football Association chief equates safety of playing fields to safety in any workplace. Accrding to a news item in The News (27 August 2018),  the manager of the Scottish football team the Rangers, “Steven George Gerrard, called for plastic pitches to be banned after Rangers winger Jamie Murphy suffered a serious knee injury in Sunday’s 3-1 win at Kilmarnock. Murphy appeared to twist his left knee on the artificial turf at Rugby Park during Rangers’ Scottish League Cup last 16 tie.Gerrard was careful not to accuse Kilmarnock of having a sub-standard pitch, but the Rangers manager made it clear that ‘4G’ artificial surfaces have no place in the top level of the game. Speaking after an Alfredo Morelos treble sent Rangers through to a last eight tie against Ayr, Gerrard said: ‘Jamie’s sad, he’s upset, I think he’s fearing the worst. ‘We’re devastated. Jamie looks like he’ll be missing for quite a while. We’ll get him checked out, we hope it’s not as bad as we’re first fearing. We all know that plastic pitches are not as safe as grass. I’m not here to disrespect Kilmarnock and their playing facilities. I know it helps support the running of their football club. But my opinion is elite football shouldn’t have any plastic pitches.’ Murphy is not the first Rangers player to suffer on Kilmarnock’s pitch.Martyn Waghorn was ruled out for two months after he was left with “abrasions” during a clash back in February 2016.Gerrard added: ‘We’re dealing with elite footballers, who earn an awful lot of money, and I think for every club worldwide it’s safer to have a grass pitch.’ ” Source: Steven George Gerrard MBE is an “Gerrard wants plastic pitches banned after Murphy injury,” in The News, 27 August 2018, at https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/357446-gerrard-wants-plastic-pitches-banned-after-murphy-injury

Meanwhile, according to a news story on STV.tv (20 August 2018), “PFA Scotland chief executive Fraser Wishart has called upon the football authorities to listen to the complaints of players over artificial surfaces. Rangers winger Jamie Murphy appeared to suffer a serious knee injury on Sunday after catching his foot in Kilmarnock’s synthetic turf. In a survey at the end of last season, Killie's pitch was voted the third worst out of the 42 SPFL grounds by footballers across the country. Hamilton, the other top-flight side to employ an artificial grass surface last season, found their home pitch voted the worst - with an average rating of 1.18 out of 5. Wishart demanded the game's decision makers take on board the results of the survey in a bid to improve the quality of football in Scotland. He told STV: ‘The PitchRater APP Survey isn't just about artificial surfaces, it is about improving all surfaces across Scottish Football whether they are grass or artificial. It is often forgotten that the pitch is our members' place of work and for that reason we gave, and continue to give, them a vehicle to voice their opinion. Players are the ones with the intimate knowledge of how a pitch plays, how it feels underfoot and what type of football has to be played therefore it makes perfect sense to ask them for their views. The players have spoken and continue to air their views, so it is incumbent on the footballing authorities to listen to what the players are saying and do what is required to improve the quality of surfaces in Scotland.’” Source: Raman Bhardwaj & Daryn Macrae, “Union demands action on players' artificial grass concerns,” on STV [Scottish Television], 20 August 2018, at https://stv.tv/sport/football/1427875-pfa-demand-action-on-players-artificial-grass-concerns/

[No. 69] Wales, United Kingdom – After a rash of injuries to Rugby players, Johnny McNicholl calls for the ban of artificial turf fields. Johnny McNicholl is a New Zealand rugby player; he plays as a winger or fullback for the Scarlets, one of the four professional Welsh regional rugby union teams and it is based in Llanelli, Wales.  According to a news item in The Guardian (22 May 2018), Johnny McNicholl has called for artificial pitches to be outlawed after he and a number of his Scarlets team-mates suffered burns and blisters during Friday [18 May] night’s Guinness Pro14 semi-final in Glasgow and the region’s Scotland captain, John Barclay, ruptured an achilles’ tendon that will keep him out for six months.The following day the Wasps flanker Jack Willis, who had just been called into the England squad, ruptured ligaments in his right knee on Saracens’ artificial pitch and will be out of action for up to a year. Last month the Pau back-row Steffon Armitage ruptured an achilles’ tendon during the European Challenge Cup semi-final defeat at Cardiff Blues and is unlikely to play again this year.” “ ‘I do not like playing on artificial pitches because you run a high risk of being injured,’ said McNicholl, the New Zealander who played at full-back in Glasgow. ‘I went down on the deck for the ball and got a massive grass burn on my backside. I have a dozen grazes and my feet are numb. I have been sticking to the sheets for the last few nights. I hope more of these pitches do not crop up because I would not want to play on them. Our physio’s room has been packed this week and I was not the worst. I said to the trainer during the game that such a pitch should be made illegal. I much prefer grass.’ ” Source: Paul Rees, “Scarlets’ Johnny McNicholl calls for artificial pitches to be banned,” in The Guardian, 22 May 2018, at https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2018/may/22/scarlets-cancel-training-glasgow-pro14-semi-final-leinster

[No. 68] ESPN survey suggests footballers do not like plastic fields. According to an article in The Guardian (4 April 2018), “[a]n ESPN anonymous survey of current MLS [Major League Soccer] members published last month [March 2018] asked whether an artificial surface would influence a player’s decision to join a team: 63% said yes. Perhaps not unrelated, another question asked them to name the toughest place to play in MLS and four of the top eight answers were teams with artificial turf.” The article highlights some of the gripes that MSL player have had about with playing on artificial turf. One among them is Zlatan Ibrahimović, once a member of the Sweden national team from 2001 to 2016, who now plays as a forward for LA Galaxy. The article asks “will the striker be eccentric enough to turn up for an away game against the New England Revolution?” The New England Revolution’s home field is Gillette Stadium, which has artificial turf. “[T] he 36-year-old has recently returned from a serious knee injury, so Ibrahimovic and the Galaxy’s coaching staff will have judgment calls to make later in the season as the league’s most famous name tries to stay healthy. The Galaxy have four MLS fixtures on artificial turf scheduled between June and October …..  Fearing injury, some veteran stars have skipped games on artificial surfaces over the years, dealing blows to MLS’s reputation.” “The only time Thierry Henry [French professional footballer who played for Monaco, Juventus, Barcelona, New York Red Bulls and Arsenal] played on the widely-reviled artificial turf of Gillette Stadium, the home of the Revolution, was a play-off game in 2014 that turned out to be the last match of his career. Didier Drogba [Ivorian who plays as a striker for Phoenix Rising] also sought to avoid fake grass. David Beckham, usually so emollient in interviews, was an anti-turf absolutist: ‘Every game, every team should have grass, without a doubt,’ he told reporters in 2007.” “This [playing on artificial turf] clearly matters to the players. An ESPN anonymous survey of current MLS members published last month asked whether an artificial surface would influence a player’s decision to join a team: 63% said yes. Perhaps not unrelated, another question asked them to name the toughest place to play in MLS and four of the top eight answers were teams with artificial turf.” …. “True or not, artificial fields are perceived to increase injury risk and enhance home advantage in a league in which road results are notoriously poor.” According to “Wilmer Cabrera, the Houston Dynamo head coach, artifice is just another hill to climb in MLS’ undulating landscape. … ‘Pounding on [an artificial] surface it’s gonna get you more tired, the muscles are going to suffer a little bit more and the joints, but we don’t make any kind of excuses.’” …. “No stranger to the treatment room, Philippe Senderos [a Swiss who plays defense for the Houston Dynamo] would have felt wary about joining Houston if their pitch was plastic. ‘I think knowing that the Houston Dynamo play on grass was definitely a factor [in me joining the club]. If it would had been on turf I would have had to think about it a little bit more,’ he said.” Source: “MLS's turf problem: can a league be world-class on artificial grass?,” in The Guardian, 4 April 2018, at https://www.theguardian.com/football/2018/apr/04/artificial-turf-mls-zlatan-ibrahimovic-soccer

SynTurf.org Note: For the ESPN survey of MLS players go here.

[Q] If you were Commissioner for a day, what one thing you would change?

Increase/end salary cap:  36%

Greater freedom of movement: 15%

Charter flights: 12%

Other answers:

Abolish GAM [General Allocation Money and TAM [Targeted Allocation Money]: 6%

More chances for young U.S. players: 4%

Abolish artificial turf: 3%

Promotion/relegation: 3%

Change the calendar: 2%

Other: 13%

No answer: 6%

[Q] If a stadium had an artificial surface, would it impact your decision to join that team?

Yes: 63%

No: 36%

No answer: 1%

What the players said: “No. As long as they train mostly on grass.” “Hard yes. I don’t like turf, plain and simple. The times I played on it, it takes a day or two extra to recover.”

[No. 67] Texas Rangers baseball players hate playing on artificial turf. By 2020, the Texas Rangers will be playing their home games at Tax-Hike-Friendly Ballpark in Arlington, west of Dallas. According to a news story in Star-Telegram (2 March 2018), “[t]he Texas Rangers have yet to officially announce their decision on the type of playing surface they will use at new Tax Hike Friendly Ballpark…. Fake grass is hard on the body, but it’s easier on the wallet. And if you hate [the Rangers going with synthetic turf] there is a group of people who detest it even more: The players. There are two other stadiums in MLB that feature synthetic grass - Toronto and Tampa. Players hate 'em, both. Despite all of the advances from the knee-shredding days of AstroTurf to the improved state of ‘sport field,’ the consensus is nearly universal from the players who run around on it every day.” Here is a sampling of players’ views reported by Mac Engel of Star-Telegram:

Rangers shortstop Elvis Andrus: "Real grass all day long. When I play on (artificial grass), I feel it my hamstrings and my back, for sure."

Rangers catcher Robinson Chrinios: "I'd say grass. When I play on turf, I feel it in my legs and my back. Takes about two or three days (to get over it.)"

Rangers outfielder Willie Calhoun: "I've played on (artificial grass) twice and I don't feel there really is a difference. Maybe the ball comes out faster."

Rangers outfielder Ryan Rua: "You don't see it very much in minor league stadiums, but it's different for sure for first-time guys up in Toronto and Tampa. Maybe guys who play there get used to it, but when you're on it the first time you notice it. It's tougher on your legs and your back. When you're in the outfield, you have to be aware of the bounces. The ball kicks off much higher on that surface. It's faster. Grass slows the ball down. You'll find the majority of the players prefer grass."

Rangers first baseman Joey Gallo: "Grass, all the way. When you play on that fake grass, your knees hurt like hell, your hips and your back, too. "When we had that series against Houston in Tampa (the '17 series that was moved to Florida because of Hurricane Harvey), and I was playing outfield and my feet and my back were killing me. Guys kept coming up with lower body injuries. That was the series (Adrian Beltre) got hurt. I definitely felt it for a few days. A lot of the guys were talking about it. I don't think anybody wants artificial turf, especially outfielders. You can feel it gets hotter. You can definitely feel it on the bottom of your feet."

Rangers outfielder Nomar Mazara: "When we played that series against Houston (in Tampa), I could definitely feel it in my knees. (Former Rangers outfielder) Carlos Gomez and a lot of the guys said they didn't like it. That it hurt. I don't like it."

Rangers catcher Curt Casali (he played last season in Tampa): "I can't speak for them, but I know when I was in Tampa the outfielders all had a problem with it. All of them struggled with it. Personally, I didn't love it. Because there is no moisture for the dirt, it feels different. It's dry and you can't get a grip. I know they wet it down, but it dries up.

Real grass is just softer and slower. If you just stand on it for 5 minutes, you can feel it in your back. I hope you're wrong on this and it's grass."

Rangers outfielder Delino DeShields: "On artificial surface, your cleats get stuck in the grass and the dirt. Real grass has give. It's softer. The game on real grass just feels more natural. I remember the first time I ran on (artificial grass) was during a pre-draft workout in Toronto. I was running in the outfield and the first time I tried to sprint I nearly fell over. My cleats got stuck. And when I play on it, my shins really bug me. Your legs just get stuck. I know the artificial surface is better now than it was before, and it's getting better, but it's not grass. I really hope they don't put in (fake grass) at the new stadium. If it was up to me, it would be grass.”

Source: Mac Engel, “'Real grass all day long': Texas Rangers players sound off on new stadium,” in Star-Telegram, 2 March 2018, at http://www.star-telegram.com/sports/spt-columns-blogs/mac-engel/article203061049.html .

[No. 66] “I couldn’t think of a better place. Wrigley Field - natural playing surface, grass.” Andre Dawson - reflecting on leaving the unforgiving turf at Montreal Expo’s Olympic Stadium for greener pastures.  An inductee to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2010,  Andre Nolan Dawson played for four different teams - Montreal Expos (1976–1986), Chicago Cubs (1987–1992), Boston Red Sox (1993-1994) and Florida Marlins (1995-1996). According to Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andre_Dawson , “Dawson played for the Expos until after the 1986 season when he became a free agent and sought a team whose home field had natural grass, as his knee injuries were aggravated by Olympic Stadium’s artificial turf.”

“Dawson’s love for the Cubs, and the city, dates back to 1987, when he was a free agent and was so determined to play in Chicago that he offered the Cubs a blank contract proposal. Dawson battled through knee pain for much of his career and wanted to play on a natural-grass surface like the one at Wrigley Field after years of playing on the less-than-forgiving artificial turf at Olympic Stadium in Montreal. ‘I was at the halfway point of my career. I had 10 years in. I couldn’t think of a better place. Wrigley Field - natural playing surface, grass.’” Source: Bill Ladson, “Dawson embracing return to Cubs,” on MLB.com, 11 February 2018, at https://www.mlb.com/news/andre-dawson-happy-to-return-to-cubs/c-266294470

[No. 65] David Carr:  If I have my preference, I’m playing on grass all day long. David Carr is a former quarterback. He was drafted by the Houston Texans first overall in the 2002 NFL Draft. He played college football at Fresno State. He has been an analyst for the NFL Network and writes a weekly column for The Fresno Bee. At the tail end of a recent column titled “That hit on Davante Adams? Here’s how the NFL could police and prevent it,” in The Fresno Bee, 20 December 2017, at http://www.fresnobee.com/sports/nfl/article190890119.html , he responded to a reader’s following question When you first started playing football you played on mostly natural turf surfaces and when you played for the NFL it was on an artificial turf. Did you prefer natural turf over artificial turf? Did you have to adjust your playing skills when playing on an artificial turf? Can you elaborate on the advantages/disadvantages and safety aspects to playing on either turf?

David Carr’s reply:

The artificial stuff is nice and it’s better than it was 10 years ago. The only problem is it tends to wear your body down more than natural grass. Natural grass is always going to be the absolute dream scenario. It’s so much better than anything you could play on. But the maintenance, the wear. When I was in Houston, by the end of the season, they would have a couple of college games on it every year, some high school games, and these fields all wear down. It’s impossible to have that many football games played on a surface in six or seven months and not have it wear down and at the end of the season when you need it the most it’s absolutely ruined. Even in Houston, we had spray paint. It was green spray paint and dirt toward the end of the season. The way Arizona’s field is, where they can slide it out and keep natural grass on there and slide it back in, that’s the nicest field that I’ve played on and I think a lot of guys would say the same thing.

The artificial stuff makes me a little nervous because it grabs. It’s so grippy you could wear a basketball shoe on that stuff and still have some grip. When you start putting cleats in that, there have been a lot more injuries. I’m not saying it’s because of the artificial surface, but I think guys really have to think about what they wear on that. Sure, you can make some incredible cuts and you can move and you can run, but it can also grab your leg and put your knee in positions you don’t want it to be in.

The cleat size, you have to be careful about how far in you want to grab. Grip is great, until you’re out for a month or you’re out for a year – and it doesn’t take much. If I have my preference, I’m playing on grass all day long.

[No. 64] The Dutch iconoclastic soccer club Ajax Amsterdam: Ban artificial grass. According to a news story on FoxSportsAsia.com (12 November 2017),  “Ajax Amsterdam have once again called for the KNVB to ban artificial surfaces for the next two years after talks at the general meeting of shareholders…. According to reports of Dutch media, [Dutch former footballer and the current director of football at Ajax] Marc Overmars confirmed the rumours at the club’s annual shareholder meeting where they mentioned the injury troubles the [fake] grass creates. Ajax also claimed the style of football that the [Koninklijke Nederlandse Voetbalbond (Royal Dutch Football Association] KNVB wants to implement on the league club’s for the growth of the national team is not suitable on ‘fake grass.’” Source: “Ajax want artificial grass banned,” on FoxSportsAsia.com,  12 November 2017, at http://www.foxsportsasia.com/football/dutch-eredivisie/743503/ajax-want-artificial-grass-banned/ . For earlier posts on the Dutch players’ views, see items on http://www.synturf.org/playersview.html  and  http://www.synturf.org/healthsafety.html .

[No. 63] Tom Brady – the GOAT QB for the five-time Super Bowl Champion New England Patriots wishes all grass at Gillette Stadium. SynTurf.org, Newton. Mass. 1 October 2017. According to an article in the print edition of The Boston Globe (19 September 2017), “[t]he FieldTurf at Gillette Stadium, which debuted in May [2017], only lasted one-regular-season NFL game.”

For those of us following the Patriots’ exploits, it has been rather obvious that there was something potentially wrong with the field, as a two key Patriots players suffered season-ending injuries to their knees. It appeared from the footage of the preseason games that there was way too much crumb rubber on the field, making the surface a lot softer than perhaps ideal. So when a player jumps up and comes down on the soft surface, the knee buckles under the weight of the player. Then there is the situation of players getting their cleats caught in the turf causing non-contact ankle and knee injury. Lastly, there is the whole debate about concussions caused by the impact of the head with the hardened playing surface, which is perhaps the reason for a more generous application of the crumb rubber to obtain a less dangerous G-max measurement of the field.

According to the Globe article, “[a] Patriots spokesman said on Monday [11 September 2017] the FieldTurf passed all the standards of the NFL and Major League Soccer and the decision to replace it was because it didn’t fit the teams’ standard.”

According to one player, the new turf was a lot softer than before: “[There were] a lot of those little black pebbles and everything, a little sand, but what do you do?” The article noted that “[t]here is no evidence to suggest the surface isn’t safe, but there have been three notable injuries in the three games the Patriots have played since May. Cornerback Cyrus Jones suffered a torn ACL and partially torn meniscus on the field against the Giants Aug. 31 and Dont’a Highwater hurst his need against the Chiefs last Thursday [7 September]. Additionally, Kansas City safety Eric Berry tore his Achilles in the opener.”

Conspicuously absent from the article was mention of Patriots wide receiver Julian Edelman’s sustaining a non-contact leg injury in the first quarter of a preseason game on 25 August against the Detroit Lions in Detroit played on artifcial turf: An MRI confirmed later the injury as a complete tear of his ACL in his right knee. See https://www.si.com/nfl/2017/08/25/ . The television footage showed Edelman catching the ball, then planting his foot to turn up field when his knee buckled and he collapsed to the ground. https://www.patspulpit.com/2017/8/26/16208744/julian-edelman-injury-update-tests-confirm-torn-acl-in-his-right-knee .

The Gillette Stadium turf story was also an opportunity for the writer of the article to dust off some of the opinions of Tom Brady about playing on artificial turf. “Last December [2016] … Brady professed his desire to go back to real grass. He even kiddingly made a plea to reporters to drop a bug in the owners’ ear about it. ‘I think most players prefer grass, you know?’ Brady said at the time. ‘If you could play on a good grass surface, that’s always, I think, a little more fun for the players. But I don’t know, maybe one day you guys can ask Mr. Kraft to put grass back in here for us players…. I think we as players go out there on grass fields every day, so you get used to the grass. Growing up, I played on all grass… I think it’s easier to land on the grass than landing on [turf]…. All of those European soccer teams get all grass when they come to [Gillette]… That’s a good point, right?’’’ Source: Jim McBride, “Gillette turf doesn’t make Patriots’ cut,” in The Boston Globe, 12 September 2017, Page D1-2.

[No. 62] Amsterdam, the Netherlands - Soccer captains of top-tier Dutch clubs want no more games on artificial turf. According to an Associated Press news story in The New York Daily News (18 May 2017), “[c]aptains of 12 Netherlands top-tier teams have asked the national soccer federation and league organizers to ban matches on artificial turf. Dirk Kuyt of title-winning Feyenoord and Davy Klaassen of Ajax joined a protest by their national union known as the VVCS [Vereniging van Contractspelers (Association of contractplayers)]. Kuyt, who announced his retirement this week, says: "I know for sure that due to artificial pitches Dutch football will fall further behind." The captains point to "technical and tactical consequences" of authorities letting six of the 18-team Eredivisie play on artificial surfaces this season. Players believe they sustain more joint injuries and need more recovery time in switching from games on grass. Klaassen, who will lead Ajax against Manchester United in the Europa League final next Wednesday, says: "You cannot enjoy playing football on these pitches." Source: The Associated Press, “Dutch top-tier captains want no more artificial turf games,” in The New York Daily News, 18 May 2017, at   http://www.nydailynews.com/newswires/sports/dutch-top-tier-captains-no-artificial-turf-games-article-1.3175948  .

In a related news story, the Herald Scotland (18 May 2017) reported that “[f]ootballers in the Netherlands have called for artificial pitches to be banned and grass surfaces made compulsory.  Six of the 18 teams in the Dutch top-flight use artificial turf in their home grounds, but captains of the remaining 12 clubs have united to demand that natural grass becomes obligatory. The players complained of surfaces leading to an increased risk of injury, longer recovery time and a different style of play during matches. On Thursday [May 18], the Dutch player union VVCS officially urged the country’s football association to organises games on natural pitches only. ‘I totally understand these players,’ VVCS President Danny Hesp told the world players’ union FIFPro. ‘Playing football on artificial turf changes the game and negatively influences the development of Dutch football. To stop these trends, we jointly have to work on liberating the Eredivisie from artificial turf. We are aware of the financial implications the proposed ban will have. A possible solution could be the creation of a special fund allowing clubs to return to playing on real grass.’ … Twelve Eredivisie captains, including former Liverpool forward Dirk Kuyt, published statements speaking out against artificial surfaces today. ‘I know for sure that due to artificial pitches Dutch football will fall further behind,’ Kuyt said. Ajax skipper Davy Klaasen said: ‘Pitches like these seriously make you consider leaving the Netherlands. You cannot enjoy playing football on these pitches.’ Former Aston Villa defender Ron Vlaar, now captaining AZ Alkmaar, added: ‘Because of my history with injuries, I unintentionally play much more carefully on artificial turf.’ NEC captain Gregor Breinburg didn’t hold back in his assessment of the situation: ‘In Europe, everybody is laughing at us,’ he said. ‘It should be obligatory to play on real grass.’” Source: Alasdair Mackenzie, “‘They make you consider leaving the country’ - Dutch stars unite in protest against artificial pitches,” in Herald Scotland, 18 May 2017), at http://www.heraldscotland.com/sport/15294407._They_make_you_consider_leaving_the_country____Dutch_stars_unite_in_protest_against_artificial_pitches/

[No. 61] Foxboro, Massachusetts - The New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady wants natural grass. According to a news story on NESN (25 November 2016), “[t]his week marked the 10-year anniversary of the New England Patriots’ decision to tear up the natural grass surface at Gillette Stadium in the middle of the regular season and replace it with synthetic turf…. Gillette is one of just four open-air (read: non-domed/retractable roof) NFL stadiums to feature synthetic turf. Paul Brown Stadium (Cincinnati Bengals), CenturyLink Field (Seattle Seahawks) and MetLife Stadium (New York Jets and Giants) are the others.

On Friday, 25 November 2016, Brady told reporters “he’d be in favor of ditching the fake stuff and switching back to grass. ‘I think most players prefer grass. If you could play on a good grass surface, that’s always, I think, a little more fun for the players. But I don’t know, maybe one day you guys can ask (Patriots owner Robert) Kraft to put grass back in here for us players. I think everybody likes grass. I think players like to play on grass. And we practice on grass every day. I think we, as players, go out there on grass practice fields every day, so you get used to the grass. And growing up, I played on all grass. I think it’s easier to land on the grass than landing on the (turf). I think everybody would love a good grass surface to play on. That’d be great. All those European soccer teams get all the grass when they come to (Gillette) Stadium. Good point, right?’” Source: Zack Cox, “Tom Brady Would Like To See Patriots Ditch Turf, Switch Back To Natural Grass," on NESN [New England Sports Network], 25 November 2016, at http://nesn.com/2016/11/tom-brady-would-like-to-see-patriots-ditch-turf-switch-back-to-natural-grass/ .

[No. 60] Former University of Alabama running back rejoices over conversion to natural grass at Ole Miss’s Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. According to a news item on Aol.com (3 June 2016), the “Vaught-Hemingway Stadium, the home field of the Ole Miss football team, is switching to a natural-grass surface for the 2016 season, and Miami Dolphins running back Kenyan Drake is glad to see it. On Friday  [3 June 2016], Drake responded to a tweet by the Ole Miss Athletic Foundation updating the progress of the grass installation [‘We have GRASS! Jerry Hollingsworth Field in VHS is looking good!! Follow progress here: http://givetoathletics.com/forward-together/live-construction-cams/’] with a tweet of his own [:] ‘Thank God. Ankles every where rejoice.’” According to the article, “Drake was an Alabama junior when a 10-yard screen pass turned into a season-ending broken leg for the running back in the Crimson Tide's SEC game against the Rebels at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium on Oct. 4, 2014. The injury included the unsettling image of Drake's left foot pointing unnaturally to the side. (There’s video of the injury, but it is graphic.) Vaught-Hemingway Stadium had a surface of FieldTurf synthetic grass when Drake suffered his injury. The installation of natural grass is the first change in surface for the field since 2009, when FieldTurf replaced AstroPlay synthetic turf. Vaught-Hemingway Stadium most recently had a grass playing surface in 2002.” Source: Mark Inabinett, “Kenyan Drake gives thumbs-up to Ole Miss' switch to grass,” on Aol.com, 3 June 2016, http://www.al.com/sports/index.ssf/2016/06/kenyan_drake_gives_thumbs-up_t.html . For an earlier reporting on the conversion to natural grass, see http://www.synturf.org/sayno.html (Item No. 169 - posted March 2016).

[No. 59] French professional soccer players’ union calls for end to synthetic turf fields. As we have often reported on this site, for soccer players playing on synthetic turf is an occupational hazard and perhaps the best way to address the issue with management of clubs is through collective bargaining. See “For soccer players artificial turf is an issue of occupational safety and health,” at http://www.synturf.org/health.html (Item No. 94) (October 2014). Elite soccer players in Switzerland, Norway, Denmark and the Netherlands have for years made known their displeasure with artificial turf in their union surveys. Recently, we reported on profound displeasure on the part of players in the United Kingdom with artificial turf pitches. See “Something is rotten in state of the Kingdom,” at http://www.synturf.org/health.html (Item No. 122) (March 2016). To this chorus of discontent one may add also a number of players in the English Women’s Super League who have either refused to play on the surface for fear of injury or have called for its outright ban. See  http://www.bbc.com/sport/football/36233256 or here , and  https://lockerdome.com/6556955711900993/8713205388310292 or here.

According to a news report by the Agence France Presse (AFP) (3 May 2016), the national union of professional footballers (UNFP) has asked Professional Football League (LFP) to replace the injury-causing synthetic grass in all League 1 clubs with natural grass by the start of the next season. The statement issued by UNFP on 2 May [2016] comes on the heel of a recent season-ending meniscus lesion a few days earlier to Lille midfielder Sofiane Boufal, requiring surgery. Besides injuries like the one suffered by Boufal, “playing on synthetic surfaces leads to muscular pain, twists, stress on joints and [turf] burns, which end up leaving traces on body parts already under heavy strain,” the UNFP statement said.  Source: AFP, “Le syndicat des joueurs demande la fin des pelouses synthétiques,” on France TV Sport, 3 may 2016, at http://www.francetvsport.fr/football/ligue-1/le-syndicat-des-joueurs-demande-la-fin-des-pelouses-synthetiques-332507 or here . See also “French players’ union wants end to artificial pitches,” in Times of India (3May 2016) at http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/football/top-stories/Football-French-players-union-wants-end-to-artificial-pitches/articleshow/52094488.cms

[No. 58] Carl Crawford shares his feeling about playing on artificial turf. According to a news story in the Los Angeles Times (26 April 2016), the Dodgers’ outfielder Carl “The Perfect Storm” Crawford (born 1981), who played the first none years of his career “for the Tampa Bay Rays on the unforgiving artificial turf at Tropicana Field,” insists that “the turf took its toll, even if he avoided the disabled list for the most part. ‘I played real aggressively on turf for nine years. I’m lucky I’m still walking the way I’m walking now. I’m still walking, at least. I played through a lot of stuff. You’re young. You don’t think about it. You’re 24, 25 years old. Your body can hold up a little better than at 34, 35.’” Source: Bill Shaikin, “Dodgers’ Carl Crawford says artificial turf in Tampa Bay’s stadium took its toll on his body,” in Los Angeles Times, 26 April 2016, at http://www.latimes.com/sports/dodgers/la-sp-dodgers-report-20160427-story.html

[No. 57] Shrewsbury, Massachusetts: Field hockey players learn valuable life lessons when playing on natural grass. According to an article in The Boston Globe (28 August 2015)—“From atop its adjacent hill, the field hockey field at Shrewsbury High looks like a new note pad on the first day of class. On the afternoon before the season’s first tryouts, the grass is low and tight with no glaring dents or dings, white lines perfectly manicured across a healthy green field. But for those who call the field home, nature offers some slight impurities. The dirt beneath the circles tends to be a bit loose, years of use chewing texture into the earth. The edges of the field dip out of bounds, and since there is often little traffic that runs along the sidelines, the grass tends to grow lush and firm.”  

‘We know if you’re hitting the ball on the sideline, you have to have a strong hit,’ said Shrewsbury senior captain Peyton Tuccinard, as she and fellow captain Alexandra Johnson rattled off the field’s slight imperfections. ‘It’s really thick there.’”

“In a way, the Colonials are curators of the way field hockey use to be. A number of the programs in Eastern and Central Massachusetts now play their home games on a synthetic turf, a surface that makes for an easier transition to the fast-paced college game and demands less upkeep. In light of a slower, less predictable work surface, Shrewsbury High continues to find ways to win. The Colonials won back-to-back Division 1 Central titles under former coach Lauren Chenevert in 2012 and 2013. On Holden Street, grass isn’t a disadvantage — it’s a home field advantage. ‘When you play on grass, you get use to those hard hits, having to move the ball up a thick field of grass compared to smooth turf,’ Tuccinard said. ‘You get use to hitting much harder and doing better, stronger lifts. It makes you a better player, I’d say.’”  

The coach of the team, Greta Gray, says “[o]ne of the things I want to focus on with my team is speed and agility for when we’re playing on turf. Skill is skill, so if I can get the girls dribbling, passing, and communicating with each other, then they’re going to succeed whether they’re on grass or turf.”

“Playing on grass comes with a blue-collar attitude. The game sometimes doesn’t flow as easily, and its speed can change day to day, even hour to hour…While turf may have provided an advantage in its early days, players who play home contests on grass face a less drastic jump nowadays. Offseason clinics and summer camps are often spent on turf. The speed of turf provides less sticker shock than it once did.” Shrewsbury captain Jackie Loiseau says “I would say it’s a little difficult, but working on grass, you’re able to take those skills and transition them to work on turf. You are able to hit the ball harder on grass, but using that skill on turf, you can use that and make the ball go so much further.” “Grass fields can be a bit inconvenient, slightly unpredictable, and an occasional hindrance. It comes with a sense of pride, though: that a team can contend anywhere on any surface. ‘I wouldn’t trade it for anything. I love being a great grass team,” says  Loiseau. Source: Andrew MacDougall< “High School Hockey - Grass or turf? Teams sticking up for their surface,” in The Boston Globe, 28 August 2015,  at https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/regionals/west/2015/08/28/grass-turf-teams-sticking-for-their-surface/BasV61RFx3bcEdjl0VU7ZP/story.html

[No. 56] Former Toronto Blue Jays’ Brett Lawrie did not like club’s synthetic turf. According to a news report on New England Sports Network (NESN) (3 December 2014), “[t]he Toronto Blue Jays have been active on the free agent market in recent years and look poised to make a move in the competitive American League East. The only problem? Nobody wants to play on their turf. The Jays [traded] infielder Brett Lawrie [on Friday, 28 November 2014, to Oakland]. On his way out, Lawrie didn’t hold back his feelings about playing on the Rogers Centre’s artificial turf. ‘It treats my body kind of silly and throws it off,’ Lawrie said recently during a conference call with Oakland media, via Sportsnet Toronto. ‘I really do feel that turf has a lot to do with (all the injuries). I’m wound tight, my body is wound tight just being a high-energy guy and being a quick-twitch guy…. I can only point the finger at it because it makes sense … I really do feel when I go on the road and I play on grass and dirt and whatnot, I feel better. Once you get back into five, six, seven games in a row on that stuff, your body just gets thrown through a bit of a loop. I feel like this is a big step forward for me into being healthy and staying on the field.’ The Jays are installing new turf at the Rogers Centre for the 2015 season and plan to switch to natural grass in 2018. Judging by Lawrie’s comments, that date couldn’t come soon enough.” Source: Darren Hartwell, “Brett Lawrie: Blue Jays’ Turf ‘Silly,’ Causes Injury Because ‘I’m Wound Tight,’” on New England Sports Network, 3 December 2014, at http://nesn.com/2014/12/brett-lawrie-blue-jays-turf-has-a-lot-do-with-infielders-injuries/     

[No. 55] Sydney Laroux: Artificial turf is terrible for soccer players. Julie Foudy, a 17-year veteran and hall-of-famer of the U.S. women’s national soccer team, with two World Cups and three Olympic medals. works as an analyst for ABC/ESPN. In a Q&A interview with Foudy, Sydney Laroux, a Canadian-born U.S. American professional soccer player and Olympic gold medalist, currently playing for the Seattle Reign FC in the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL), explained why id artificial turf terrible for soccer players:

Q: FIFA.com recently posted an article citing Dr. Jan Ekstrand, the vice chairman of UEFA’s [Union of European Football Associations] medical committee. The Swedish doctor conducted a series of studies on the risk of injury on artificial turf and believes there is no higher incidence of leg burns on turf versus natural grass. “In fact,” he responded, “we saw more instances of leg burn on natural grass.”

A: Oh my goodness. That’s insane. Growing up I played on grass. Now that I look back on it, I feel like that allowed me to become the aggressive player I am today. Especially playing in Vancouver with the rain and grass. You can slide and do all these things. In my first true full season on turf at Boston, I completely ruined my leg. So it’s not even an argument. Everyone knows the raspberries you get by playing on turf. And the injuries. [French international star and 1998 World Cup champion] Thierry Henry won’t even travel to Seattle [to play the Sounders] in the regular season because he doesn’t play on turf. Some of the best players in the world refuse to play on turf. Look, I would play on dry Arizona grass in the heat of the summer before I would play on turf. Every time.

Q: How does playing on turf affect you physically? When FIFA.com asked Ekstrand if the recovery time after injury is longer on turf than on natural grass, he responded, “There is no difference.”

A: There is a huge difference. I learned while playing on the turf in Boston there are certain tackles I am just not going to go into. Besides scoring goals, one of my favorite things is I love to absolutely crush an outside back when they are about to hit a long ball. I don’t do those anymore. It’s not worth not being able to shower for three days [because water stings turf burns]. I am not saying you don’t get beaten up on grass. The sport we play is physical, but when going into a tackle, you are not supposed to be thinking, “Crap, this is going to hurt, and [it’s] probably not worth it.” Turf does that to you. It takes away from how I play and we play soccer. And the back problems. My back is the worst it has ever felt this season as I felt like I was running on concrete every day [playing on turf all season for the NWSL’s Seattle Reign].

Q: How does turf change the way you play? How is it different technically and tactically?

A: The ball bounces differently. Faster. You can't just play a ball over the top and know it will die and fall at a player’s feet. The way you strike the ball is different. You can’t chip a ball the same on turf and you can’t get under the ball the same way. I feel like it is a completely different game. It’s as if you are on a basketball court. Then other times, the ball catches on rubber and checks back. You just don’t know what to expect. Usually as a forward I can tell if the ball is going to die or go fast. But on turf, you don't know, you have no idea.

Source: Julie Foudy, “Sydney Leroux: Why Turf Is Terrible For Soccer Players,” on espnW.com, 13 November 2014, at http://espn.go.com/espnw/news-commentary/article/11868149/sydney-leroux-explains-why-turf-terrible-soccer-players

SynTurf.org’s Note: The unpredictably of the bounce and variability in the speed of the ball often require that the player make an abrupt speed or directional change/move, thus exerting extraordinary biomechanical pressures on the various parts of the lower extremities, which can result in injury.

[No. 53] US Soccer Ace Alex Morgan on why artificial turf is tough for players. According to a news report in USA Today (Sports) (15 October 2014), Alex Morgan “passionately decided to get involved in the movement {against artificial turf] for health reasons. ‘Not only are they long lasting injuries, but there are long-term effects of playing on turf,’ the 25-year-old forward for the U.S. national team says. ‘The achiness, taking longer to recover than on natural grass, the tendons and ligaments are, for me at least, I feel more sore after turf. It takes longer to recover from a turf field than natural grass.’” Source: Laken Litman, “Alex Morgan on why artificial turf is tough for players,” in USA TODAY (Sports), 15 October 2014, at  http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/soccer/2014/10/15/alex-morgan-us-women-artificial-turf-world-cup/17295011/ .   

[No. 52] Sports Illustrated: Players retain counsel over the use of artificial turf at the 2015 Women’s World Cup in Canada. According to a news item on SI.com (5 August 2014), The Equalizer (a source for women’s professional soccer news) reports that “[a] group of around 40 national team players from around the world who are fighting against the use of artificial turf at the 2015 Women’s World Cup in Canada have retained legal counsel.” “According to the report, the group's lawyers sent a letter to FIFA and Canada Soccer arguing that the surface is “second-class” and gender discriminatory, and that it violates provisions of Canadian law such as human rights codes.”  Source: Molly Geary, “Players against artificial turf at Women's World Cup retain counsel,” on SI.com, 5 August 2014, at  http://www.si.com/planet-futbol/2014/08/05/womens-world-cup-artificial-turf-legal-counsel .

[No. 51] Major survey: Pro soccer players link artificial turf to higher risk of injury. The following article by Misty Harris, entitled “Turf wars: Pro soccer players link synthetic surfaces to higher risk of injury” appeared in the 25 March 2014 edition of Postmedia News  at http://www.canada.com/Turf+wars+soccer+players+link+synthetic+surfaces+higher+risk+injury/9659898/story.html . It is an important piece and deserves to be reprinted in its entirety. The abstract of the survey and its link appear farther down.

Artificial turf is the cilantro of the sports world, polarizing people into passionate camps of detractors and advocates. Now, a first of its kind Canadian study brings that debate to a boil.

Although similar rates of injury have been reported on both synthetic and grass surfaces in elite soccer, researchers from York University in Toronto reveal a different story when it comes to athletes’ perceptions. To wit, fully 94 per cent of Major League Soccer players in their study – just published in the journal BMC Sports Science, Medicine and Rehabilitation – associate turf with increased risk of non-contact injuries, while a similarly high share of respondents blame it for greater muscle and joint pain, as well as longer recovery times.

“A lot of the research that’s looked at this issue has used injury reports … But experiencing more soreness isn’t picked up in those traditional reports because even though a player is more fatigued, they’re still able to participate,” said Constantine Poulos, the study’s principal investigator.

“If a resounding amount of these players say they experience these issues after playing on artificial turf, I don’t think that’s to be ignored.”

The study draws on 99 players from six teams competing in MLS – North America’s highest level of pro soccer – during the 2011 season. Questionnaires were used to assess perceptions of arena surfaces, with a focus on natural grass versus third-generation and fourth-generation artificial turf.

Even as 70 per cent of pro players in York’s study felt that risk of contact injuries was comparable on both grass and turf, 80 per cent said the risk of non-contact injuries was higher on synthetic surfaces. Overall, 94 per cent cited turf as being the likelier surface of the two to increase the chances of getting hurt.

“They said it was too hard, too stiff, too unforgiving. They felt as though there was more friction – if their foot got caught, it wouldn’t dig itself up like it would in grass – and that it caused them to expend too much energy, as if they were running on sand,” said Poulos, an assistant strength and conditioning coach at York, who conducted the study as part of his graduate thesis in kinesiology.

Artificial turf is widely used at the youth level, as it allows lower-cost year-round play in a greater number of locations. It’s also present in four of the MLS markets (Vancouver, Seattle, Portland and New England), despite loud protestations from those who grew up with grass-stained knees.

In the York study, for example, around 97 per cent of players linked turf with greater muscle and joint soreness, while 90 per cent believed it led to longer recovery times. And when asked about the type of surface they believed responsible for more chronic injuries in a season, 89 per cent named turf.

The problem is disentangling authentic mechanical issues with past experiences that have subsequently coloured athletes’ views.

“Turf has been around for some time, but the technology has changed,” said Poulos. “Players could be referencing experiences they’ve had on turf that wasn’t up to the same standards.”

 * * *

The survey discussed in the foregoing is entitled The perceptions of professional soccer players on the risk of injury from competition and training on natural grass and 3rd generation artificial turf; it is co-authored by Constantine CN Poulos, William H Gage, Joseph Baker, Sebastian Buitrago, and Alison K Macpherson1of the School of Kinesiology and Health Science, York University, Toronto, Canada, and by John Gallucci of JAG Physical Therapy, New Jersey, and Major League Soccer, New York City. The study was published at by BMC Sports Science, Medicine and Rehabilitation 2014, 6:11  doi:10.1186/2052-1847-6-11 – available at http://www.biomedcentral.com/2052-1847/6/11 : -

Background. The purpose of this study was to describe professional soccer players’ perceptions towards injuries, physical recovery and the effect of surface related factors on injury resulting from soccer participation on 3rd generation artificial turf (FT) compared to natural grass (NG).

Methods. Information was collected through a questionnaire that was completed by 99 professional soccer players from 6 teams competing in Major League Soccer (MLS) during the 2011 season.

Results. The majority (93% and 95%) of the players reported that playing surface type and quality influenced the risk of sustaining an injury. Players believed that playing and training on FT increased the risk of sustaining a non-contact injury as opposed to a contact injury. The players identified three surface related risk factors on FT, which they related to injuries and greater recovery times: 1) Greater surface stiffness 2) Greater surface friction 3) Larger metabolic cost to playing on artificial grounds. Overall, 94% of the players chose FT as the surface most likely to increase the risk of sustaining an injury.

Conclusions. Players believe that the risk of injury differs according to surface type, and that FT is associated with an increased risk of non-contact injury. Future studies should be designed prospectively to systematically track the perceptions of groups of professional players training and competing on FT and NG.

For the full report, which also includes individual complaints about the surface go to http://www.biomedcentral.com/2052-1847/6/11 or click here.

[No. 49] U.S. soccer star Abby Wambach opposes artificial turf or the 2015 Women’s World Cup in Canada. Video clip at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u7xdE5aj6I0 .

[No. 48] U.S. soccer stars blast artificial turf. According to a news report on BBC Sport (5 April 2013), Carli Lloyd, two-time Olympic gold medalist U.S. midfielder soccer star, told the BBC World Football Programme that she is disappointed at plans to play the 2015 World Cup matches in Canada on artificial turf fields. “Five of the six host venues in Canada will play matches on plastic pitches, including the final in Vancouver.” “[Lloyd] fears for players’ safety.” “The 31-year-old told the BBC World Service: ‘As a soccer player we would all rather play on grass fields. My biggest concern is the injuries. It takes several weeks to recover from playing on [artificial] turf. It’s bad on your joints, not to mention all those rubber pellets. I just don’t want soccer getting to that point where everybody's playing on artificial turf.’” “Lloyd’s anger is shared by her team-mate and 2012 Fifa World Player of the Year Abby Wambach, who … tweeted: ‘I usually don’t retweet articles about myself, but I think it is too important to stay silent on. The men should worry too, they could be next.’” The podcast of Llyod’s interview can be downloaded from the BBC website http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p002vsyx . Source: “US star Carli Lloyd unhappy at artificial pitches at 2015 World Cup,” BBC Sport, 5 April 2013, at http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/22044508 .

[No. 47] No biennial (2011-2012) ‘NFPLA Survey of Playing Surfaces’ to be issued in February 2013. SynTurf.org, Newton, Mass. 17 February 2013. We delayed the distribution of this edition of SynTurf.org in anticipation of bringing to you the results of the biennial NFLPA’s Survey of Playing Surfaces (for 2011-2012) that would have been due out in February 2013. SynTurf.org contacted the NFLPA’s communications office and was told that there will be no survey published this year, as the players have wanted the survey to be “comprehensive.” When asked if the artificial turf industry has gotten to NFLPA, the office replied in the negative, stating adamantly that the request for a comprehensive filed study had come from the players themselves.

[No. 45] Dutch and Danish soccer players reject artificial turf. SynTurf.org, Newton, Mass. 8 April 2012. The European market for artificial turf is in decline – this is according to Matthew Appleby, “Artificial turf market falls in Europe but rises elsewhere,” in Horticulture Week (5 April 2012) at http://www.hortweek.com/news/login/1125997/ . According to him, the consulting firm of Applied Market Information (AMI Consulting) “has reported that the artificial turf market is falling in Europe.” The details of the report can be accessed via http://www.hortweek.com/news/login/1125997/ .

[No. 44] Toronto, Canada:  Beckham and Keane not keen about Rogers Center’s artificial turf. In 2007, SynTurf.org featured a research essay on the complaints of athletes, including David Beckham, the English soccer player currently with LA Galaxy.  See “Beckham’s Lament: The Pains & Strains of Playing on Infilled Turf,” 17 September 2007, at http://www.synturf.org/beckhamslament.html . According to an item by The Canadian Press on CTV News (7 March 2012), Beckham and Robbie Keane, captain of the Irish national soccer team and a striker on the Galaxy were critical of the artificial turf at Rogers Center, the venue for the Galaxy and Toronto FC match on March 7. “Both David Beckham and Robbie Keane griped about the artificial turf they’ll play on Wednesday night … ‘It’s not ideal, but it’s the same for both teams,’ Beckham said. ‘Ideally you want to play on grass, but at the end of the day, this is the situation. And at least it’s a touch warmer (than outdoors at BMO Field).” “Keane was more critical in his assessment. ‘I don't think we should be playing on a plastic pitch,’ said the Irish striker who joined the Galaxy last August. ‘I think these days, it should be grass pitches. I don’t think it’s good injury-wise, I think it can be dangerous. So it is a shame that we’re playing on it.”  Source: The Canadian Press, “David Beckham displeased with Rogers Centre turf,” on CTV News, 7 March 2012), at http://m.ctv.ca/toronto/20120307/david-beckham-toronto-turf-120307.html .  

[No.  10] D.C. United arrives early in Salt Lake City to get used to unforgiving turf! SynTurf.org, Newton, Mass. April 15, 2008. This story is like “why did the chicken cross the road.” Why did D.C. United arrive in Salt Lake City two days earlier than usual?”