The History of Artificial Grass - Sports

First emerging in the late 1960s, artificial grass has come a long way in its relatively short history. Though contemporary synthetic lawns are extremely life-like in both their look and feel, the first artificial turfs resembled a carpet more than grass itself. However, modern-day artificial grass manufacturers owe their success to these humble beginnings, as they paved the way for the impressive products available today. Due to the incredible amount of time, money and maintenance required to sustain a healthy sports pitch, it's no surprise that artificial grass was first invented for the sports and leisure industry. In fact, the famous Astrodome arena in Houston, Texas (home to the Astros baseball team) was one of the first stadiums to use an artificial grass product and can be credited with giving the product its nickname - 'astro turf.' The nickname was so popular that the product's name, Chemgrass, was soon officially changed to Astro Turf.Over in here in the UK, astr o turf was installed in several associated football club grounds in the early 80s, where they were commonly known as 'plastic pitches.' One of the first professional clubs to use an artificial pitch was Queens Park Rangers, who installed the synthetic surface in 1981. However, despite the success of artificial grasses in US baseball arenas, the response in the UK was not as positive. Many complained that the artificial turf made viewing games far less pleasant and players were continually inflicted with carpet burn-like injuries. Furthermore, the football seemed to bounce differently on these 'plastic pitches.' The backlash from fans, players and managers alike led FIFA and UEFA to ban astro turf completely. After these rudimentary beginnings, artificial grass manufacturers continually sought new ways to make their synthetic turfs more natural, safe and aesthetically pleasing. Today, UEFA and FIFA recognise that new artificial grass products have greatly improved and both or ganisations have approved contemporary artificial pitches on a case-by-case basis. It's now widely recognised that top-quality artificial pitches could actually improve the professional sports industry, as it would no longer have to cancel games for soggy, frozen or damaged pitches. Thus, astro turf has changed a lot since the 60s and has managed to reverse many peoples' opinions. Contemporary artificial turf products feature realistic grass-like colouring and long blades that sway in the wind. Nowadays, many people have trouble spotting artificial pitches from natural grass pitches and there's a sense that many sporting arenas are moving in the direction of synthetic grass.

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