Sports Football

4 Things You Should Know About Football Grass

Published at 03/20/2012 16:18:21

Introduction

When selecting grass for a football field, you have to choose football grass that is adaptable to your local environment. Football is a damaging kind of sport to the grass. If the field is in cooler climates, then Fescue, Perennial Ryegrass and Kentucky Bluegrass are used. In warmer climates, Bermuda grass and Zoysia grass are used.


The football associations and the governing bodies have started to pay attention to football grass. The Sportsgrass company is right in front of the football grass development with the current demand of providing safe football fields that can last on a long term basis without the need for excessive drain of valuable water stocks.

History


Historically, football pitches have always had a natural grass cover. The football pitches have had to be returfed on a regular basis because of the stress on the football grass due to tough playing conditions and rough weather. To do this, the turf has had to be removed to a depth of almost forty millimetres of turf and about one hundred and ten millimetres of soil.


Artificial grass has come about in recent years as an alternative to natural grass for the football stadium. But the performance of the artificial turf has always come under question as not being natural and safe. Artificial grass has been used mostly in places where there has been low sunlight and where there is an acute shortage of water along with hostile weather conditions.

 

Features

There are 4 things you should know about football grass:


1. You have to first decide on the grass type for adequate cover for your particular field environment – There is a risk of injury due to the violent nature of the football sport. When you play on natural grass with an adequate cover and the right type of grass as opposed to artificial turf, the risk of injury is considerably reduced. An adequate grass cover will give way and a player’s foot will not get stuck on the field leading to broken bones or ligament injuries. The grass cover also reduces the impact on the body when the players fall on the ground during a game.


2. You have to know when to plant or reseed the grass – The timing of the planting of the grass is important. If there is a delay in reseeding and when there is cold and rough weather, some areas of the natural grass field will wear down. The weed level then has to be maintained. It is important to pay attention to such areas of the field that may deteriorate in the later stages of the football game. Sometimes, these areas may end up being in the middle of the field and the referee may have to call plays that will avoid such areas.


3. You have to select a mixture of seed, sod or sprig and make sure that the grass is flat and short – There will be about ten blades of grass on a square inch. Finding the right grass or mixture of grasses and then maintaining it on time is important.


4. You have to understand the planting techniques and the maintenance schedules – The crown is important in a natural grass field. It is there to allow proper drainage of moisture off the football grass field. The grass must have a good drainage potential. A football pitch must have under soil drainage up to at least eight miles of pipe for a normal sized pitch. The crown can mean an eighteen inch curved elevation from the sidelines to the middle of the football grass field.

 

Tips and comments

Successful football grass providers have maintained that the grass must have a dense and thick sod so that it is able to withstand the impact and also have the ability to repair swiftly. The football grass has to be maintained in such a way that fertilization, mowing and watering are carried out on a scheduled plan. Most of the football field grasses are seeded mixtures to get optimum coverage for the longest duration of time.

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