Anil Kumar

Tuesday, 14. July 2009 - Harmit Singh Kamboe

With press reports coming out that world football governing body FIFA sanctioning 10 artificial turfs for India and the Saltlake Stadium, one of the most famous football stadiums in India, going the artificial turf way already; IndianFootball.Com decided to investigate the field of artificial turfs.

We were very fortunate to have Anil Kumar, the Director of FieldTurf Tarkett, India provide us with some insights into this space. FieldTurf Tarkett is a global leader in artificial turfs and we hope that you find this interview timely and of deep interest.


Harmit: Please tell us if artificial turfs are approved by FIFA for international football? Is this a global approval or do regions (confederations) have their own approval processes?

Anil: Yes. They are approved by FIFA and many International matches are played on that, including World Cup qualification matches, FIFA U-20 World Cup, etc. However, there is no blanket certification by FIFA to artificial turfs. FIFA approves each installation site-by-site after conducting both on-site and laboratory tests of the actual turf installed. In fact, the turf that has been approved (FIFA certified) at one site does not automatically become approved at any other site. Another test with the same procedure (on-site, lab) needs to be done for that new site and then given approval. Even such approvals are for a limited period only and not permanent.

The basic objective of the tests are to ensure that the ball behavior (bounce, deviation, roll etc) are exactly as per the best natural grass fields. And also the surface characteristics as replicating the "bio-mechanical" properties of a perfect natural grass field.

There are 2 certifications: FIFA 1-Star and FIFA 2-Star. FIFA 2-Star is more recent, highest-end certification, valid for a shorter duration, meant for professional & International level matches and more exacting in its criteria.

There are no regional approving authorities. FIFA has a certain number of accredited laboratories and only they - by examining each and every detail as per FIFA guidelines - can certify a site as FIFA-approved.


Harmit: Are all artificial turfs the same or are there different specifications/grades of turfs? If you could provide us with a brief insight on this please.

Anil: The quality, look-and-feel of artificial turf, the life, drainage capacity, pile height, density, backing material, softness (friction index) and many other such factors are quite different between different turfs and also between manufacturers.


Harmit: What is artificial turf made of and how different would a turf for football be from say Astroturf for field hockey? Are there different artificial turfs for different sports or are they pretty much the same?

Anil: FieldTurf artificial grass is manufactured using Polyethylene (commonly 'PE'), tufted to Polyethylene backing sheets. The turf carpet is then infilled with a mixture of silica sand and rubber granules - to provide support to the grass blades and reduce the shock factor respectively. 

AstroTurf - the first Generation Grass is a short piled turf has been widely used for Hockey. However, it is very high-friction and too hard for most grass based sports like soccer, baseball etc. Then in the early 90's, FieldTurf innovated a "Next-Generation" artificial turf that was long pile, low-to-no friction fibre, does no need watering, has an infill of silica sand and rubber granules that give it playing characteristics that is closest to natural grass.

Many of these varieties are manufactured to suit different applications: sports (different varieties for football, hockey etc), playgrounds, landscaping, aviation grade turf for use alongside airport runways etc.


Harmit: What sort of ground related work has to be done to lay the artificial turf? On an average, what would be the range (price wise) of having artificial turf installed? How long this turf does last and how does this cost compare with the costs of a natural grass field?

A good artificial grass ground can perform at its best only on a good sub-base. The purpose of the base is to provide a firm surface and ensure quick drainage of water. The sub-base preparation starts with soil tests, contour maps and based on that drawings are made to define the excavation, depth, gradient etc., of the base. Usually there is anywhere from 8 inches to 12 inches of graded crushed stone (50mm to 2mm) in layers on a geotextile and a perimeter drainage system constructed as part of the sub-base.

Pricing-wise, lowest end varieties start at Rs.175/sft including installation (landscaping varieties) and the sports varieties start from about Rs.250/sft. Highest end FIFA standards professional fields would be higher.

Good quality turf can last over 15 years in a sports environment and even longer in a landscaping environment. Though initial costs for an artificial turf field will be much higher, overall, if you compare Cost-of-ownership (the total cost compared over say 15 years life of the artificial grass) it will be much cheaper to have artificial grass. And there are many advantages like almost unlimited playtime, all-weather playability, true surface all-round-the-year etc.


Harmit: Is the artificial turf more taxing on the players and harder on their knees and joints versus a regular grass turf?

No. Various studies have proven that good artificial turf installations actually reduce serious injuries compared to even natural grass fields.


Harmit: How you do you see the market for artificial turfs developing in India?

Anil: There is very good reception to the next-generation artificial turf we introduced in India in 2004. Already there are over 1300 installations in homes, offices, schools, restaurants, clubs, etc. And we are currently installing FieldTurf for the Saltlake stadium in Calcutta, which is the second such field in the SAARC countries. The Chowgule College in Goa already installed a FieldTurf field in late 2005 and it is extensively used by the top teams and clubs including the Indian national team and Indian Junior team for its coaching camps.


Harmit: You had installed the first artificial turf at the Chowgule College a few years ago and now you are working on the Saltlake Stadium in Calcutta. Is artificial turf the future of football in India?

Anil: Yes. When you see that most of the so-called football fields in India (apart from a few professional level stadiums) are actually dust-bowls, with hardly any grass, no maintenance, submerged during monsoons, etc, it is obvious that no-maintenance artificial grass like FieldTurf, with its inherent drainage system is really the future.

We see two significant trends here: the revival of football as a sport - which is already happening at a decent pace - and the acceptance of artificial turf for sports in general. Bodies like FIFA, AIFF in collaboration with the AFC have been trying to promote football as a sport. Global football clubs coming in and setting up facilities in India is a welcome sign too, with various corporates investing on the same. While, artificial turf has become the most recommended surface for football across the world, the same trend will co-align with the rising football spirit in India.

Obviously a lot is also linked to investment in football by the government and the support from the private sector.

But we also see tremendous interest by schools, clubs and parks to have multi-sport & multi-purpose areas installed with artificial grass and they are able to get much more return on their investment.

Overall, we are very happy with our progress and very upbeat about the future.