What [s going on in The Netherlands? · What [s going on in The Netherlands? Arjan Knottnerus Business Development Director FieldTurf Tarkett Benelux. Programme Part 1 King of Football

Artificial Grass for Football

What’s going on inThe Netherlands?

Arjan KnottnerusBusiness Development DirectorFieldTurf Tarkett Benelux

ProgrammePart 1 King of Football

pausePart 2 Artificial grass in professional football

pausePart 3 Construction and certification

pausePart 4 End of Life

pausePart 5 Non-infillPart 6 Questions / discussion



King of Football

PART 1

KING OF FOOTBALL THE NETHERLANDS

Dutch professional football• Turnover professional soccer € 450.000.000/year → 8th in Europe

• Turnover Manchester United → € 521.000.000/year• Average annual salary of professional football players in The Netherlands → € 280.000

• In the Premier Leaugue→ average annual slary of professional football players → factor 10!

• Salary Neymar at PSG → € 165.000 per dag!

• Top 25 best seen television programmes are dominated by football

• Per match need for 49 police force → in the Bundesliga 6 times more needed!• Costs police force per year € 14.000.000

• Top 3 stadiums in The Netherlands:• Johan Cruijff ArenA Amsterdam ‘AFC Ajax’ 54.990• De Kuip Rotterdam ‘SC Feyenoord’ 51.117• Philips Stadium Eindhoven ‘PSV’ 35.000

• Football lovers spend yearly € 383.000.000 • Participation of the Dutch National Team during European of

World Championship is very important for the economy• extra sales for supermarkets of € 50.000.000


Dutch amateur football ‘non professional’• We all live on a average of 1,6 kilometres from a

footballplace/pitch

• Every year 650.000 injuries

• 1.200.000 active football players• The number of clubs is decreasing

• In 1978: 8.000 clubs → 2019: 2451 clubs

• Women’s football is growing and succesfull


Artificial grass for football in The Netherlands• First official certified artificial 3th generation pitch was

build in 2000

• Now: 1 of 5 football pitches in the amateur ‘non professional’ football is already artificial • In city's even 1 of 3

• 2019: 2700 certified pitches

• Total amount is still growing




Artificial grass in professional football

PART 2

38 teams14x natural grass

7x hybride grass17x artificial grass

PROFESSIONAL LEAGUES IN THE NETHERLANDS

ARTIFICIAL GRASS IN PROFESSIONAL LEAGUES IN EUROPE

Highest level Second level

Source KNVB 2017

RANKING BEST PITCH IN THE NETHERLANDS

a clearopinion!

INJURIES?

• Increasing resistance to artifial grass at the highest level

• Subsidy from television fees Eurpean football for clubs with natural grass of € 300.000,00/year

• Start research artificial grass versus natural grass by the KNVB

PLAYERS SURVEY

CHANCE OF INJURY ARTIFICIAL GRASS VERSUS NATURAL GRASS

Research University of Utrecht by Prof. Dr. F.J.G. Backs, professor of sports medicine

• No difference in total number of injuries• Small differences in kind of injuries

• Amount of knee injuries is the same• Artificial grass increases the risk of ankle injuries, but causes less thigh

injures• Limited difference in the type of injuries

• Artificial grass causes relatively more abrasions, muscle cramps and chronic low back pain

• Limited differience in the severity of injuries• On artificial grass is played more often without absenteeism• Absenteeism (<21 days) is the same

Conclusion:

‘artificial grass doesn’t increase the risks of injuries’

‘habituation to artificial grass appears to be a protective factor’

Conclusions playability based on data analyses:

‘small differences in type of game based on data analyses’

‘small differences can still be observed by players and trainers’

RESEARCH KNVB NATURAL GRASS VERSUS ARTIFICIAL GRASS

Measurements on 6 stadiums with natural grass and 3 stadiums with artificial grass on 2 moments

Natural grass Artificial grass

AFC Ajax SC Cambuur

De Graafschap ADO The Hague

FC Utrecht FC Den Bosch

SC Feyenoord

NEC

PSV

The following measurements have been made

• Torsion

• Ball rol and ball bounce

• Grass length and density

• Shockabsortion and energy restitution

• Vertical deformation

CONCLUSIONS RESEARCH KNVB NATURAL GRASS VERSUS ARTIFICIAL GRASS

Measurements Natural grass Artificial grass Conclusion

Torsion 35 - 50 Nm 35 - 36 Nm Higher on NG

Ball rol 5,0 - 6,5 m 4,5 - 7,5 m Higher on NG

Ball bounce 0,75 - 0,95 m 0.80 - 0,83 m Higher on NG

Grass length 25 - 35 mm 20 mm ‘infill free zone’

Shockabsorption 40 - 55 % 61 - 64 % Lower on NG

Energy restitution 20 - 35 % 40 % Lower on NG

Verical deformation 3,5 - 7,0 mm 8,8 - 9,0 mm Lower on NG

FIFA:

‘performance of artificial grass pitches must match with the best natural grass pitches’

CONCLUSION ………………

It’s up to you

BUT KEEPING NATURAL GRASS IN A GOOD CONDITION ISN’T EASY ……

IS HYBRID THE SOLUTION?Maybe, but only if …..

• Right construction, maintenance and use• Enough budget for maintenance

• A good qualified groundsteam with focus and passion

• Understanding and cooperation of the technical staff/players

• Proper use of the pitch

HYBRID GRASSYSTEMS

• Various systems• Toplayers reinforced with artificial grass fibres

• Injected

• Carpet based

• Toplayers reinforced with fibres or other Toplaagversterkt met fibers of other aggregates

GRASSMASTER AFC AJAX

LAY & PLAY HYBRID GRASS SODS

JOHAN CRUIJFF ARENA

JOHAN CRUIJFF ARENA

JOHAN CRUIJFF ARENA



Construction and certification artificial grass for football

PART 3

Artificial grass 60 mm

Subbase layer 8-10 cm

Sand subbase 38-36 cm

Drainage (every 4,00 m)

Existing surface

THE STANDARD CONSTRUCTIONRequirement: 50 cm frost free construction (40 cm coastline)

ALTERNATIVE CONSTRUCTIONS

OUR CLIMATE IS CHANGING

CLIMATE-PROOF CONSTRUCTION

• Waber® system • extra waterstorage and watermanagement

• 50% hollow spaces and a construction of 25 cm in stead of 50 cm• 125 mm waterstorage• Pitches +15 cm compared to current levels

CLIMATE-PROOF CONSTRUCTION

Football:

• Certification of the whole system including subbase

• 2007 – 2009 KNVB standards (standard / plus)

• 2010 – 2018 FIFA* and FIFA** + introduction KNVB Usage Standard Norm

• In the meantime from FIFA* and FIFA** → FIFA Qualty Pro and FIFA Quality

• 2018 → decision KNVB to stop with FIFA certification in 2019

• Development Dutch Standard Norm: NOC*NSF KNVB2-15 2019

• Introduction NOC*NSF KNVB2-18 Norm ‘Usage”

• Reason introduction own Dutch Standard Norm

• Better performance pitches by stricter standards

• Based on research → performance of artificial grass pitches need to

be improved to match better with natural grass pitches

REQUIREMENTS THE NETHERLANDS

NOC*NSF KNVB2-15 2019

Eigenschap conditie Test methode Norm

Schokabsorptie (%) droog (50 x rollen)

nat

50 °C EN 16717 55 - 68 %

-5 °C (1e impact)

na 6000 cycli betreding

Energierestitutie** (%) droog

(** waarde kan worden aangepast nat EN 16717 20 - 45 %

na correlatie onderzoek) na 6000 cycli betreding

Verticale vervorming (mm) droog

nat EN 16717 4 - 10 mm


Balstuit (m) droog EN 12235 0.60 - 0.85 m

nat

na 6000 cycli betreding 0.60 - 0.95 m

Balrol (m) droog EN 12234 4 - 8 m


Stroefheid (Nm) droog EN 15301-1 30 - 45 N/m

nat

droog na 6000 cycli betreding 30 - 50 N/m

Wrijvingscoefficient, sliding (µ) droog KNVB.t-1 0.35 - 0.75 µ


Football laboratory tests and requirements to pass for certification

NOC*NSF KNVB2-15 2019Football fieldtest to pass

Measurements Requirements

• Elevation*: on each side max. slope of 0,26 %

• Shockabsorption: 55 – 65 %

• Vertical deformation: 4 – 10 mm

• Tosion: 30 – 45 N/m

• Ball bounce (vertical): 0,60 – 0,85 m

• Ball roll: 4 – 8 m

• Energy restitution**: 20 – 40 %

• Flatness: max. unevenness of 10 mm allowed

* excluding renovation pitches

** can still be adjusted after a correlation study

NOC*NSF KNVB2-18 USAGE NORMFootball fieldtest to pass after 4, 6 and 8 years of usage

Measurements Requirements

• Elevation*: max. slope of 300 mm each side

• Shockabsorption: 45 – 70 %

• Vertical deformation: -

• Tosion: 30 – 55 N/m

• Ball bounce (vertical): 0,60 – 1,10 m

• Ball roll: 4 – 15 m

• Energy restitution**: -

• Flatness: max. unevenness of 20 mm allowed

45 mm (shockpad / e-layer) - 32 mm infill 60 mm (hardbase) - 48 mm infill

PILEHEIGHT ARTIFICIAL GRASS 45-60

Free pile 13 mm

Free pile 17 mm

TPE/EPDM/Cork 18 mm

SBR/Cork 28 mmSand 14 mm

Sand 20 mm

Backing artificial grassBacking artificial grass

Shockpad or e-layer

SHOCKPADS/E-LAYERS

sandinfill

Artificial grass with performance infill or non-infill

Subbase layer

Shockpad or e-layer

INFILL POSSIBILITIES



End of Life

PART 4

TOTAL MARKET SPORTS

• 2.6 mio sqm

• Stabel market

• 80% renovation

• Soccer 1.9 mio sqm

• Hockey 0.3 mio sqm

• Other 0.4 mio sqm

THE MARKET FOR ARTIFICIAL GRASS

End of Life ………

It has just begun ….

AND IN 10 YEARS?

COLLECTING AND THEN?

•

IN THE MEANTIME SOMEWHERE IN THE NETHERLANDS ………..

IN THE MEANTIME SOMEWHERE IN THE NETHERLANDS ………..

News on 11-10-2018

OH YES, RECYCLING ……2018: • In The Netherlands 1.600.000 m2 = 61.000 tons of artificial grass

removed• Total estimated 140.000 tons artificial grass and infill in storage

2019:• Still no real recycling and only storage• So ‘the mountain just grows’• Still a lot removed en of life artificial grass from earlier days in

storage everywhere ……

OH YES, RECYCLINGRecycling/processing capacity in The Netherlands

• Vink 35.000- 40.000 ton / jaar → stopped• Tuf recycling 20.000 ton / jaar → stopped• Re-Match for the Dutch market → 10.000 ton

New initiative GBN → capacity of 35.000 – 40.000 ton• Starting with recycling/processing Q2 2020

Difficult sales of residual flows (crumb, sand, grass)

OH YES, RECYCLINGEnd of Life pitch 60 mm• % of released components by weight• Sand and SBR crumb / rubber → biggest weight ‘problem’

Infill sand

Infill SBR crumb / rubber

Yarn

Latex / PU backing

Tuft cloth / primary backing

REMOVAL OF END OF LIFE TURF –CURRENT STATUS

2 possibilities for turf recycling:

• On site recycling → not always allowed in The Netherlands• Separation of infill and grass on the job site

• Infill (mixed or separated) can be reused on site in the new field

• Grass is resold as second hand or sent to recycling / incineration

• Mostly used in Spain, and before SBR crisis in France

• Recycling plant• The full rolls of grass + infill are rolled up and sent to a recycling plant

• The recycler processes it into recycled products (sand, infill, polymers)

• There are recycling plants in France, Germany, Denmark, The Netherlands

• Those companies struggle to achieve technical and economical results

NEW PRODUCTS

POLYMER TYPES IN ARTIFICIAL GRASS SYSTEMS

• Carpet• Turf Fiber: Polyethylene Thermoplastic

• Primary Backing: Polypropylene Thermoplastic

• Primary Backing: Polyester Thermoplastic

• Secondary Backing: Latex, Elastomer

• Infill

• SBR : Cross-Linked Elastomer

• EPDM : Cross-Linked Elastomer

• Polyethylene : Thermoplastic

• TPE : Thermoplastic

• Green: Easy to convert

• Red: Impossible to convert

• Orange : Risk to convert

https://www.google.fr/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=imgres&cd=&ved=2ahUKEwinwJWegJvgAhWMa1AKHayaDaIQjRx6BAgBEAU&url=https://www.acdc.co.za/products/led-3-r-y-g-colour-single-unit-traffic-light-10-36vdc&psig=AOvVaw0qtQGe1acnF6GkJ-HAL7JT&ust=1549126546676164

Comparison of thermoplastic and cross-linked elastomers

• Mixture of thermoplastic and crosslinked elastomer, the crosslinked elastomers decompose at the processing temperature of the thermoplastic.

• Mixture of different thermoplastics and elastomers (Latex & PE & PP) melt together and can be recycled together.

RECYCLING OF ARTIFICIAL TURF SYSTEM WITH INFILL

A DIFFERENT APPROACH

Return of raw material resources in the production process

• Step 1:

• The rolls of artificial turf from removed fields are sent to a recycling plant. The carpet is separated from the infill residues and afterwards passed through a metal detector and a crushing mill.

Return of raw material resources in the production process

• Step 2 :

• The fiber is sent in ballots to Morton Extrusionstechnik.

• The fiber is then crushed through several crushing mills and passes through different mixers in order to obtain PE pellets.


Return of raw material resources in the production process.

• Step 3 :

• The pellets are then mixed and recalibrated with a so-called SEBS Masterbatch in order to obtain the final « Promax Hydroflex ».

• This process is strictly controlled in order to obtain a constant quality despite the variability of the end of life raw material.


End of life carpetMetal

detectorCrushing Mill

Silo /

MixingCompounder

Fine

crushing

mill

Sorter

Silo /

MixingCompounder

Pellets from

end of life carpet


Polyethylene

Dosing/

Mixing Compounder

SEBS Masterbatch

SEBS

Additive

Granulation


SEBS Masterbatch Dosing/

MixingCompounder

Pellets from end of life turf

Granulation

Promax HydroFlex


INFILL MADE FROM EOL

BUT ………………

• Still not 100% circulair

• Microplastics discussion• First lawsuit already a fact

• Organic infills?

• Non-infill systems?

• ……………….



Non-infill systems

PART 5

NON-INFILL

sandinfill

Artificial grass without performance infill tufted or woven

Subbase layer

Shockpad or e-layer

2 TYPES OF YARN

• Type A: combination of fibrillated & monofilament• Main yarn

• Fibrillated• Support yarn

• Texturized Monofilament• Infill

• 5-13 kg/m² sand

• Type B: 100% monofilament• Main yarn

• Monofilament• Support yarn

• Texturized Monofilament• Infill

• 5-13 kg/m² sand

A

B

Foam20 mm recycled

InsituE-layer 25 mm

Foam10 -12 mm

USED SHOCKPADS / E-LAYERS

ISSUE GRIP NON-INFILL

FIFA torsion Skid test → in progress …….

ISSUE GRIP NON-INFILL

Maintenance• Sand very important for grip• Keep it open• Best results → aerator GKB

Shoes• Type of shoes/studs very important• Beste result with …..• Research and development very important

Non-infill ≠ Infill system ≠ comparable→ other type of pitch!Good information and communication is essential!

CONCLUSION ………………

We’re not there yet



QUESTIONS?

PART 6

FOOTBALL EMOTION…..

Documents

What [s going on in The Netherlands? · What [s going on in The Netherlands? Arjan Knottnerus Business Development Director FieldTurf Tarkett Benelux. Programme Part 1 King of Football