TURF TALK
07
Turf market growth
Artificial turf market size worth US$3.8bn by 2025
The global artificial turf
www.stadia-magazine.com September 2019 market size is projected
to reach US$3.8bn by
2025, according to a new report
by Grand View Research.
As sports venues look to
artificial turf due to its hardwearing
durability and lower
levels of maintenance over
natural grass, the report
predicts the segment is
expected to register a CAGR of
5.1% in terms of volume over
the forecast period.
In 2018, polyethelene-based
artificial turf was valued at
US$1.5bn and it has identified
a number of key areas for its
growth. Asia Pacific is expected
to be the fastest-growing
market for artificial turf, while
Europe remains a key market
where demand is driven by
applications in soccer, rubgy,
tennis, hockey and baseball
stadia. The Middle East is also
seeing a rise in demand as
sports clubs across Saudia
Arabia, Qatar, and the UAE
struggle to sustain natural grass
due to the weather conditions.
Product quality, affordable
pricing, and well-established
distribution channels are
expected to be the key success
factors for the market players,
who are focusing on
improvements in the backing
materials of artificial turf to hold
turf threads firmly and new
sewing technologies to cater
for multiple applications.
Field of dreams
STMA to help recreate famous movie ballpark in real-life
for New York Yankees versus Chicago White Sox game
An 8,000-seat ballpark is
being constructed from
scratch in Iowa on the
same site where the 1989 movie
Field of Dreams was filmed, and
will host a matchup between the
New York Yankees and Chicago
White Sox next season.
Ground has already been
broken for the temporary
stadium where 17 acres of the
iconic cornfields seen in the
baseball movie starring Kevin
Costner will be used for the
venue and infrastructure. It will
mark the first regular season
Major League Baseball game
ever held in the state of Iowa.
Members of the Sports Turf
Managers Association (STMA),
a professional organization of
individuals who manage sports
fields around the world, will be
involved in the development,
construction and maintenance
of the site adjacent to the
original Field of Dreams to help
meet MLB standards.
The field will be a sand-based
natural grass system with a
complete underdrain system. A
fully automatic irrigation system
will also be installed to manage
the bluegrass sodded field.
BrightView will oversee the
installation of new foul poles,
bullpens, a batter’s eye and
backstop net while BaAm will
build the temporary seating,
locker rooms, media and press
box areas in conjunction with
Populous. The majority of the
sitework and subbase system
will be completed this fall. In the
spring of 2020, USGA modified
rootzone materials and sod will
be added with an estimated
completion date of mid-July.
Following the historic contest,
the field will remain with fencing
surrounding the site.
“This is a very special project,”
said Murray Cook, president of
BrightView Sports Turf and past
president of STMA. “Everything
will be built from scratch; from
the pitcher’s mound, to the
outfield, to the entire ballpark
itself. Being the first MLB game in
Iowa, we are especially pleased
to have many ‘Iowans’ on our
construction and maintenance
teams to assist with the project.
BrightView also worked with
the MLB to create the playing
surface for the London Series
game between the Yankees and
red Sox, held at the London
Stadium and the first regular
season game in Europe.
“This will be an historic event
and we are looking forward to
working with our Iowa chapter
to make it a great experience for
the thousands in attendance and
the millions watching from
around the world,” said Kim Heck,
CEO of STMA.
The chosen grass –
Greenlees Park Couch – is
a hard-wearing semi-dwarf
couch, with a deep root
system and aggressive
surface growth making it
ideal for North Queensland’s
climate conditions.
“It’s not just elite sports
that will benefit from the
new Stadium, the turf
means all sorts of events and
organizations will be able to
use this space, benefiting
our whole community,” said
Townsville Mayor Jenny Hill.
Pic: Ballpark Digest
/www.stadia-magazine.com