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Twenty years ago, the thought of using synthetic Astroturf for a community athletic field was unfathomable. The thick, giant carpet was unsightly and due to its absorbent but nonporous texture, it created a mold risk in rain. Athletic stadiums that did use Astroturf also encountered problems: Aside from the unevenness that resulted along seams as the turf aged, player injuries became much more common, since the carpet lacked the pliability of natural grass. If a player planted his cleat and something hit him in the leg, he was going to get badly injured.

The invention of grass-like FieldTurf gave us a much more aesthetically pleasing surface that looked very much like natural grass, while providing a great degree more give than Astroturf. With the turf now a widespread success on pro and college sports fields around the world, parks and recreation divisions across the country have installed FieldTurf on local athletic fields to rave reviews. The turf provides significant advantages for maintenance over natural grass:

- Synthetic turf doesn't require fertilizing and watering. If you don't regularly water or fertilize grass, it dries out and turns yellow. But FieldTurf is synthetic and requires nothing of the sort. Plus, there's no risk of running into the odd sprinkler-head since there's no need to water the field.

- FieldTurf is similarly porous to grass, and usually comes with a drainage system. There is no risk of mushy or moldy turf, as most rainfall will simply seep down and away from the turf.

- Synthetic turf maintains an even playing surface far better than grass. Anyone whose school had a grass field knows how ripply and choppy the grass becomes after a while, and running across the field can resemble an obstacle course without obstacles due to the varying texture. But FieldTurf fields maintain an even texture, meaning that running on it will be just as easy five years from now as it was the day it was installed.

- And as mentioned, FieldTurf is as safe to run on as natural grass. The rug burns and leg injuries of Astroturf aren't nearly the same risk on FieldTurf.

If you live in a region where grass grows green year round, and a maintenance crew that can efficiently maintain it, then nothing should stop you from continuing to use natural grass for your fields if you wish. But for those who live in more irregular climes, synthetic FieldTurf is the most efficient surface for any athletic field, as it is easy to maintain, looks and feels great and minimizes injury.

Learn more about this author, Steven Gomez.
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