Within our Sports Labs consultancy team, Project Engineers Calum Hirst and Phil Martin utilise InfoDrainage, a leading software for advanced drainage design.

Artificial turf technology is continuously evolving, and governing body certification ensures that these innovations meet the highest standards for performance and safety. Here are some of the most recent developments in certified artificial turf products.

FIFA has published the updated Goal Line Technology (GLT) Testing Manual as of July 2024.

If you would like further detail, or have questions please contact us at info@sportslabs.co.uk

The new FIFA manual has gone live April 2024. This Lite version is Field Product Specifc.

If you would like further detail, or have questions please contact us at info@sportslabs.co.uk

The new FIFA manual has gone live April 2024. This Lite version is Laboratory Product Specifc.

If you would like further detail, or have questions please contact us at info@sportslabs.co.uk

The new FIFA manual has gone live April 2024. We will summarise the key changes and information you may find extremely helpful over the forthcoming days, firstly with a general overview then a deeper dive into Product testing and one specific to Field testing.

If you would like further detail, or have questions please contact us at info@sportslabs.co.uk

Recently, Sports Labs took the lead in hosting World Rugby’s Technical Meeting, providing Accredited Test Institutes and Preferred Turf Producers with a platform to discuss potential updates to Regulation 22, the Rugby Turf Performance Specification. A key proposal on the table is the adoption of a new test method designed to evaluate skin injury risk on playing surfaces.

With water becoming an ever-scarcer resource that needs to be used responsibly the FIH recognised that today most approved hockey turfs are designed to use 1 l/m2 each time a field is watered – this equates to 6000 Litres per 10-minute cycle.
To move hockey onto a more sustainable footing the FIH announced their next steps;

Legislation, environmental concerns, and sustainability are driving change, but more importantly stimulating innovation in the artificial turf sector. It is a fact that whilst we do need to embrace environmental concerns the industry has had options which are sustainable for many years.

Sports Labs had the privilege of working with Glasgow Life where we advocated for recycling on 4 sites: Glasgow club Donald Dewar (pictured above), Glasgow Club Milton, Greenfield Football Centre and Toryglen Regional Centre.

The FIH are on the search for the holy grail of playing surfaces - a waterless ‘water based’ pitch!

UCD have just completed a new artificial rugby field on Campus at Thornfield. The full size pitch is part of an ambitious plan to enhance the sporting footprint of the Campus and make it a world class place study and play sport. Sports Labs was very proud to be a part of the team led by Donnachadh O'Brien.

Have you ever walked on an artificial pitch and noticed tiny fragments of yarn sticking to your shoes? This phenomenon is known as yarn wear and occurs as the playing surface ages. Aging in plastic is normal and common but it can lead to materials like the yarns in an artificial pitch breaking into smaller pieces. But don't worry, we have good news!

As the artificial turf market progresses its shift to more sustainable systems and organic infills become more widely used, it is imperative that the equipment used to measure the surface performance also develops to account for these new challenges.

As the artificial turf market progresses its shift to more sustainable systems and organic infills become more widely used, it is imperative that the equipment used to measure the surface performance also develops to account for these new challenges.

Artificial Turf and Fibre Wear

The Need for a Balanced View