New sports turf ready for action
Palmerston North’s new artificial multiuse sports field is ready for use.
Work on the Central Energy Trust Arena’s turf, the first of its kind in the region, is finished and the field can be booked for use.
It cost almost $1.5 million, but was under budget. The surface is more durable and adaptable than grass, which makes it great for training and games.
The first to use it will be the New Zealand Defence Force, which is hosting a sports day today.
The turf will mainly be used for rugby and football, with permanent markings for the two sports, but it can also be used for summer soccer, rugby league and other codes.
Arena venues manager John Lynch hoped it would get a lot of use across different codes and age groups.
‘‘We want to treat it just like a green space,’’ he said. ‘‘The last couple of months were atrocious with the weather. The [grass] fields, we have had to close them during the week [this season]. This thing will never close.’’
He said a lot of people were wanting to use the field and a nine-week football tournament was already booked to start in October.
About 30 centimetres of topsoil was dug out from the original grass field, then sand was put on top. A shock pad was put down before the turf was laid and small rubber granules were spread.
About 340 tonnes of sand and 130 tonnes of rubber were used for the surface. There is a five-degree gradient from the centre that helps drainage.
There are three sets of goalposts that can be set up, dual-code posts for training as well as dedicated rugby posts and an international football goal. There is also a warm-up area at one end.
After 50 hours of use the turf will have to be raked and every year it will need more rubber laid. The field has a lifespan of about 15 years.
There is also an intelligence system to monitor how much use the field gets and what parts of it are being used.
The materials used in the surface are supposed to minimise grass burn, Lynch said. It is relatively soft and meant to also minimise injury.
The field can be booked from 7.30am to 10pm.