Improving playing surfaces

Sports lovers can look forward to improved artificial turfs in Auckland in the future.

Auckland Council manager of sports parks Grant Jennings says 11 turfs now have crumb rubber infills.

‘‘These outcomes include greater re-usability of the infill (and less waste to landfill), no odour, better whole of life costing, lower potential heat issues, and greater focus on green engineering outcomes,’’ he says.

The council uses European standard for rubber in children’s toys as one of the criterias in determining the approved type of infill product.

‘‘Recycled rubber crumb is not the only infill material that can be used in artificial turf systems. Other options currently available are EPDM (Ethylene Propylene Diene Monomer), a synthetic rubber TPE (Thermoplastic Elastomer), and cork.’’

Sports codes including football, rugby and touch rugby use artificial turf at some grounds around Auckland. While it is impossible to prevent injury in any sport, ACC revealed data they have from their ‘no fault’ scheme shows lacerations, punctures, stings, soft tissue injuries and fractures are the top injuries resulting from play on artificial turfs.

‘‘There may be instances where an accident occurred as a result of [playing on artificial turf] but this detail wasn’t recorded in the accident description on the claim form,’’ ACC senior media advisor Stephanie Melville says.

Improved sports turfs are on the way