Water-Conserving Hockey Surface Developed in NZ

Water-Conserving Hockey Surface Developed in New Zealand

New Zealand-based international Sports Surface company TigerTurf has launched an advanced new synthetic sporting surface that has been developed to reduce the amount of water wasted on international level hockey turfs. The first application of TigerTurf WETT is currently being installed at Avondale College in Auckland.

Water-based hockey surfaces require water-canons to wet the surface prior to a game to produce a playing surface that is smoother than dry surfaces, such as grass. TigerTurf WETT is a synthetic water-based surface that requires minimal water to be applied before use.

The majority of international and Olympic level hockey games are played on water-based surfaces. While water surfaces offer performance benefits, the large amount of water they require can be environmentally unfriendly and uneconomical. This is particularly an issue in countries such as India and Africa, where water is a scarce and valuable commodity, and is increasingly an issue throughout the world as environmental responsibility becomes a priority.

TigerTurf Technical Manager Don Crockett explains, "We developed TigerTurf WETT after the Federation of International Hockey (F.I.H.), the governing body of world hockey, called for the development of a turf that can be used for internationals and eliminated the need for water," said Crockett. "TigerTurf WETT uses advanced fibre technology exclusive to TigerTurf that requires less water than the current non filled synthetic fields."

"The surface, which has been tested to the global standard of the F.I.H., has been in development for the past two and a half years and involved a significant amount of research. We developed WETT to be consistent, on both wet and dry surfaces, in ball roll, player comfort and speed."

"During extensive wear testing TigerTurf WETT showed little sign of deformation or change in characteristics. It is designed not to shine when wet or under floodlights, enabling high visibility and it will perform in extreme temperatures and UV conditions, as shown by independent tests."

Last week, construction of a trial application of WETT was completed at Avondale College on a field that will be used as a warm-up area for the school's 2,600 students.

Darren Smith, TigerTurf Product Manager explains the qualities of TigerTurf's water-based surfaces make them a popular choice for all levels of hockey, from schools and hockey clubs to international level competitions.

"Wet surfaces such as TigerTurf WETT combine a dense yarn with water to produce a low friction playing field which has excellent ball roll and is very player friendly," said Smith. "The yarn in is a unique polyethylene knitted yarn, with more durability and spring than other polyethylene products."

"The blades are small and dense, absorbing the impact of hockey sticks and increasing pile recovery. The average turf surfaced with TigerTurf WETT will contain over 500 million tufts. In addition, it is non abrasive and more forgiving on the body, which is ideal for young players."

TigerTurf has installed 25 water-based hockey fields around the country, and is the only New Zealand synthetic surfaces company that manufactures its products in this country.

ENDS

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