This summer much of the UK is experiencing extremely hot weather conditions, which we are not used to. What does this mean for CCGrass artificial grass pitches?
The good news is that CCGrass pitches are laid globally, often in much hotter climates, so a couple of weeks of UK sun, is a breeze. Our “in-house” produced yarns contains UV protection and in some cases, an additive to help keep the surface temperature cooler. So, the yarn is protected, but the surfaces can still get hot.
Quite simply, heat enters the turf and is held within the rubber/sand in fill, making the field feel very hot. You can keep a surface cooler by spraying it with water. But actually, it is the infill that needs most cooling. This will naturally happen in the evenings as the temperature drops.
Natural infills have proven to be better at dealing with heat, which is why they are more prevalent in hotter climates, but this option isn’t always taken in northern hemisphere countries, where temperatures often don’t get above 25C.
Simple safety advice on a synthetic pitch during extreme heat is to ensure players avoid skin contact with the hotter surface and drink plenty of liquids to avoid dehydration
Benefits over natural grass
You can’t beat a well-watered and lush natural turf pitch, and in hot weather, if you are lucky enough, I would always choose this much cooler surface to play on. However, most junior clubs and very few council or school pitches have the luxury of a good watering system. This means that natural pitches will really struggle.
They will be very hard, potentially with more weeds than normal, likely to crack or turn to dust. All of which means that some pitches may close down, or not be safe to play on, until they get some rain and are able to soften back up. This winter may also see pitches struggle even more as a result of the excessive summer heat preventing good root growth.
This is where synthetic pitches can be a real benefit. There will be no disruption, no loss of quality or playing time. In fact, transferring play to the synthetic pitch can give the natural grass more time to recover properly.
If you have any concerns or questions please contact CCGrass for more information.
