FC Volendam's new synthetic turf field is 'top of the bill'

These are busy weeks in the Kras Stadium of FC Volendam. CSCsport - GreenFields is currently working on the replacement of the artificial turf main pitch. On the 26th of November the new main pitch will get its baptism by fire during the next home match.

The replacement of FC Volendams main pitch was a long process. The club makes no secret of the fact that they eventually want to return to natural grass in the stadium. But first a new artificial turf pitch will be installed. Jaap Veerman is chairman of the Supervisory Board at FC Volendam and also a member of the Main Field Committee. He explains: during the preparations for this renovation, we asked for two quotations: one for a new artificial grass pitch and one for the conversion to a natural grass or hybrid pitch. As a club, we are in the process of investigating whether a return to real grass is possible. We tried for a year, but logistically we couldn't get it done. It would require three extra training pitches, which we don't have. That would lead to too many concessions in the training programme of the youth division. This cannot be realised in Volendam now, so it became clear that another artificial grass pitch was needed.

From Elite to Ultimate

After all, the old pitch has already been in use for seven years. For now, the quotation for the artificial grass pitch was the deciding factor, with CSCsport - GreenFields coming out on top. In the quotation, the contractor included a GreenFields MX Elite. However, the FC Volendam board went to visit TenCate and visited the nearby stadium of Heracles Almelo, where the latest MX Ultimate from GreenFields is installed. ‘That one was really beautiful,' says Veerman. GreenFields said that this product would normally not be produced, because it was specially designed and made for Heracles. In the end there was an option to produce another one and install the pitch in November, a few months after the summer, and then still have the Ultimate delivered. That's what we went for. The KNVB has re-approved the old pitch, so the first matches of this season could still be played on the old pitch.

Tight planning

Professional football clubs have a tight schedule during the season. This also applies to FC Volendam, which has only three weeks to replace the main pitch in November. CSCsport - GreenFields started the works on Saturday November 6th, one day after the last home match. Project manager André Ceelen says: 'We have three weeks in total, as there is another home game on the programme on Friday November 26th. Because they also want to get used to the new pitch, we try to have it ready within two weeks. They can then train on it a couple of times, it is after all a new pitch with new characteristics.

Combining forces

The pitch will be placed on the existing subbase, which has been in the stadium for some 17 years. The artificial turf was removed including infill by CSCsport - GreenFields. The new carpet lies on foam, is 45 mm and filled with sand and TPE. The artificial turf that will be laid in the stadium is the latest MX Ultimate by GreenFields, which Ceelen says is 'top of the bill' in terms of sporting characteristics.

Vincent Homrighausen of TenCate Grass confirms that MX Ultimate is the best that GreenFields currently has to offer. We started this when the discussion about natural and synthetic turf in professional football arose. For us, that was a moment to combine all the knowledge, experience and materials in our organisation for the development of a top-quality synthetic turf pitch - without thinking about the costs. An important part of the development process was the dialogue with Heracles players. They tested the pitch and the feedback went back and forth between the club and us.'

GreenFields MX Ultimate

Maximum comfort and durability

TenCate Grass has made a number of clear choices in the development of MX Ultimate. Homrighausen: 'The synthetic turf is woven rather than tufted, which means that the yarnbind of the pilefibres to the backing is much stronger and the fibres stay upright. This makes the ball roll very predictable. Next we looked at the artificial grass yarns. In recent years, there has been a trend from thin to thick yarns. MX Ultimate, on the other hand, has thin, finer yarns, but there are more of them per square metre. Due to the high density of the artificial grass carpet, forces are spread more evenly, which increases durability and ensures maximum comfort for the player. In addition, the ball rolls more 'in' the grass than on top of it.

A textured yarn was deliberately added to the composition of the various artificial grass yarns. This is at the bottom of the system. The infill is actually 'locked in'. This prevents the infill from splashing during slidings and ball bounces. The high fibre weight per square metre compared to a traditional artificial grass pitch in combination with the use of texturized yarns therefore prevents the migration of infill, allowing the playing characteristics of the pitch to remain consistent. The MX Ultimate also has a minimal amount of special coating, making it a 100 percent polyolefin polymer based carpet. This allows the artificial grass to be recycled at the end of its useful life into a pure plastic raw material for new high-quality applications. The combination of all components makes GreenFields MX Ultimate the ultimate artificial grass pitch. It doesn't get any better than this.

Four in a row

A striking detail about this project: this is already the fourth time that CSC Sport has laid an artificial turf pitch at FC Volendam. The cooperation goes all the way back to the beginning of this century, when the Club switched from natural grass to artificial turf. Veerman: 'Since we switched to artificial turf, we have always worked with CSC. It is a logical partner for us, but not preferred. We simply asked a number of parties to tender and CSC again came out on top.

'All components together make MX Ultimate the ultimate system'

CSC is also proud, says Ceelen. It's great that we're doing this for the fourth time for FC Volendam. It also shows that there is a lot of mutual trust. We also notice that in the whole cooperation with the club. There is plenty of space for the removal and storage of materials, we get help from volunteers and the club even makes the supporters' home available. It is very pleasant to work with them. All those factors combined make it possible for CSC to keep to the tight schedule. Ceelen: 'We have been able to prepare this project well, so it is doable to lay out a new pitch in 8 to 10 working days. If the weather cooperates, we will have a beautiful pitch. We are working hard for that.’

Futures

For the time being, the MX Ultimate will remain in use at the Kras Stadium, as real grass remains something for the future. According to Veerman, FC Volendam still has the ambition, but it is not yet a reality. In 2022 the summer break is only six weeks, because in winter the World Cup is being played in Qatar and then the league is also stopped. So next year is a no go, because when we convert to natural we will need all the time we can get. Maybe in 2023. As soon as we can manage it logistically, one way or another, we will convert.'

Source: New Greenfields  MX Ultimate pitch FC Volendam is 'top of the bill' (fieldmanager.nl)