Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
10
Sports Turf
A sports turf area must be of a certain size and shape, appropriate to the
sport that will be played on it. Its surface should be suitable to allow for
fine competition, and its appearance should satisfy the aesthetic demands
of the spectators. It is a challenging task to satisfy simultaneously the
plants' needs for healthy growth, the players' wishes for a safe and
uniform playing surface, and the spectators' desire for a visually attract-
ive surface, especially when that surface must often be coated with
colourful team logos, sports images, etc. In recent times, these challenges
have continuously increased, making sports-turf management one of the
most demanding lines of work in the professional turf industry. This
chapter presents some of the sports played on turf, explain some prin-
ciples of sports-field construction and point out ways in which their
management differs from that of other turf areas.
Rugby
Rugby is played in many tropical countries (Fig. 10.1). A fairly similar
game called American football is played in very few locations, but the
design and use, as well as the maintenance, of rugby and American
football fields are very similar, so the information presented here applies
to turf designed for both. In most other sports in which a ball is used, the
turf surface must promote regular and predictable ball movement, but
rugby (and American football) turf serves mostly as a platform for the
movement of human bodies. The ball only infrequently touches the turf
