An E&I 2-Minute Read

Moving Away from Synthetic Turf? Do a Full Analysis.

Health issues get headlines, but is synthetic turf getting a bad rap unnecessarily? What is the safest playing field possible for athletes? Here is an independent multi-year research initiative.

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An E&I 2-Minute Article

Collegiate athletic programs make a choice between natural grass and turf. It is often a monetary investment, since turf can have an expectation of more playable hours. Turf is definitely more accessible for athletics programs that see year round usage. For maintenance, turf is seen as the premium option. But there is thought that use of synthetic turf could be more hazardous than natural grass, or controversial, or even financially not beneficial. No one argues synthetic turf's record of having easy maintenance, but some may need replacing every 8-10 years. It can also be costly to dispose of synthetic turf. 

Concerned community members believe "turf burn" can hurt players, especially on hot days in warmer states. There is also concern that exposure to toxic materials could happen. Natural grass is a lot more maintenance work, but may result in less injury. 

A recent 3-year prospective study from the Department of Health and Human Development from Montana State University contradicts that turf is less safe. This study, published by The American Journal of Sports Medicine showed these findings, based on FieldTurf systems:

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College football - FieldTurf vs. Natural Grass
   •  13% fewer muscle strains/tears on FieldTurf
   •  11% fewer concussions on FieldTurf
   •  31% fewer ligament tears on FieldTurf
   •  24% less high ankle sprains on FieldTurf
   •  21% fewer severe injuries on FieldTurf
   •  23% fewer injuries on a 4-8+ year old surface

College men's soccer - FieldTurf vs. Natural Grass
   •  25% fewer total injuries on FieldTurf
   •  20% fewer severe injuries on FieldTurf
   •  33% fewer concussions on FieldTurf
   •  15% fewer injuries due to player-to-surface collisions

Overall, this study concluded improved physical performance on artificial turf compared to natural grass. See the full study below.
Incidence, Mechanisms, and Severity of Game-Related College Football Injuries on FieldTurf Versus Natural Grass.

Your E&I partnership allows for special pricing with FieldTurf. Full Article. 

 

throw away ankle injury

Some research suggests lower extremity injury on synthetic turf could be more common on synthetic turf than grass. But likely not enough data exists to confirm whether turf alone definitively causes more non-contact injuries than natural grass. Many variables affect injury, such as weather, personal fitness, pre-existing injury, and hamstring and quadricep strength. Also, of the few studies out there, many only analyzed professional sports. The American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine for example published its "Higher Rates of Lower Extremity Injury on Synthetic Turf" study  which measured NFL injury stats.

 

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IT sustainability is your best competitive advantage. Here’s why

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E&I Cooperative Has Contracts You Can Access

You received this newsletter because E&I has many contracts that your procurement department has special pricing for. Click below to learn more about a few of them. E&I is your partner in collegiate and K-12 procurement needs. Through our contract portfolio, we help our member institutions make quick and informed purchase decisions.

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Anthony Travel

Your E&I contract with Anthony Travel offers comprehensive travel solutions for teams, athletics, and other university business travel needs. Anthony Travel leverages years of travel coordination at the national and international level, including housing plans, hotel, group air and transport savings.

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JMI Sports

JMI Sports helps schools develop customized solutions and programs for athletics multimedia rights, sponsorships, and digital signage networks. This E&I contract offers project management solutions for your athletics program. Members generate revenue, exposure, and multimedia rights.

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SAP Concur

This E&I contract allows for easier travel, expense, invoices, obligations, and compliance controls management. This user-friendly web solution standardizes reporting processes and cost savings. It reduces reimbursement times, and delivers accurate spend data and traveler location.

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Case Study: Tarkett Sports

Tarkett Sports built an indoor facility in Pitman, NJ with a 24,000 square feet of surface, that looks like hardwood, but is not. The facility has five basketball courts, that also converts to seven volleyball courts or 15 pickleball courts. It is surfaced with Tarkett's versatile Omnisports Active+ vinyl flooring system, a true multi-use surface. What makes it unique is the Class 3 shock absorption that is simple prepping for many functions. The facility can change from soccer to baseball to basketball to volleyball, to even indoor football on bad weather days. It just takes a minute or two to change from one sport to another. The surface is laid directly on concrete and can be installed quickly. Maintenance is simple too, just a dust mop between games to ensure cleanliness. There is a lot of safety success with this product, and there are less knee and other injuries.

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