The two main reasons are playing comfort and the stability of the blades. In addition to the elastic base layer, the infill provides the pitch with good cushioning and traction properties. The risk of injury is reduced and, depending on the infill, the running and bouncing properties of the ball are comparable to a natural grass pitch in good condition. The infill ensures that the turf carpet always straightens up and lies evenly even under high loads and does not become a flat carpet on which it is no longer possible to play properly, especially in the so-called stress zones such as the five-metre area or the centre circle.there are different types of infill: A pure sand infill is the cheapest and technically simplest form.

However, a court filled with sand does not offer the same playing comfort as a court with cork or granules as infill. Both are applied on top of the sand layer. The advantage of cork is that it offers significantly more cushioning comfort than a court filled purely with sand. However, cork is a very light material that can float up in heavy rain and then has to be returned to the court. Polytan prevents this floating thanks to a special weave of the carpet straws. The so-called texturisation means nothing more than a crimping of the stalks, which acts like a kind of net and prevents the cork from floating up. The third infill option is BrockFILL. The pitch is constructed in exactly the same way as a system backfilled with sand or sand and cork, i.e. an elastic, water-permeable layer on a gravel/crushed stone mixture, on which the shaving carpet is then laid.

Here too, a layer of sand is backfilled first, on which BrockFILL is then applied. It attracts water so that rainwater and condensation are absorbed by the particles. The stored moisture is gradually released for cooling. BrockFILL also increases in weight when wet, so that it does not float and is washed away from the sports facility during heavy rainfall. Artificial turf infilled with BrockFILL feels like natural turf and is within the optimum traction range. The infill material fulfils the requirements of the FIFA quality programme for artificial turf systems and World Rugby, among others.

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The following applies to all granules on Polytan pitches: If something is carried off the pitch, it can be swept up and scattered again or disposed of. Although the granules consist of 70 per cent natural raw materials and are absolutely non-toxic, they are legally considered microplastics. Regardless of which infill material our customers choose: With modern construction measures, we can protect the environment and maximise play comfort. With our innovative filter systems such as the Hauraton channel, we are able to reduce the discharge of granules into the environment to almost zero. It is also possible to replace the granules without having to replace the entire court.

Hockey pitches generally manage without infill. The turf is more densely woven and significantly shorter than football pitches and is therefore tailored to the requirements of the sport. However, Polytan now also offers football turf with less or no infill.