Sustainable flagship turf in Niedergailbach/Saarland
LigaTurf Cross GTzero for extremely intensive use
SV Niedergailbach is one of the first football clubs for which Polytan has laid its LigaTurf Cross GTzero turf, the world’s first CO2-neutral synthetic turf for football. The installation was made possible because neighbouring club SV Gersheim, with which SVN is about to merge, decided not to renovate its own pitch, opening the way for joint financing by the community of Niedergailbach.
The decision in favour of our carbon-neutral synthetic turf with a sand and cork filling was predominantly influenced by the sports planning committee of Germany’s Interior Ministry, which now only approves grants for eco-friendly solutions. In early 2020, therefore, our specialists first removed the old synthetic turf – doing this within one day – and then cleaned the substrate and checked it for damage. The elastic layer of the previous turf, dating back to 2004, was reused in the process, which highlights the sustainability of the whole project. The elastic layer consists of recycling material anyway, in this case environmentally tested end-of-life rubber granules that are expected to last for the next 30 years.
23 rolls of synthetic turf 4 m wide were then rolled out across the pitch and bonded at the edges with seam tape. To ensure that the pitch met DFB requirements, the turf system was then sliced at the corresponding points and the field markings were added, supplemented by lines for mini-pitches and youth pitches.
The manufacturing process for the LigaTurf Cross GTzero is 100% carbon-neutral and has no negative impact on the playing properties. That is because of the interaction of various measures, including a new manufacturing process as well as the use of a bio-based plastic derived from sustainable agriculture. The unique combination of smooth and textured filaments in a synthetic turf system ensures natural playing properties, a heavily reduced infill requirement and easier maintenance.
The CO2-neutral eco-balance of the LigaTurf Cross GTzero significantly improves the attractiveness of this synthetic turf for clubs and local authorities, of which Niedergailbach is an early example. Alongside from the high environmental standard, though, it also offers enhanced player comfort while being extremely hard-wearing and easy to maintain – in Niedergailbach it will in future be used by SG Bliesgau, which has no less than four men’s teams.
