Condor Grass hopes dry hockey field will be a success

ARTICLE

ARTIFICIAL TURF

Wijnand Meijboom, Thursday 7 November 2024

161 sec

Artificial turf producer Condor Grass has developed a field suitable for dry hockey. This hockey field top layer is called Hockey Ultra DW. The first field with this surface has been installed in Groenekan, at MMHC Voordaan. It is a quarter-field. Interested parties can visit to experience this type of field in practice.

Condor Grass deliberately remained quiet about the development of fields suitable for dry hockey, says Joop van Krimpen, commercial manager for sports at the Hasselt-based company. 'Dry hockey has been discussed for 25 years. Technically, a sand field is already suitable for dry hockey, but it has some disadvantages for players due to its abrasive properties.'

The introduction of so-called 'wet balls' was another reason for the manufacturer to wait and observe. 'With these balls, you can play perfectly well on existing surfaces,' says Van Krimpen. 'This could be a solution if you no longer want to use water.'

Condor Grass had several reasons to develop Hockey Ultra DW: market demand, the fact that dry hockey fields will be used at the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles at the request of the FIH, and the development of dry fields by competing companies. Van Krimpen: 'We needed to have something as well. We chose to develop a field that can be played on both wet and dry.'

Sports performance requirements

The development process was lengthy, partly due to the time required to get a field approved according to existing standards. 'For example, we tried adding something to our existing yarns to make them smoother. However, all tests showed that our standard yarns performed best. Through further fine-tuning with various parameters of these yarns and tufting processes, we have now developed a top layer that meets all sports performance requirements for dry hockey—naturally in combination with elements like an ET-decke.'

The laboratory tests were conducted by Ghent University.

Showcase field

In September, a quarter-field with this top layer was installed at the MMHC Voordaan hockey club. Condor Grass had already installed two new water fields there during the summer. Thanks to strong relationships and cooperation, a deal was made with the club to also build this new dry hockey field.

Van Krimpen: 'There's a great vibe between us. Additionally, it's a beautiful facility, centrally located in the Netherlands, making it a perfect showcase for this new type of field.'

'The field is performing exceptionally well. I hear this from everyone at the club who plays on it'

Anton van Oirschot, from Voordaan's technical committee, is very pleased with the new surface: 'The field is performing exceptionally well. I hear this from everyone at the club who plays on it.'

The field is not only used by the youngest members but also by training veterans and goalkeepers. These positive reactions are noteworthy, as a survey conducted before the renovation of the two mentioned fields showed that a significant majority of club members preferred water fields.

Five-a-side hockey

'We thoroughly researched and wanted to make a sustainable choice. However, we felt it was too risky to opt for the dry hockey fields that were available on the market at that time. We believed they still had too many teething issues.'

Through contractor Finovi, the club ultimately chose Condor Grass's water fields. 'They are simply top quality,' says Van Oirschot.

The club does, however, have confidence in Condor Grass's dry hockey field and therefore made space available from the old quarter-field to build one. 'Condor Grass has really taken the right step with this type of dry hockey field,' says Van Oirschot.

A unique feature of this 'test field' is that it has markings for five-a-side hockey (hockey 5s), a growing variation of the sport.

Innovation process

The next step for Condor Grass is to get Hockey Ultra DW listed on the sports product list. Van Krimpen: 'That's quite a process, because technically, dry hockey fields don't yet exist in the Netherlands. We will need to initiate an innovation process to build more of these fields so they can be thoroughly tested in practice.'

The system has been tested according to FIH requirements and will also be FIH-registered.

'If dry hockey fields become a hot topic after Los Angeles, we have a winner on our hands!'

With the introduction of Hockey Ultra DW, Condor Grass has expanded its hockey portfolio to four systems. The company already produces two types of water fields and a field that can be filled with a layer of sand.

Van Krimpen expects the dry hockey field to mainly increase Condor Grass's international market share in hockey fields. 'In the Netherlands, we see it more as an expansion of our product range. We don't really have a water shortage here. But if, after Los Angeles, dry hockey fields become a hot item, we have a winner on our hands!'

This article was originally published on November 7, 2024, on the Fieldmanager website.

Condor Grass

Finovi

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