'Our players really feel at ease on this surface'

ARTICLE

ARTIFICIAL TURF

Wijnand Meijboom, Tuesday 10 September 2024

250 sec

Lano Sports and Scheerlinck Sport install Belgium's first dry hockey field at HC Indiana

The first dry hockey field in Belgium to be certified by the FIH was installed this summer at hockey club HC Indiana in De Pinte. It features the S-Tec Orbion II hockey turf by Lano Sports. The S-Tec Orbion II not only meets the FIH's dry non-irrigated standard, but also holds both global and national approvals from the sport's governing body. With this, the manufacturer is clearly focusing on an evolutionary path, designing the turf for use both as a new 'dry' field and still suitable for water-based play.

'We opted for more certainty. We believe players, clubs and the federation are more likely to transition to dry hockey if it evolves from a familiar type of surface. That's better than having to suddenly switch to a completely different surface, such as one based on loop pile carpet,' says Chris Vandenborre, senior product development manager at the company based in Harelbeke, Belgium.

'I'm convinced we still have some homework ahead of us.'

He refers to this as an 'evolutionary way of thinking,' meaning that progressive change is easier for people—and thus athletes—than radical shifts. The transition from a water-based to a dry field is no small feat. Vandenborre: 'For further development, player experience is extremely important. Adapting to hockey on a dry field takes time.' According to him, the S-Tec Orbion II is a significant step towards playing on dry surfaces, but there's still more work to do. 'I'm convinced we still have some homework ahead of us.' The main disadvantage he cites is the high base temperature of dry fields in sunny weather, which leads to an increased risk of abrasions.

Familiar Yarns

Lano Sports has been working on developing a dry hockey field for the past two years. Initial testing took place in the UK, at the FIH-accredited test institute Labosport UK. Building on familiar yarns, the S-Tec Orbion I was developed and certified first. This turf was presented at FSB 2023 in Cologne. 'But we were already a step ahead back then; our S-Tec Orbion II was already in development,' recalls Vandenborre. He explains that the S-Tec Orbion II not only meets the FIH's dry innovation range requirements, but already satisfies 99 percent of the dry target range requirements—the FIH's ultimate goal. 'This is still part of an innovation track. It's expected that the FIH will adjust or refine the standards based on testing and player feedback before a new global dry category is officially added to the FIH Handbook,' says Vandenborre.

'In hockey, the ball never comes to a stop. So, you need to develop a turf that maintains ball speed.'

This past spring, the S-Tec Orbion II received official certification from the FIH. This means it meets the newly established testing standards for dry hockey fields. Special attention was paid to the new FIH tests relating to ball speed retention, bounce angle, surface stiffness, and stick-surface friction. All of these tests are meant to replicate the playing experience of water-based fields. 'In hockey, the ball never comes to a stop. So, you need to develop a turf that maintains ball speed. We ended up testing 32 different turfs with four types of shock pads to find the ideal combinations.' At HC Indiana, the S-Tec Orbion II was installed over an ET-layer. 'This makes the turf a bit stiffer, but still elastic enough. This combination delivers the best performance and also ensures a long lifespan,' Vandenborre explains.

Step Forward

The field was installed by long-time partner Scheerlinck Sport. Anthony Marinus, partner at the company, is particularly proud that his firm, as market leader in Belgium, was the first to construct a non-irrigated hockey field. 'This is a huge step forward for us. It proves we are trendsetters and committed to maintaining our position as the best field builders in the country.'

Calling Card

For Scheerlinck Sport as main contractor, building this first dry hockey field wasn't particularly challenging. Techniques developed by the company years ago were again applied here, including the ET-layer as sub-base. 'In terms of sub-base construction, it was business as usual. But of course, overall this is a big leap forward,' says Marinus. He also points out that eliminating the need for an irrigation system drastically reduces total field costs. The new dry hockey field at HC Indiana, he believes, will serve as a great showcase. 'We're currently negotiating with several clubs about new fields. Many are still unsure whether now is the right time to switch. This field will definitely help convince them.'

First of Its Kind

HC Indiana board member Maarten Van Hoecke explains that the club proceeded with great care in selecting a new turf to replace their 11-year-old field. Three quotes were requested in total; the Lano Sports/Scheerlinck Sport combination came out on top. They not only offered the best value for money, but could also complete the installation before September 1. They also had solid references and were proactive in working with the club—criteria the club had outlined for the tender. 'As an extra step, we also asked the players from our top teams and the coaching staff which field they preferred. Lano Sports came out ahead there as well.' When Lano Sports informed the club that the S-Tec Orbion II had just been approved and could be installed as a first, the board was immediately enthusiastic. 'We're now ready for the future. Plus, this sustainable hockey turf fits beautifully at our park-based location. We really couldn't say no to the offer.'

Wet Ball

The first training sessions have already taken place on the new field, and players are enthusiastic. Van Hoecke: 'It's a fast turf and the ball bounce is very predictable. It feels like a familiar fibre. Our players really feel at ease on this surface.' Once playing with a wet ball is officially approved for this surface, competitive matches on the S-Tec Orbion II as a dry field could start early next year. For now, the field is still being watered occasionally, but even then, this new surface is far more sustainable. 'We're only using a third of the water compared to what we'd normally need on a water-based field. That was a pleasant surprise.' The collaboration between Lano Sports and HC Indiana isn't new. The nearby company has installed fields for the club before. Now that there's a first-of-its-kind field in place, Van Hoecke expects their neighbour will frequently bring interested visitors to take a look at this field of the future.

Olympic Games

From now on, the players of Belgian club HC Indiana will be able to gradually get used to playing on a dry field, although for official matches it will still be used as a water-based field for the time being. At the 2028 Olympic Games in LA, dry hockey will become the norm—if the IOC and FIH have their way. Vandenborre: 'You simply can't justify using hundreds of thousands of litres of water for a sports match over there. The FIH is heavily focused on sustainability, and the IOC is also placing strong emphasis on this. There's still work to be done for all parties involved. Player feedback is crucial in this process. We're also using the FIH's standard questionnaire to further optimise our dry hockey turfs based on their input. It's an ongoing process.' After all, the hockey turfs from FIH preferred supplier Lano Sports will also need to meet the requirements of the upcoming global dry and global wet categories in the near future.

This article was originally published on 10 September 2024 on the Fieldmanager website.

Lano Sports NV

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