GrassMaster Takes Centre Stage At World Cup

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GrassMaster Takes Centre Stage At World Cup: GrassMaster by Tarkett Sports will play a leading role at the FIFA World Cup in Russia from June 14 to July 15.

The pioneers of hybrid grass were part of the game in the last two FIFA World Cups: Brazil in 2014 and South Africa in 2010.

GrassMaster Takes Centre Stage At World Cup

In Russia, Some 16 World Cup games in total will be played on GrassMaster pitches at the Volgograd Arena, Kazan Arena and Nizhny Novgorod Stadium which all have a brand new GrassMaster pitch installed.

Kazan Arena will host six games from June 16th to July 7th. France vs Australia will be the first fixture of the World Cup to be played on a GrassMaster.

Four games during the group stages will be played in Kazan as well a Round of 16 game and a quarter final.

At the Volgograd Arena, four games will be played starting with Tunisia vs England on June 18. Also on that date, the Nizhny Novgorod Stadium opens its doors with the first game of group F with Sweden vs Korea Republic. This stadium will host four group phase matches, a Round of 16 game and a quarter final.

With six games being played in three weeks in the Kazan Arena, four matches in Volgograd Stadium in 10 days and six in two and a half weeks in Nizhny Novgorod Stadium, GrassMaster proves once again to be the trusted partner for top-level tournaments.

Thanks to the unique technology of GrassMaster a higher degree of player safety and faster surface recovery is ensured, so neither players, fans nor organisation suffer from loss of quality on the pitch.

We stand for a perfect pitch anywhere and anytime. With a lifespan of up to 15 years, these GrassMaster pitches will leave a legacy for the Russian teams, communities and for the venues.

Training pitches

Furthermore, the CSKA training pitch in Moscow will be used by the German football team and the training pitch of the football club Rubin Kazan is going to be used by Japan for training throughout their stay at the 2018 World Cup.

On both pitches, the premium hybrid turf system GrassMaster is installed.

Tarkett Sports Russian partner InSport Pro Co installed the GrassMaster in the Kazan Arena and the CSKA stadium in Moscow.

Additionally they are responsible for the maintenance of the pitches.

Andrey Kanunnikov, managing director of InSport Pro Co said:

“Both the German and Japanese teams recently visited their training grounds and were satisfied with the pitches we’ve prepared for them.”

Installation partner for the Volgograd and Nizny Novgorod stadiums was Golftechnology. Charles Henderson of PSD/Labosport Group is pitch consultant.

GrassMaster’s expertise and experience of nearly 30 years has been used on more than 700 pitches worldwide.

The GrassMaster system with a proven lifespan of 15 years and more, is a 100 % natural grass pitch reinforced by 20 million high performance fibres.

These Polypropylene fibres are injected by computer-controlled machines, 18 deep and 2 cm above the surface, in a grid of +/- 2 x 2 cm. The natural grass roots entwine with the fibres and grow deeper and wider, building a stronger and healthier rootzone. The PP fibres above the surface ensure an always even and stable surface.

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Vandals Damage 16 Golf Greens

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Vandals Damage 16 Golf Greens: Within the next few days, test results should reveal the chemical that vandals used to damage 16 greens at a popular golf course in Skagit County.

A swear word was also spelled out in the grass on one of the holes at Swinomish Golf Links.

Employees believe the vandal or vandals picked their targets here carefully. The greens closest to the clubhouse are covered by surveillance cameras and were not hit.

“It’s stupid. I don’t why people vandalize. It doesn’t make sense to me,” said golfer Walt Matye.

“Very disgusting. Just like graffiti and that, there’s no point. It doesn’t accomplish anything except make matters worse,” added his cousin, Marshall.

Sometime within the past week, the vandals trespassed on the 100-acre course overnight and sprayed some type of grass-killing chemical on most of the greens, investigators told KOMO News. A swear word was also left behind on hole 11.

“It had to be a very involved process. One that was thought out. And for them to have access to the course by either driving or bringing this stuff with them is something that was well planned out,” said Chairman Brian Cladoosby, Swinomish Indian Tribal Community.

Tests are now being performed on the damaged grass and soil to try to figure out what chemical the vandal or vandals used.

If the chemical damaged the soil, it’s possible the course may have to temporarily close until expensive repairs can be made, employees said.

A temporary closure would be a huge hit considering the time of year.

“These individuals knew what they were doing. They know golf. They know the peak season. They know that the majority of the income produced by golf courses in the northwest is right around Memorial Day to Labor Day,” Cladoosby said.

Right now, this course is still playable.

Employees have drastically reduced rates for players because of the damage left behind.

“It just takes a few people to ruin it for the majority of the people to have a good time,” said Marshall Matye. “I guess the only thing they think about is themselves.”

The course does have insurance, employees said. But it’s possible the damage could climb to more than $500,000, they added.

The Swinomish Indian Tribal Community is offering a reward of up to $10,000 for information that leads to an arrest in the case.

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