Fatorda gets India’s first hybrid pitch, type used by all Premier League clubs

Panaji: The Nehru stadium in Fatorda will host a record 16 matches in 15 days during the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup later this month, yet organisers are confident that the turf will remain immaculate and pose no danger to the footballers.
Unlike in the past when wear and tear with constant usage of the natural turf at Fatorda was a huge concern, FIFA, the governing body for world football, is laying a hybrid pitch which is in use at all English Premier League (EPL) clubs and seven of the eight stadiums for the World Cup 2022 in Qatar.
“Hybrid pitch is about 95 percent natural (grass) and five percent hybrid,” said Thomas Alcock, operations director for SISGrass, the Dutch company which is entrusted with the responsibility at Fatorda. “The five percent makes a big difference. It gives you stability, you can play more games on the same pitch with less damage, it’s safer and looks better in performance.”
Hybrid pitch would mean installing artificial fibres into the newly-laid turf using a giant laser-guided sewing machine where polyethylene yarn is weaved into the ground. The yarn is implanted in rows 18cm deep into the sub-surface, with 2cm of the fibre poking out of the ground.
FIFA will pick up the bill of approx. Rs 4 crore for the installation of the turf at Fatorda.
“Every pitch in the Premier League is hybrid. It has plenty of advantages, safety being the most important. The roots combine with plastic fibre which holds the pitch together. It’s much safer for the players and enables you to play more hours on that pitch,” said Thomas.
SISGrass has this year installed hybrid pitches at the Ethiad Stadium, home to Premier League champions Manchester City, and Stamford Bridge, where Chelsea FC play their home games. Barcelona, besides Italian giants, AC Milan and Inter Milan, also use hybrid pitches installed by the Dutch company.
Officials landed in Goa with their machines on September 26 and started work the next day. Working on two shifts of 12-hours each with a five-man crew – three in the day and two at night -- SISGrass will complete the installation work in just eight days.
“Hybrid pitches are extremely safe. On an artificial pitch, it can get a little bit too hard which can cause issues to the ankle and knees. On full natural pitch, with rain, it can get a little bit soft. With hybrid, it’s somewhere between the natural and synthetic, so you get the benefits of both. It’s really safe, stable surface. The pitch performs exactly as it should,” said Thomas.
Hybrid pitches come with an official warranty of eight years.
“The maintenance is similar to grass. It’s very important at the end of every season to clean that pitch so that you are ready to go (for) next season,” said Thomas.