Artificial turf pitches have allowed many sports to be played during the winter months, Interestingly, anecdotal evidence suggests that some players find artificial turf more demanding than natural grass.
The Study: Participants played matches on artificial turf and natural grass. Match running performance was collected and analysed by GPS.
The Results: The results showed that playing on artificial turf was in fact more physically demanding for defensive and midfield players than playing on natural grass!
Take home messages: The authors of the study suggest that coaches should consider training and recovery strategies to prepare players for the more physically demanding artificial turf surfaces.
