The FIFA Quality Concept for Football Turf was developed to standard the quality and safety of artificial turf for football players, and to encourage further developments in artificial turf technology.

There are a number of manufacturers and installers of artificial turf worldwide, and because many of them use different systems, synthetic turf exists in a variety of different technical versions.

As a result, the performance of artificial turf products can be extremely variable and not all are advantageous to a player’s health, or the quality of the game.

This project is a rigorous test program for artificial surfaces whereby successful manufacturers will be able to enter into a licensing program for the use of the prestigious FIFA RECOMMENDED marks. Only artificial turf of the best quality with the highest technical standards will be able to gain a FIFA RECOMMENDED endorsement. Football pitches that meet the quality criteria for a FIFA RECOMMENDED mark combine the advantages of the playing characteristics of natural turf with the highest level of comfort and safety for the players, while at
the same time allowing for low maintenance and extended usage of the pitch.

Projects offered through FIFA’s Development programs, notably the GOAL Program, aim to boost the worldwide development of football and its ideas through tailor-made education, financial assistance and infrastructure programs for the benefit of the 205 member associations of FIFA.

The national team of Korea DPR, for example, is playing most of its official matches on the FIFA RECOMMENDED field in the Kim Sung stadium, which was installed in 2002 as a result of the FIFA GOAL Program. Football turf has become an important component of FIFA’s development programs. FIFA’s associations and the confederations can rest assured that only the surfaces specifically suited to top-flight football will qualify for the FIFA RECOMMENDED marks.

We believe the technological developments in the field of football turf and the superior quality of the new designs make it necessary to, if not promote, at least encourage the use of artificial surfaces in climates where natural grass is not an economic or environmental option. This document outlines the key elements of the FIFA Quality Concept for Football Turf.

QUALITY LEVELS
Since the implementation of the FIFA Quality Concept for Football Turf in 2001, many top league clubs worldwide have already installed, and thus discovered the advantages of FIFA RECOMMENDED training pitches. Many lower division and amateur leagues are already accepting football turf pitches for competitive matches. The positive feedback from players induces more and more top football clubs to consider football turf pitches in their stadia and football associations to open their competitions to these surfaces.

The International Football Association Board (IFAB) has also recognised the advances in artificial surface technology and decided to introduce artificial surfaces into the Laws of the Game in July 2004. Following the IFAB mandate to FIFA to create universal guidelines for football turf, the FIFA Quality Concept has been further developed by introducing a FIFA RECOMMENDED 2 Star rating system. Based on player’s feedback, medical research, test results and information from the industry since the implementation in 2001, a second, more stringent standard has been developed in addition to the existing level. The creation of a top-of-the-range FIFA standard will further improve playability and safety. This new benchmark will lead the industry to develop football turf products even closer to the perfect natural grass pitch model and provide the world of football with the best football turf surfaces for the professional game.

The FIFA Quality Concept for Football Turf consisting of the FIFA RECOMMENDED 2 STAR and the FIFA RECOMMENDED 1 STAR quality levels reflects the segmented market situation.

TEST PROCEDURES
The FIFA RECOMMENDED marks are only awarded to those football turf pitches that have passed a series of stringent laboratory and field tests. Natural grass in ideal condition is the benchmark for these FIFA test criteria in order to ensure highest playing comfort and to constantly improve the quality of football turf pitches.

Therefore, every turf product must first pass laboratory tests to determine its composition and must then be tested for durability, joint strength, climatic resistance, player-to-surface interaction and ball-to-surface interaction. In addition, the reaction of the turf to the skin of the players, when sliding on the surface, will be measured in form of skin abrasion and friction for the higher of the two FIFA RECOMMENDED levels. If it passes all these tests, the first stage of the process towards the award of the marks is completed.

In the second stage, every installed pitch must be tested on site. Firstly, specialized field-testing equipment measures how the ball reacts on the surface in terms of roll, vertical rebound and how the ball behaves when it strikes the surface at an angle. Then it must similarly be tested to see how it reacts to the actions of players – including shock absorbency, surface deformation, slip resistance and traction.

If the football turf pitch passes all the laboratory and field tests, it will qualify for one of the two FIFA RECOMMENDED marks. The marks will only be given to an installed pitch and not simply to the turf carpet. This is because the underlying base surface is just as important to the playability of the pitch as the turf itself.