Hockey is a fast paced sport making high demands on both players and field. Artificial turf is the prevailing surface in many schools and clubs now and is certainly the surface used for any competitive hockey today. The artificial pitch outperforms natural turf in many ways. The surface is level and consistent which allows the ball to roll along the surface without unexpected deviations. The game runs faster and smoother and the players become confident to test their own skills with knowledge of a reliable pitch.

The three FIH Performance Standards in hockey are determined by a combination of base construction, material and installation techniques and the surface system itself. There are three main surface types for hockey; waterbased, sand dressed and sand filled. Sand filled tends to be a little harder underfoot than the waterbased and of course the sand tends to be abrasive. The roughness and rigidity of the surface influences abrasion and any sport with sliding contact may impose burns. The thermal properties of a material is also a factor involved although in general the coefficient of friction is proportional to the severity of any burn. We therefore need to develop complex systems to ensure safety and performance for all our sports and surfaces for both short and long term injury. The waterbased pitch is very successful especially for international hockey, it offers more protection to the player softening joint impact and reducing injury through prolonged traning. Waterbased DD Sportilux is a popular system. It is a fully synthetic tufted polypropylene carpet with a non directional pile. Players like it for its speed and consistency as well as its safety.