Consider for example natural grass. It is a beautiful sight in the summer to see a game of tennis or cricket being played on a perfectly trimmed, green court or field. It brings up visions of Wimbledon and Lords. But it isn't very hard to imagine how much effort and money would have gone into maintaining that grass in its best condition. It does not matter of course, if money is no object, or if one is lucky enough to be in a part of the world blessed with plentiful sunshine and rain.

But what about places that are too dry or too hot or too cold? And what about those with limited resources?

Thanks to human imagination and determination, and the advances of modern science, we have a wonderful solution in the shape of Artificial or synthetic turf or simply sports turf. It has been embraced by many sports traditionally played on grass such as tennis, football or soccer, rugby, hockey, baseball and to some extent cricket.

Sports turf has come a long way from its earliest version in the 1960s. The latest or ?third generation? artificial grass turf, much more closely resembles the playing qualities of natural grass. It is also low maintenance, and therefore much more affordable for sports clubs around the world. Unlike natural grass, a typical sports turf does not require any time to ?recover? after heavy usage, and can theoretically be used round the clock and round the year. Many sports clubs also hire out their artificial turf playing field for other purposes such as exhibitions, during off-season, to generate further revenue, without damaging the turf. The affordability of sports turf has also helped promote these sports in countries around the world where resources are limited or the climate is too harsh for growing and maintaining natural grass.

A typical artificial sports pitch consists of a base or substructure, which provides drainage, solidity and stability to the superstructure and is usually made of crushed stone aggregate. The grass carpet consists of artificial grass fibres tufted onto a backing cloth and in filled with sand or a combination of sand and rubber crumbs. Variations in the length and density of the artificial grass fibres and the infill material determine the playing characteristics of the sports turf. For example, FIFA, the world governing body of football, favours more thinly spaced longer fibres for their soccer turf. Similarly, governing bodies of other sports have their own specifications and certifications for sports turfs that provide a quality standard suited for that particular sport.