After an absence of eight years, PEC Zwolle is now preparing to re-enter the Dutch premier league. PEC Zwolle endeavours to become a stable premier league club. And that deserves a field that is worthy of the premier division in every respect. The club has chosen an artificial turf field produced according to a patented 3D technique from TenCate for producing artificial grass clumps, which is sold worldwide by GreenFields, a subsidiary of TenCate.

Developments in the field of artificial grass have taken place rapidly in recent years. This is due in part to the Dutch company GreenFields, which enjoys an international reputation as a trendsetter in the production of innovative artificial turf fields. The latest brainchild is a woven field using only one material family which makes it 100% recyclable.

PEC Zwolle was immediately charmed by this durable artificial turf field, says General Director Edward van Wonderen: “The artificial grass fibres used have already clearly proven their worth and the players claim that the innovative technique for producing grass clumps makes the turf perform just like natural grass. Not only that, but the field looks fantastic! A group of players trained on various fields and this type of turf was the one ultimately chosen.”

Innovative 3D technique for producing artificial grass clumps

The ingenuity of GreenFields artificial turf lies in the patented three-dimensional technique of TenCate for producing grass clumps that is used to weave together the fibres in multiple layers. The turf is not made up of the traditional tufted rows of artificial grass fibres, but out of individual artificial grass clumps. These grass clumps help the ball to roll naturally and provide considerably better coverage, thereby significantly improving the optical properties of the turf. Football players can also place their cleat studs more easily between the artificial grass clumps, just as with natural grass.

Thanks to the new technology with eco-friendly coating, only raw materials of the same type (polyolefin) are used. This makes the field easy and less costly to recycle after it has served its purpose. The infill material is also made of 100% recyclable polyolefin, just like the polyolefin backing material.

No more hard artificial turf fields

The new artificial grass from GreenFields eliminates yet another disadvantage of traditional artificial turf fields. Many players experience the infill as problematic. That’s because, in the current systems, the infill settles between the fibres, making the field relatively hard. Thanks to the 3D technique for producing artificial grass clumps, however, the infill has plenty of room to move freely around the clumps, making the field soft and retaining a distinct sense of genuine grass, even after being played on intensively.

Close to home

PEC Zwolle is the second club in the Dutch premier league (after Heracles Almelo) that has opted for a GreenFields turf, which naturally satisfies the strictest FIFA requirements. The field will be installed in June by C.S.C. Ceelen Sport Constructies of Zeewolde, the Netherlands. The field will then be put into use in July, when the club begins preparing for the new season.

Hugo de Vries, Commercial Director of GreenFields, is very pleased with this project: “The fact that a premier league club has once again chosen our turf is an honour. What makes this even more special is that this is a club that is only a stone’s throw from our factory. We can show new clients right here in our neighbourhood that it is very well possible and very satisfying to play football on our woven artificial grass, even on the highest level.”