Astroturf Footwear Guide – Can You Wear Blades On Artificial Turf?

Footwear choice can have a huge effect on a artificial turf field. It’s one of the things that all sports facilities must consider and it can be difficult to control when you’re managing a busy facility. However, we have solved the problem of which cleats to wear on a synthetic grass field with this guide.

categories of footwear

• Metal stud cleats: These cleats have screw-in metal studs for added balance and grip, these also have an outer sole that is visible on the bottom allowing for more support.
• Moulded stud cleats: Plastic molded studs with no external sole. Whilst not as sturdy as metal studs, still provide grip.
• ‘Blades’: Blades are another version of molded studs, however instead of the peg-like studs, these studs are long and thin, following the contours of the foot, improving balance when kicking and running.
• ‘Astro’ shoes: These have shorter moulded or ‘dimple’ studs. They are designed primarily for sand-based fields but they are still effective on artificial turf.
• Flat sole shoe: These are your standard trainers; most fashionable trainers along with fitness footwear which contain no grip or spacing between the sole of the shoe and the surface

3G / 4G soccer field cleats

Football is normally played on artificial turf with long pile turf which gives a realistic grass feel whilst also being able to withstand heavy use. When using the field, players must use cleats that have studs, this stops the fibers from becoming compressed and damaging the surface. For soccer surfaces, we recommend the following footwear:

• Screw-in Stud soccer cleats
• Moulded Stud soccer cleats

ARTIFICIAL TURF Rugby field Footwear

Most rugby fields are similar to soccer sports surfaces, played on synthetic turf. Artificial turf surfaces are chosen by many clubs and facilities as they provide the look and feel of natural grass, but are much more durable. Artificial turf fields typically last a minimum of 10 years. We recommend the following type of footwear for rugby:

• Screw-in Stud cleats
• Moulded Stud cleats

FIELD Hockey Footwear

Hockey pitches are usually made with short piled turf and contain sand or water infill. This means that more pressure can be applied to the surface of the pitch without being detrimental. For this reason, we recommended wearing a flat sole shoe or ‘Astro’ trainer which will cause minimum disturbance to the fibers and infill, whilst maintaining a high level of grip. We recommend using:

• ‘Astro’ shoes
• Flat Sole shoes

can you wear blades on artificial turf?

Most venues have rules against wearing them as it can be dangerous for other players and the artificial grass. Bladed cleats are prohibited on all of our surfaces, this is because they can cut through the synthetic turf causing serious damage. Blades can also be considered dangerous to other players in sports like football and rugby where tackling is involved.

Enforcing your footwear rules

Now that we have covered our recommendations on the best footwear for fields and other sports surfaces, we’ve put together some tips for you to keep your field in top condition.

Awareness

The best way to inform most users of suitable footwear for synthetic fields is to build awareness around the subject. This can be done in various ways such as posters and boards placed around the facilities, blogs on your website (feel free to take some points from us) or social media posts. You could also mention footwear on any paperwork that users must sign before stepping onto the field. Doing this will make sure that the majority of players will be aware of the footwear they must wear when playing on synthetic sports surfaces.

Implementation

After spreading awareness you may still struggle to ensure that all users follow your guidelines. In order to pick out the few people who may ignore these rules, you could have staff check footwear before people are allowed on the field. It is key that these people understand the importance of the right footwear:

• Teachers
• Referees
• Facility managers
• Field staff

Explain how wearing blades on artificial turf can make more problems for these people, such as injuries to players and students. This will then stop the wrong footwear finding its way onto the surface.

Penalty

If you are still having problems, you can implement a penalty system to ensure players with the wrong footwear do not use the field. We would recommend that in minor or irregular offenses, users are warned about using the correct footwear on the field and may be asked to prove they have the correct footwear before they are allowed back on. However if serious/repeat offenses occur, a permanent ban could be given to the user.

Learn more about our synthetic turf fields and book a free consultation today.