This year, every high school in Frederick has turf fields to practice on or play events. Prior to this, Walkersville, Tuscarora, Catoctin, and Brunswick only had grass fields. But was it worth it to have every high school’s main field be turf fields?
The county used the bulk of a ten million dollar state grant to establish the fields at the four schools that didn’t have turf.
This may be better for athletes since if it is rainy weather, athletes who play on grass fields must travel to a field with turf in order to play. Junior Adiel Hernandez, who plays for varsity football, states, “In weather conditions, turf fields cause us to have better grip on the field with our feet. But grass fields can cause more slips and injuries.”
Turf fields may enhance an athlete’s performance, but how many injuries can be caused by this? Quarterback of the New York Jets Aaron Rodgers was in a non-contact-related injury in his first game of the 2023 season by tearing his achilles in only the fourth play of the entire game. He tore his achilles on artificial turf, but it may not have been the same if it was on grass, and that’s just one of many injuries this NFL season.
A group of researchers reviewed how many injuries have happened on artificial turf and grass. They looked at sports including football, soccer, rugby, field hockey, and ultimate frisbee, and studies suggest a higher rate of foot and ankle injuries on artificial turf, both old and new generation turf, compared to natural grass.
In the NFL, the players who put their bodies on the line to play the sport they love prefer having grass fields and have been pushing for it. But for the FIFA World Cup in 2026, eight of 16 NFL stadiums will need to install temporary natural grass fields for the month-long tournament and get rid of the turf fields.
Junior Alec Facemire, another varsity football player, explains, “I rather play in a grass field just personally, I have performed better on grass fields but in all it is based on your own preference and when I have played on grass fields I feel I play so much better than I do on turf. “
Facemire believes that grass fields are better to play on instead of turf, with being able to perform better.
Turf and grass fields have their upsides and downsides. People think they perform better on turf, but others believe the grass is better for their performance. The decision to have turf or grass fields should be up to the students who work too much to achieve their goals of becoming professionals, but it can always end due to injuries.
