ABSTRACT
The popular sport of American football is increasingly played on both natural grass and synthetic turf. For example, in 2005 over one-third (12 out of 31) of the National Football League (NFL) stadiums consisted of artificial surfaces (Ford et al., 2006). Similarly, in the 2009 season, 214 NFL games were played on FieldTurf compared to 366 games played on natural grass (Hershman et al., 2012). The latest synthetic surfaces are developed and marketed to improve performance, provide more natural field and grass characteristics and reduce injuries. They are composed of polyethylene fibres of varying lengths stabilized with ground rubber and/or sand infill, and supported on an engineered foundation. The effects of playing surface on injury risk, athletic performance and movement biomechanics are important to characterize in football from the youth to professional levels.
