NEW GENERATION TURF AT DULER!

If God made grass and man created artificial turf, which one would you choose? This topic has been argued the world over, but on Thursday the GFA’s very own Duler stadium in Mapusa was the latest ground in India to undergo the makeover towards the new 3rd generation surface, courtesy of FIFA’s ‘win in India with India’ programme.
GFA vice president Lavinio Rebello surveyed the start made by the contractors less than 24 hours after the work had begun and looked pretty impressed with the progress.
The contract to install the turf was awarded to Greenfield Sports turf systems by FIFA only recently and they have already completed grounds in Mumbai, Bangalore and Kolkata.
The man in charge of the India operation Deepak Khanolkar described in detail the stages for laying the turf which included leveling off the ground using the survey station, removal of grass and the double back up drainage which comprised of under soil and sufficient ground slopes. “The turf has a life span of 7-10 years, depending on how well it is maintained and we will give the necessary education to the grounds men to ensure maximum care is taken with the ground,” reasoned Deepak.
The current dimensions of the Duler ground are 111 metres in length by 71 metres in width, but Deepak mentioned that the size would be reduced to 105m by 65m for the safety of the players. The new dimensions would still qualify as capable of hosting an International match as FIFA guidelines specify between 100-110m for the touch line and between 64-75m for the goal line.
Deepak described the Duler ground of having roughly 95% compactness in regards to point of impact, due to it already being used regularly as a football pitch and it being rolled annually. In comparison to sand based ground in Kerala which has only 30% compactness he said his company would have to do a lot more in regards to locking the surface in place with a stronger foundation before they lay the turf.
Deepak’s main concern was once the ground was complete that the stray dogs were kept away from the ground as they could damage it, but Lavinio said that the GFA executive committee would sit down together and resolve how to take care of the problem.
Lavinio explained that the work should be finished by the end of May and would be ready for the new season, “Usually the Goan Football calendar is always hampered at the start due to the heavy monsoons with some matches having to be postponed due to the waterlogged ground, but this should not be the case once the new turf is laid,” reasoned Lavinio.

FIRST PUBLISHED IN HERALD ON 2ND MARCH 2012.