History of Artificial Grass

Artificial grass has come a long way since the first models were woven in the 60’s and 70’s.

It was originally introduced to allow games on grass surfaces in covered or domed stadiums in the USA, where it was hard to give natural grass enough sunlight to stay healthy.

Artificial grass first gained attention when it was installed in the state of the art Astrodome stadium in Houston, Texas. The team failed miserably to keep the turf alive under the domed stadium during the second season of play and so an artificial turf product known as ‘Astro Turf’ was installed to replace the dead grass.

Groundskeepers even dressed as astronauts kept the turf clean with vacuum cleaners between innings!

From then on the use of fake grass and similar surfaces became widespread in the late 70’s and early 80’s, appearing in Olympic Hockey games and in highlighted football clubs such as Queens Park Rangers, Stirling Albion and Luton Town amongst others. In spite of its success, many fans and players became discontented by the ball play on the artificial turf, questioning the unpredictable bounce of the ball, and player injuries due to the hardness of the surface. The reputation of artificial grass deteriorated in a matter of months.

Come the start of the 21^st Century, artificial grass was reborn as the sector looked for new alternatives and invested in better materials and systems.

Reappearing in 1997, artificial grass was in its third generation as the safest, most resistant, and most durable it had ever been.

After the boom of artificial grass in sports, several manufacturers decided to introduce the product into the world of residential and commercial landscaping.

The drastic improvement in quality and variety increased so much that it was possible to have an artificial grass lawn that looked just like a real lawn, which required very little maintenance. Now well into the first decade of the 21st century, the industry continues to evolve in many exciting ways, guaranteeing the durability of artificial grass for more than 5 years.