Skip to content

Football turf

The rubber granulate produced by Finnish Tyre Recycling has been approved in a laboratory recognised by the international football association FIFA for use in football turf. This approval makes it possible to maintain competition-level pitches in Finland using locally produced circular economy material.

Consistent cushioning performs even in winter

Finland has around 550 football turfs, or artificial turf pitches. Artificial turf is becoming increasingly popular because it enables consistent playing and training conditions throughout the year. In Finland, rubber granulate is used when turf surfaces are renewed on Veikkausliiga-level pitches.

Its performance is well known, and it is also a material that works reliably in cold weather, even on heated top-level pitches. The performance of the infill and elastic structure is important because the playing season is year-round, while the natural grass growing season in Finland is short.

The granulate produced by Finnish Tyre Recycling has official approval for use in football turf and sports fields. The approval was granted on the basis of tests by the independent UK-based Sports Labs Ltd laboratory. It tests field materials for the international football association FIFA.

Responsible use of fields is developed together

In 2023, the European Union banned the use of rubber granulate on football turf from 2031 onwards. After that, new pitches will no longer be built or maintained with the current infill materials. Existing fields may be used until the end of their service life.

In 2023, the European Union granted an eight-year transition period for the use of rubber granulate on football turf. During this period, operators are looking for replacement bio-based infill materials for fields. 

From the perspective of tyre recycling, the replacement of infill material is a positive development. As technology develops and the reuse of tyre raw material becomes more diverse, in the future there will not be enough tyre material for applications such as field use indefinitely. 

Until then, rubber granulate will be needed for several years to maintain existing fields. Finnish Tyre Recycling serves fields and players during the transition period. At the same time, the responsible use of artificial turf is being developed to keep rubber granulate within field areas and out of nature.