TURFGRASS RESEARCH
Indoor turfgrass research
According to Kyley Dickson, Ph. D., researcher and associate director Center for Athletic Field Safety at UT, one of the first tests performed throughout the research was a ball rebound test, because it is quick and easy to test for the FIFA-defined standards for ideal ball rebound.
When researching the various systems and options for the shallow pitch profile, the ball rebound test allowed researchers to quickly rule out surface combinations that would not be acceptable.
“ You can drop a ball and usually it will bounce up somewhere between your thigh and your waist,” said Dickson.“ In several of these surface combinations we dropped it and it came up to my ankle, and we knew that’ s not a viable option.”
FIFA President Gianni Infantino( right) presented Dr. John Sorochan with a personalized pennant during a tour of the University of
Tennessee research facilities.
Of the 16 FIFA World Cup 26 sites, five are domed stadiums. Of those, four are indoor climate controlled( Atlanta, Houston, Dallas and Vancouver). The fifth, SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles, is a domed stadium, but does not have air conditioning and is open on the sides to allow airflow.
“ We’ re managing more of the overall environment given that we have complete control of the irrigation, the lighting and everything that goes into it,” said Fielder.“ We can then use testing devices to see how that may affect something indoors versus what we previously know about being outdoors.”
In addition to indoor research being conducted inside the FIFA building at UT, the two universities collaborated over the past several years on outdoor research to homogenize the playing surfaces. According to Sorochan, having MSU students and technicians come to UT to work in the FIFA building has made the relationship a truly integrated partnership.
MEASURING PERFORMANCE, PLAYABILITY AND UNIFORMITY A key component throughout the research has been the use of the fLEX testing device, which measures the performance and playability of surfaces, as well as the uniformity of the field. The device utilizes a 3D-printed foot that strikes the surface, and sensors record what the athlete would feel as they travel across the surface.
“ We’ re able to go across the field without a human and use a device that’ s repeatable over time so we can see how an athlete would do and what they’ re feeling,” said Dickson.“ We’ re taking some very complex interactions with the surface and distilling it down to something that is very easy to digest for the field manager.” fLEX, which won UT’ s inaugural Chancellor’ s Innovation Fund Award, helps researchers determine surface hardness and traction, as well as athlete-surface interactions such as lateral force, the energy return the athlete is feeling, and stability of the foot. As the research team worked to find a solution for the playing surfaces for World Cup 26, fLEX allowed them to evaluate their options quickly and consistently.
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