IAKS launch key trends for outdoor sports surfaces

The IAKS has launched their “Future Trends for Outdoor Surfaces Guide” where it explores key issues facing sport and recreation and the continued growth in population, increased demands, changing participation patterns and the impacts on the environmental footprint.

The IAKS Outdoor Sports Surfaces Expert Circle has identified trends that reflect how the industry is embracing future needs, advancing technologies, and evolving community expectations, demonstrating industry leadership around climate change and environmental sustainability. The trends report (12 pages) is available as download (click right), free of charge.

Recognising that as sport has evolved over the past six decades, driven by the technology now the generation of technology with waterless hockey fields, innovations in football turf fields, polymers made from sugar cane as opposed to petrochemicals and infills that are organic and more durable and the circular economy being a driving force for the industry.

There is significant emphasis on how the surfaces are changing to reflect community’s changing consumption of sport, from traditional sports club provided games such as 11-a-side Football, Rugby Union, Rugby League, Hockey etc., to continued adaption of sport, with Hockey 5’s, 5-a-side Football, Rugby 7’s, 3 by 3 Basketball amongst others. All of these adapted sports have encouraged the evolution of the sports surface’s technology, the designs and multi-use of the fields of play, the management and maintenance of the surface.