Loose black pebbles. Shedding green fibers. The Terremere Field playing surface has been unchanged for the past 10 years—right on the limit of the suggested 8 to 10-year lifespan for artificial turf playing fields—presenting a danger to athletes. Rips in the turf have accumulated over time, and the black rubber pebbles that are coming loose are known to contain various carcinogenic substances (although no definitive link between these pebbles and cancer has been scientifically proven).

Turf Wear

The effects of the turf’s age are beginning to show.

“The fiber is shedding like crazy,” Athletic Director and girls soccer coach Melissa Schmidt said. “There are some rips, nothing horrendous.”

Student athletes have also noticed the turf deteriorate over the years that they have played on the field at Sequoia.

“I’ll come up completely covered in the turf pellets and the grass, I’m getting it in my hair and my face,” Gabriela Holloszy, senior goalie for varsity girls soccer, said. “Two or three years ago, that didn’t happen.”

The school is aware of the state of the field and is actively working with the school district to replace the turf.

“The district is looking at whether it makes sense to replace the turf this year or the year after,” Schmidt said.

Schmidt would like to see the field replaced as soon as possible, citing injury concerns as a major reason. Carlmont’s similarly dated turf contained a major rip, creating a serious hazard for players.

“One of my players hit [the rip] during warmups and slid. She could have been really hurt,” Schmidt said.

Injury Risk

In addition to the field’s wear, turf is already a more dangerous playing surface than natural grass.  According to a study led by Christina D. Mack, Ph.D., and published through the American Orthopedic Society for Sports Medicine, turf playing surfaces have a 16% higher rate of non-contact lower extremity injuries than their grass counterparts, potentially because artificial turf does not release cleats as easily. 

 “A lot of my friends that have torn their ACLs have been torn on turf fields,” Holloszy said. “Nobody’s torn their ACL on grass.”

These factors lead many to say the ideal playing surface would be perfectly kept grass. However, maintaining grass fields is much more difficult than their artificial counterparts.

“In a perfect world, I’d rather [my players] play on grass,” head football coach Robert Poulos said. “The problem with [grass fields] is that, in the US, the money typically goes into installation and not into maintenance.”

Pro-artificial turf sentiment is also shared by players, even those who have been injured on artificial turf playing fields. Holloszy, who tore a part of her quadricep tendon on Terremere Field, still prefers turf as the playing surface. This is because turf gives a consistent playing surface in all weather no matter the amount of use that it receives.  This factor is a major reason why turf fields are used by high school fields that receive a high amount of use.

“Having coached at schools that have grass fields, you can’t practice on it every day,” Poulos said. “You can’t share the facility with anyone else, you get very protective over it. It’s a bit of a nightmare in terms of management.”

Crumb rubber

Turf infill is the particulate under the blades of grass. Terremere Field has black crumb rubber infill, made from ground-up tires. Other options include coconut husk, corn husk or cork. 

One issue with turf is the fact that it acts as a heat sink. On sunny days, turf surface temperature can be 180 Fahrenheit, according to Safe Healthy Playing Fields. However, there are ways to cool the turf, which is becoming important in our changing climate.

“In southern California […] they typically put sprinklers in their fields,” Poulos said.

This addition is required with certain infill types.

“I think that [coconut husk infill fields] need to be watered down,” Schmidt said.

While not required, it is highly recommended to water down coconut husk infill fields for longevity and quality of the field, according to Parks & Rec Business.

“It seems like it makes sense [to add a sprinkler system] if we are going to keep our current practice schedule and the current temperature trend is going to maintain,” Poulos said.

According to the Environmental Protection Agency, one drawback of crumb rubber infill is the presence of carcinogenic materials such as benzene, butadiene and dichloroethane. Although no studies have been able to definitively prove a link between crumb rubber infill and cancer, concern over these substances still exists. NBC News reported that, of a list of 38 collegiate soccer players who had developed blood cancers, 34 of the players on the panel compiled by Washington Soccer Coach Amy Griffin were goalkeepers. It is hypothesized that the goalkeepers’ repeated contact with the ground when diving for saves increases exposure to the carcinogenic substances in crumb rubber and is the cause of the disproportionate rate of cancer in this list.

“We [goalkeepers] are on the ground a lot,” Holloszy said. “Open wounds are exposed to carcinogens and tire parts. I try to take [care] of my wounds as quickly as possible, but it’s definitely a concern.”

The potential risks associated with crumb rubber infill are recognized by Sequoia coaches.

“It seems pretty clear cut that you would want to avoid [the carcinogens in crumb rubber], I would think that that is a potential concern,” Poulos said.

Despite this, since no definitive link between crumb rubber infill and cancer has been proven, Sequoia players and coaches are not worried.

“We’ve been playing on turf fields for years and years now in soccer’s history,” senior soccer player Mathew Ruiz said. “Personally, I think it’s fine.”

When asked which playing surface she would choose if she were given a choice, Holloszy said she would choose the turf that is used at Highlands, which has an infill consisting of coconut husk, cork and sand.

“I’ve played on [the turf at Highlands] for four-and-a-half years,” Holloszy said. “I love it. It hurts way less. It doesn’t adopt that weird turf smell that our fields have because of wear and food and sweat over time. It’s just overall better.”