Oosterhout,
The
Netherlands
June, 2006
‘Fast’ Grass - The New Sports
Turf Premium Benchmark
All 12 World Cup soccer fields
will consist entirely of Barenbrug grass. The grass varieties
and types used for the turf in the stadiums were specially
developed for the World Cup 2006. Barenbrug varieties set the
new benchmark for premium turf and ‘fast grass’ performance.
FIFA Demands Performance
“We want the very best grass and
the same turf conditions in all 12 stadiums,” demanded FIFA.
“The turf in all stadiums must be as comparable as possible.
What’s more, the grass must be ‘fast’ to facilitate technical
and attractive Soccer.” A specially formed FIFA turf grass
committee, went to work with these instructions in mind. After
thorough research, Barenbrug was selected as the supplier with
the best grass product and know-how.
Grass Seeds for the World Cup
2006
“We are extremely proud of having
received this contract,” says Christiaan Arends, grass turf
specialist at Barenbrug. “Of course, we would like to see this
as recognition of the development work that we have been doing
in the past years.” The grass seed mixture, which is made up of
various types and varieties, was the result of extensive testing
and research. Tests included intensive wear and the filtering
out of sunlight, after which the recovery capacity and growth of
the turf were closely examined. The committee was clearly
impressed by the newest generation of grass varieties,”
concludes Christiaan Arends.
‘Fast’ Grass, a New Trend
An important FIFA demand was to
use grass types that have a positive effect on the speed of the
ball. ‘Fast’ grass is the ideal surface for technical and
attractive soccer. As a specialist in grass, the plant breeders
at Barenbrug have the right types of grass in their portfolios
to meet this requirement. They have developed varieties with
stronger horizontal growth and types that allow for extremely
short mowing. The World Cup turf is sown with a specific
combination of these varieties, resulting in a short-leafed,
dense and exceptionally fast surface. The newest trend in
soccer!
Turf Growers
In April 2005, two turf sod
producers established the Barenbrug grass seed in nine
production fields in the Netherlands and three in Germany. After
a growth period of more than 13 months, the sod was harvested
and then transported to all 12 stadiums where the current turf
was replaced by the special World Cup turf. With Barenbrug grass
in Germany, the company has proven that it will play a serious
role in the World Cup 2006.
The Royal Barenbrug Group is an
international company that specializes in plant breeding, seed
production and the worldwide marketing of grass seed. With more
than 600 employees, the group operates from 20 subsidiaries in
12 countries on five continents. “The effort that Barenbrug is
putting into research and development is fuelling rapid progress
in grass breeding,” explains Christiaan Arends. In fact,
Barenbrug won the Richard Hubert Innovation Award in 2005 for
the development of the ‘Shadow’ grass seed mix. Barenbrug
grasses are home in many stadiums, sports fields, golf courses
and public parks all over the world. This family company is an
international leader in turf and forage grass science. |