In 2012, the French city of Florange decided to install a new football pitch in its Serge-Zénier Stadium. A public tender was organised and Lano Sports’ Profoot 4G, a non-filled artificial turf mat, was the winning pick. Several years have passed since then, but you could hardly tell from looking at the mat: the club's home pitch has lost none of its quality.
ASFE, the football club of Florange in northern France, is popular among young and old and the city government supports this one hundred percent. After all, the club brings together members and sympathisers from diverse backgrounds through their shared passion for football. And the youth of Florange? They are lining up to get a jersey, in the club colours that as green as the turf on which their local heroes play.
Score one for Lano Sports
The city of Florange cares deeply about sports. That's why, in 2012 the city chose to carry out a large-scale renovation of its local sports facilities. There are two municipal pitches, one in natural grass and one in synthetic turf. The artificial one was in need of replacement, so the city government issued a public tender. The winning bid turned out to be the Profoot 4G-mat from Lano Sports.
It's clear today that the choice was more than justified. After withstanding many years of heroic matches and intensive training, the pitch still looks as fresh as ever. No wonder, since it passed the field tests of both the European Standard and the French Football Federation with flying colours.
The secret?
The Profoot 4G is an artificial turf mat that belongs to the ‘fourth generation’. Unlike the previous generations of mats, it is no longer filled with sand or rubber. The secret is in the density of fibres: a combination of the ‘MXSi TLT’ yarn and durable monofilament yarn, both of which have a unique polymer and an innovative filament shape.
This makes the purchase price of a non-filled pitch a bit higher, but this is more than offset by the ease of installation and convenient maintenance. After all, you never have to add granules: a thorough cleaning twice a year is all it takes.
Green, literally and figuratively
An added plus: the densely woven fibres not only give the turf durability, but also give it the look of a natural grass pitch. Finally, it scores points in terms of ecology, too: the mat is developed and installed in an environmentally friendly way. Any worn parts of the turf can easily be recycled later on.
A golden substitution
The city government, the players, the trainers and their supporters… They're all still as enthusiastic as ever about the replacement made in 2012. Even after six years of sliding, tackles and sprints, their green ‘home turf’ is still as idyllic as ever.
