Hockey fields suitable for dry hockey and as water fields |
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At Hockey Club Naarden, two innovative fields for dry hockey were installed this summer. It concerns the artificial turf type Hockey Ultra DW from Condor Grass. 'You can never get wet with this,' jokes commercial manager sport Joop van Krimpen, knowing that 'his' pitch is suitable for both dry hockey and hockey on a water field.
This feature is also reflected in the name Hockey Ultra DW, where the 'D' refers to dry and the 'W' to wet. The first trial pitch (officially Hockey-5s) with this top layer was installed in Groenekan at MMHC Voordaan, in collaboration with Finovi, and also served as a kind of business card. 'I went there with consultancy and engineering firm Newae and the municipality of Naarden; after that, we were allowed to make an offer,' Van Krimpen outlines the preliminary process. Finovi was commissioned to install the fields and they were built in July and August. They are part of Condor Grass's innovation program.
 | | Joop van Krimpen |
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Full confidence
Van Krimpen: 'This is an official program, which must be approved by the Program Council for Sports Infrastructure. After discussions and presentations for NOCNSF, the KNHB and VSG (Association of Sports and Municipalities), we received permission from the Program Council to start the project. The aim of these programs is to establish a scope for artificial turf hockey fields in the category "dry full artificial turf fields," all to manage water use responsibly. There are no standards yet for dry hockey fields in the Netherlands. At the end of the year, therefore, an evaluation of the pilot fields will follow. We provide NOCNSF and the hockey association with data that we collect through questionnaires from users and managers.' Van Krimpen is fully confident that the innovation program will turn out well for Condor Grass's field. 'It already meets the requirements as a water field if you irrigate it. For "wet hockey," these fields are already on the sports product list. So, as a club, you take no risk if you choose to install this type.'
DW field in Naarden
Naarden
In Naarden, not only were two Hockey Ultra DW fields installed, but also a half sand-dressed field, which serves as a warm-up field and as a pitch for goalkeeper training. The substructure of the two full fields consists of an ET-decke. 'This consists of rubber, coarse gravel and binder,' Van Krimpen explains. The construction of the new artificial turf fields was completed within a few weeks. 'The biggest challenge during this renovation was that a dome had to be placed over half a field in the winter months. This meant that it had to be anchored. On the sides, this was not a problem, but a structure also had to be created to secure the dome in the middle of the new field.'
New systems for football
In an earlier interview, Van Krimpen already hinted that Condor Grass was working on a number of new systems for football, in response to the market trend towards non-infill. A new system has now been launched under the name Midfield SD. The letters S and D refer to the English sand based. Van Krimpen: 'Thirty years ago, sand-dressed artificial turf fields already existed, and in England and Scotland, this type is still relevant.' The new mineral-filled pitch from Condor Grass is a 32mm system with a shockpad underneath. 'As soon as all tests have been completed (at the time of the interview, the UV test result was still pending, ed.), we can start with a number of pilots. In Belgium, we have already gained good experience with this type of pitch in a hall where over-50s football is played. The critical run-off zone around Excelsior's new field also consists of Midfield SD.'
Brockfill fields
The commercial manager sport is personally very fond of the BrockFill field from Condor Grass. 'It is a nice alternative to the other types of infill pitches and we also score well internationally with it. In terms of purchase, it is slightly more expensive than a mineral-filled field. However, I also hear comments about the hardness of mineral-filled pitches; visitors then experience BrockFill as a relief. Condor Grass is actively working on new developments. Soon we expect to be able to announce more about a new football system. For this, we have a special production method (tufting), for which we have made adjustments to the machines. The first meters have been produced and the result is promising.'
This article was previously published on September 16, 2025 on the website
of Fieldmanager.
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