Abstract
Given the global spread of football (soccer) there are substantial differences in the playing surfaces used between FIFA member associations. This paper contains results from the second part of a study on elite football players’ perceptions of playing surfaces from across the globe. Using a questionnaire, which was developed based on an initial qualitative study, elite players’ perceptions of differences in surface properties between natural and artificial (football) turf were examined. In total, 1129 elite footballers, representing 43 countries across six FIFA confederations completed the questionnaire. Exploratory analysis of overall responses revealed that the players had strong opinions with regards to surface properties when directly comparing natural and football turf. In particular, a higher proportion of players stated that football turf was “Too hard/Harder”, “More/level”, “More abrasive” and had “Less grip” compared to natural grass. The results also showed that overall players’ perceptions of surface properties, between natural grass and football turf were dependent on their experience of different playing surfaces during their junior and senior careers, in particular, the variability within football turf pitches.
Original language | English |
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Title of host publication | Procedia Engineering |
Editors | David James, Simon Choppin, Tom Allen, Jon Wheat, Paul Fleming |
Place of Publication | Sheffield, UK |
Publisher | Elsevier |
Pages | 907-912 |
Number of pages | 6 |
Volume | 72 |
ISBN (Electronic) | 1877-7058 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 19 Jun 2014 |
Event | The 2014 conference of the International Sports Engineering Association - Sheffield Hallam University, Sheffield, United Kingdom Duration: 14 Jul 2014 → 17 Jul 2014 |
Conference
Conference | The 2014 conference of the International Sports Engineering Association |
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Country/Territory | United Kingdom |
City | Sheffield |
Period | 14/07/14 → 17/07/14 |
Bibliographical note
Open access under CC BY-NC-ND license.Selection and peer-review under responsibility of the Centre for Sports Engineering Research, Sheffield Hallam University
Keywords
- Football playing surfaces
- elite players
- questionnaire
- Quantitative
- surface properties
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Alun Owen
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