Riviera delle Palme Stadium in San Benedetto del Tronto

Mission impossible accomplished

The grass sprouted 7 days after sowing

It took four men in four weeks to arrive at the sowing of the hybrid system and after 7 days the emergence of the seedlings was perfectly uniform across the entire surface as the POWERgrass technicians had predicted.

The pitch was used for the first time 16 days after sowing for a 30-minute training session of the first team and the following day for its first match where the home team faced the Gubbio team.

President Domenico Serafino was far-sighted and opted for a definitive solution which involves the creation of an innovative hybrid grass playing surface to guarantee the safety of the players, improving their performance because the POWERgrass hybrid system offers the possibility of using the field for training where the match is played with the opponents, thus increasing the chances of victory.

The intervention concerns the playing area measuring 105x68 metres, in addition to the field approved for FIGC matches for a total hybrid surface of 112x75 metres. Beyond the system, a new subgrade was created, a drainage system in trenches with pipes and an irrigation system. The perimeter air is much wider therefore, in the western area, pre-cultivated natural grass turf was laid in the nursery while the other three sides were sown on the existing soil, suitably leveled and worked.

Coach Paolo Montero comments on the hybrid pitch after the team's refinement

The day before the match, coach Paolo Montero, after the team's training for 30 minutes on the innovative POWERgrass hybrid pitch, 16 days after sowing, commented what he thought at minute 1:26 of the interview.

It is clear that we have raised a big smile of satisfaction because now Montero expects results "without excuses".

The POWERgrass system

Uniform growth by balancing air and humidity

The POWERgrass hybrid field is high-performance able to host numerous professional events with a significant saving on maintenance costs compared to a natural grass field because, first of all, holes do not form. POWERgrass is an innovative hybrid grass system that has integrated natural grass into a patented synthetic turf. Synthetic grass reinforces natural grass in an invisible and imperceptible way to the player. Natural grass grows better in the system because it finds a better water balance and its roots are protected from thermal stress (hot/cold). In a short time, natural grass becomes predominant, occupying over 97% of the surface, offering sports performance designed for the most demanding professionals. At the same time, the hybrid system is easy to maintain and guarantees a field that is always playable.

The hybrid system involves the creation of a sandy subfloor because it allows the grass to breathe, does not form mud and offers the possibility of playing in the rain. The hybrid field is much more resistant to trampling which is the main cause of the compaction that suffocates the roots in fields built on agricultural land.

Immediately after installation it is possible to play on the synthetic fibers but, to obtain the best comfort that only natural grass can provide, wait up to 4-5 weeks for microthermal grasses to establish or 6-8 weeks for microthermal grasses. Microthermal grasses ideally grow in the temperature range of 15-25°C and macrothermal grasses at 24-32°C, so if possible, adjust the intensity of your training program throughout the day to these temperatures to provide more comfort for players and less damage to the grass. If the pitch is used excessively outside the growing season, you can expect to lose some of the density of the grass until the growing conditions are suitable for the type of grass selected, and new shoots emerge from the crowns of the plants, so, within a few weeks, the pitch turns back to natural grass in the same way as it is in nature.

In the POWERgrass hybrid system it is much easier to apply ecological maintenance with a positive environmental impact, in line with the principles of the Circular Economy:

Providing a system over 20 years of life is a much longer lifespan than any other type of pitch, because the synthetic fibers are protected by the natural grass from exposure to the sun's UV rays, which causes premature aging of the plastic, so the warranty is also 50% longer than a fully synthetic pitch.
Optimization of resources over time thanks to the long life of the system and thanks to the use of renewable materials such as cork and recycled materials such as compost and natural organic fertilizers.
The system does not produce waste if grass clippings are left on the ground or collected for compost; the entire system can be reused elsewhere or recyclable on the same area of the pitch, shredding the synthetic grass at the end of its life cycle to also reinforce the sandy subfloor.
Reduce water consumption for irrigation because evaporation is less in the sand substrate under the support. The system also mitigates heat and frost stress while preserving roots and soil biology. Under the supportwater efficiency is greaterand the cooling capacity of the plant is more effective because it helps maintain leaf temperatures below 25.5°C for cool season grasses and below 30°C for warm season grasses which is the critical point to better support heat stress.
Reduce atmospheric carbon because lawns are known to sequester anywhere from 25.4 to 204.3 g carbon per square meter per year (Zirkle et al., 2011) and this hybrid system optimizes photosynthesis potential for greater carbon sequestration with lessons from regenerative agriculture. Our goal when implementing the maintenance plan is for the system to benefit from its soil biology and reduce inputs.
Providing circular work opportunities for specialized ecological maintenance while gaining extensive knowledge and principles to use for regenerative agriculture while also producing healthier food.

The POWERgrass hybrid system reduces the risk due to unexpected climate changes, expensive extraordinary maintenance and has almost no expiry date.

Compared to a natural field, the risk of erosion from flooding is limited because the hybrid surface aggregates the soil particles over the entire surface of the field. Any human error, biotic or abiotic stress on natural grass can be recovered with a few maintenance interventions within a few weeks and therefore, does not involve sudden risks that require expensive maintenance interventions.
Compared to a synthetic pitch, it does not require the reinstatement of the performance infill or the peremptory replacement of the system after 8/10 years. The hybrid system is always renewable, even when the synthetic fibers are consumed because, over time, it becomes progressively more natural with less reinforcement from the synthetic fibers.

The characteristics of the hybrid system

The POWERgrass synthetic turf includes 75600 resistant and resilient synthetic mono-filaments per square meter. The synthetic fibers are thermofixed to a support of a uniform network with 320,000 three-dimensional and interconnected holes per square meter which guarantees gaseous exchange and acts as an anchoring point for the roots. The support also includes a light non-woven fabric which reduces the evaporation of water under the support and, in addition, offers an insulating effect to the underlying roots.

After installation, the synthetic fibers protrude to the surface by 20-25 mm, to protect the crowns of the plants from intensive trampling. During germination the synthetic fibers shade the surface against the sun's UV-B rays, preventing the shoots from drying out. The roots penetrate the support from the first growth period, they find balanced humidity and are therefore protected from drying out and from temperature changes in summer and winter.

The hybrid project system establishes a new meaning to the word "hybrid field" where it is necessary to use it immediately playing on synthetic grass because the fibers all protrude on the surface or playing on reinforced natural grass which grows vigorously between the fibers of the synthetic turf with numerous mutual advantages.

The hybrid design system combines the comfort of natural grass with the resistance of synthetic grass, offering more play, more safety and a 12-year guarantee.

Reduced maintenance with positive environmental impact

The mechanical rake removes thatch

During the Covid-19 lockdown we raised the quality bar of the POWERgrass hybrid grass system by integrating the HEALgreen maintenance method. A method that adheres to the Circular Economy (Legislative Decree 50/2016, art. 95, paragraph 6 letter c) with the strategic objective of promoting specialized employment for maintenance with a positive environmental impact. The method is based on the teachings of regenerative agriculture for the care of turf. The method brings notable benefits because it involves the most appropriate use of mineral nutrients and biological physio-activators and the reduction of the use of pesticides, until their complete elimination. The growth of turf for sports use has as its main limitation the intensive trampling because it compresses the porosity, altering the physical properties of the soil, limiting the gaseous exchange between the soil and the air. However, by aerating the surface and lightening the soil regularly, the gas exchange (CO₂ â‡„ O₂) necessary for biological processes is guaranteed. In the draining and well-aerated substrate the microorganisms proliferate and mineralize forms of nutrients inaccessible to plants, both those present in the soil and those supplied with fertilizers. During the days sunny, by frequently cutting the natural grass and letting the grass settle on the ground, a part of the nutrients re-enter the circle thanks to biological activity.

From an environmental point of view, there are numerous reasons to use the HEALgreen method which can be summarized as follows:

capture fine dust, thus purifying the air,
sequester carbon from the air while emitting more oxygen,
reduce the air temperature thanks to more efficient cooling,
prevent pollution of underground aquifers by filtering rainwater
reduce mosquitoes during the summer months,
reduce the use of fertilizers and eliminate pesticides or herbicides
reduce the overall cost for a healthier city life.

Only through soil regeneration, can we have a positive environmental impact. Maintaining all green spaces with regenerative agriculture is the only method to combat pollution in our cities. It is everyone's responsibility which pays off in our health by also offering a prestigious aesthetic appearance.

In the POWERgrass hybrid grass-based system it is easier to maintain natural grass in an ecological way, refreshing the air temperature, purifying the air we breathe and filtering the water we drink.