Dunhill GAA Circular – Artificial Pitch Information
The Club’s newly constructed artificial pitch is a 3G pitch, not an astro turf pitch which is an older technology. 3G pitches are made of a rubber crumb which mimics real clay and plastic grass fibres which mimics blades of grass.
Required Care & Attention
Like a grass pitch, a 3G pitch needs care and attention as follows:
- Brushing once or twice a week depending on usage.
- Decompaction several times a year.
- An annual deep clean.
Required Footwear
- Anybody accessing the 3G pitch MUST wear moulded / plastic studded boots.
- No other footwear will be permitted.
Reasons Why Other Footwear Is Prohibited
- The dimples on astro runners are too shallow.
- Metal studs tear the grass fibres.
- Blade boots increase the risk of injury.
- Shoes and runners flatten the grass fibres.
Reasons Why Correct Footwear Needs To Be Worn
1) Player Safety: Moulded or plastic studded boots provide traction and stability thus reducing the risk of injury. Runners do not grip well on a 3G surface so incorrect footwear will be treated similarly to a child missing a helmet.
2) Easier To Brush: Flat footwear bends the artificial grass stalks at the base. This makes it more difficult for the maintenance brushes to stand the stalks upright. Eventually the grass stalks no longer stand upright, leading to the surface having to be replaced sooner.
3) Compaction: Moulded boots help to de-compact the rubber crumb infill, thus making the surface more like natural grass. Flat footwear compacts it.
4) Warranty: Our pitch has a manufacturer’s warranty, but this is only valid if the 3G pitch is used and maintained correctly.
5) Insurance & Liability: For our pitch to remain on the GAA’s Synthetic Pitch Register, it must be independently tested every three years. Failure to comply with this testing can result in insurance and liability issues.
6) Longevity: Another local artificial pitch has almost doubled its life expectancy from 8 to 15 years through correct maintenance and care. We are aiming to do the same with our 3G pitch.
7) Financial: Our state-of-the-art artificial pitch and hurling wall capital projects have collectively cost approximately €250,000. Having our pitch last 15 years rather than 8 would mean that our future pitch replacement costs would almost be halved thus putting less of a financial burden on club members going forward.
Guidelines for Visiting Teams
There are two flyers below which can be forwarded to any visiting team to inform them of the rules of usage for our artificial pitch. Simply click on the images below to download them.
All users are asked to please wear the correct footwear, follow the rules outlined below in the attached links and help look after our top-class facility.
Thank you in advance for your assistance with the operation of our Club’s new facilities.
Dunhill GAA Executive Committee.
Date: May 2024.
Bookings are through John on: 086-3193847
