No such thing as 4G – yet. It is a marketing way of saying one company’s product is more advanced than another, with no proof or difference in performance or concept. The confusion comes in that there was never a 1G or 2G, and these terms have been applied retrospectively.
So 1G refers to the original non-infilled surfaces, such as astroturf (which was the generic name) and now encompasses the non-infilled football surfaces popular in Switzerland. 2G refers to surfaces with sand in; mainly sand filled and sand dressed. 3G refers to any surface which is long pile with sand and rubber infill. There are also surfaces known as hybrids, which are used for football and hockey, but in reality are also 3G sports surfaces.
There is also a move by manufacturers to go back to woven products, claiming these are the next advancement in technology. In reality this manufacturing method was used in the early 80’s, is very slow and very expensive. There is no proven performance advantage.
The way forward is about systems, how they are installed and maintained, not to call exactly the same surface as most manufacturers offer, a 4G or 5G, which I have heard companies are now claiming.
The Desso Grassmaster system is known as a natural reinforced turf system as some companies try to compensate this to be a 5G sports surface which under the new FA guidelines recently released isnt true and here is a statement recently from the FA governing body : “…..at the moment there is no such thing as 4G or 5G, terms sometimes used by sales people. some manufacturers may promote non-infilled products, but these are actually earlier generation surfaces, as predominantly used for hockey.”
For more details on the synthetic turf, artificial grass and sports grass options please call 01625 445760 or visit http://sportsandsafetysurfaces.co.uk/
