Mosman Council wants more details before synthetic turf application proceeds

MOSMAN Council last week voted for staff to stop work on a development application for synthetic turf at Middle Head Oval, requesting a report on potential costs and risks.

Mosman Swans and Drummoyne AFL players compete on Middle Head Oval in 2014.

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A SPORTS medicine specialist says the jury is still out when it comes to which playing surface is more or less likely to cause injury — natural grass or synthetic — but the treasurer of Turf NSW argues the real deal is best.

Mosman Council last week unanimously voted for staff to stop work on a development application for synthetic turf at Middle Head Oval, a site managed by the Harbour Trust.

The matter will return to next month’s meeting after a report has been prepared about issues including potential costs and risks. Councillors will also inspect synthetic playing fields in the interim, among other duties.

Professor Gary Browne of The Children's Hospital at Westmead says there are different opinions about which is more likely to cause sports injuries: natural grass or synthetic turf. Picture: Tim Hunter.

Gary Browne, of The Children’s Hospital Institute of Sports Medicine at Westmead, said the risk of injury from real versus artificial turf continued to generate a major difference of opinion because the data — mostly in elite adult athletes — is “very mixed” regarding risk versus benefit.

“Recent studies in adults in the United States from the American Journal of Sports Medicine seem to provide strong evidence for comparable rates of injury between new generation artificial turfs and natural turf (at least for adults), however, the effect of artificial turf on younger athletes and children is yet to be fully elucidated,” Prof Browne said.

“This difference of opinion comes about because a lot depends on whether you’re looking at soccer, football, rugby or some other sport; weather; footwear; the age, gender and expertise of the player; and how you define an ‘injury’.

“Further, anyone who plays on grass in the Sydney region is aware of the highly variable playing surface, depending on whether it’s wet or muddy, or very dry and hard, as well as the height of the grass and the evenness of the surface.”

Treasurer of Turf Australia, Anthony Muscat, no longer sells synthetic turf and now only sells natural grass.

Turf NSW treasurer Anthony Muscat, however, prefers natural grass.

“I think the only place synthetic turf would be better than natural turf is in an area where it is complete shade and heavy traffic; everywhere else natural turf is better every time,” he said.

Mr Muscat’s company, Greener Lawn Supplies, stopped selling synthetic turf a few years ago.

“Natural turf is less maintenance than synthetic turf, it is much safer to play on because of its soft cushioning, it absorbs blood from injuries unlike synthetic turf, and natural turf is much cooler unlike synthetic turf,” he said.

“The more high-profile fields such as ANZ Stadium have turf specially grown on a sand profile with a mixture of synthetic turf and couch grass, so that it can withstand the wear and tear and still have a soft playing surface.”