Artificial turf helps lay the foundations for improved social and community benefits in large cities.
This would be a simile example of Artificial Turf in Homeowners' Communities. Throughout London, there are many synthetic turf pitches that provide durable surface conditions through several years of use for sports games.
These offer conditions with qualities that meet all minimum and simple maintenance requirements.
The synthetic turf when used in urban areasprovides a cost-effective means of making multiple sports and leisure activities.
Sports such as football, rugby and hockey bring social benefits to urban communities.
This case study highlights the social, community and economic benefits of synthetic turf.
Sport can be seen as an excellent driver of life skills.
This social element of leisure and recreation brings communities together.
Sports and activity clubs are a means of developing a strong collective identity, including within communities.
When sport is used as an engine of play and educational activity, it can unlock barriers of degradation such as class distinction, ethnicity and or technical ability.
However, access to dedicated sports facilities may be at risk of being limited and the possibility to support community development is reduced.
Due to urbanisation policies, access to green spaces decreases as one moves to urban areas.
Meanwhile, economic pressures influence local management expenditure with the view of investment in local sports infrastructure as an area that is often sacrificed.
Recent years have seen the development of community trusts and foundations set up by local authorities and professional sports clubs.
These foundations and trusts are empowered to facilitate community development, social inclusion and the promotion of healthy living and well-being through sport.
The artificial turf is an important factor in making many sports more accessible to all.
Sport for All and Social Benefits.
While it is true that sport is relatively elitist or exclusive at the professional level, given the nature of the individual and competitive approach, it is nevertheless an excellent means of fostering teamwork.
This medium offers the opportunity to develop social skills in a community setting.
Chelsea FC is one of many Premier League clubs that have established foundations.
(Chelsea FC Foundation) that deliver community-focused projects through a series of mechanisms that rely on the use of synthetic turf pitches.
With the current economic recession, living standards in the UK have become increasingly difficult with rising unemployment, reduced welfare benefits and rising commodity costs, resulting in difficult times for many families.
For the younger generation, the challenges of social mobility and social integration are difficult.
With some parts of urban areas depressed, communities are showing signs of social unrest, as seen during the August 2011 riots in London.
There is a great need, now more than ever, for young people to be provided with opportunities to further develop their sense of community responsibility and individual and social group skills.
With sports participation as a means of communicating powerful messages?
The Chelsea FC Foundation carries out educational projects that articulate with contemporary political initiatives such as the fight against crime.
In addition to the social benefits mentioned above, the Chelsea FC Foundation also aims to improve the participation levels of groups that are relatively under-represented in sport.
With their own infrastructure of synthetic turf facilities across London, they are looking to increase the number of women members.
They have also promoted the active participation of people with disabilities in sport within the communities.
This is in line with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO).
Sport is being promoted as a universally inclusive activity with special emphasis on the participation of women and persons with disabilities.
With particular reference to people with disabilities, synthetic turf is a functional tool to facilitate participation in many team sports.
Disability sports work to remove physical and mental barriers to participation.
They can also be a tool for delivering identity development, creating a collective norm that rejects stereotypes.
A positive influence on young people ? Crime Reduction
Following the award of the London Olympics in 2012, London has been actively seeking to play a proactive role in increasing civility and goodwill.
The broad appeal of sport change and its popularity has become an excellent medium for delivering training, teamwork and collective being.
These things are at the heart of many communities and they just need to be enhanced.
Using the synthetic turf facilities in London, the Chelsea FC Foundation works in partnership with Kickz, the Premier League's volunteer-led working group.
Kickz works to tackle community issues through the power of sport, thereby helping community development and contributing to crime reduction.
Since its creation, the Kickz association has found more than 1900 participants who will continue to support projects as volunteers.
At the local level, behavioural, criminal and anti-social offences have been reduced by up to 50%.
There are a number of reasons why these projects are helping to reduce crime:
- The first is that the provision of sports for young people in urban areas is of concern to them as a potential means of tackling anti-social behaviour.
- Secondly, sport facilitates positive recreational activities and encourages teamwork.
This can be partly attributed to the availability of synthetic turf facilities used in central London projects.
Synthetic turf ? The efficient solution
As mentioned above, one inhibitor of active sport in London is the lack of sports facilities with synthetic turf free or low-cost.
There are few areas available to members of communities in Inner London.
Synthetic sports fields can be multifunctional surfaces, reducing the need for large areas of space to cater for multiple audiences.
Not only in London, but across Europe, synthetic turf should provide urban communities with the opportunity to play on a surface that possesses characteristics as real as those of natural grass.
This is demonstrated by research from various sporting bodies that indicate a difference in the minimum game.
Synthetic turf also provides a lower maintenance cost sports facility compared to a natural grass solution.
This is mainly due to the fact that there is no requirement to mow a synthetic turf installation.
In summary, the use of synthetic sports fields within an urban community offers multiple benefits.
It allows sports collectives to be linked to community projects, such as the Chelsea FC Foundation and Kickz.
This enables them to achieve their objectives and improve the levels of participation of women, ethnic minorities and people with disabilities in sporting activities.
It also allows you to attract a captive audience to whom you can send specific campaign messages, such as the fight against racism and crime.
Synthetic turf in London encourages team sports, enabling young people to form a better understanding of teamwork skills.
Teamwork is a source of encouragement for social achievement and positive community outcomes.
Artificial Grass for Homeowners' Communities could also allow the opportunity to offer communities a sports facility that is both cost-effective and multifunctional. Source: ESTO