PERFORMANCE MONITORING OF GRASSED PLAYING SURFACES FOR AUSTRALIAN RULES FOOTBALL

摘要

Over the 2002 and 2003 playing seasons eight sets of on-site measurements were taken of surface hardness, shear strength, volumetric soil moisture, percent cover and grass type over theeight major Australian Football League (AFL) playing surfaces. Estimates of the values deemedas being the normal range for surface hardness, shear strength, and traction for AFL grounds areprovided. For surface hardness (measured using a 2.25 kg Clegg Impact Hammer) the 95%confidence interval (C.I.) range for peak deceleration of the first drop is between 43 and 96gravities. For shear strength (measured using the Clegg Shear Tester) the 95% C.I. is for therange between 24 and 106 N m. Similarly for traction (measured using a studded boot apparatus) the range is from 28 to 68 N m. These results can be compared to the values for similarmeasures made by other authors for soccer and rugby pitches. Further assessment is being conducted to confirm these values and will be related to player perceptions of the surface.