Just like Emmen, Telstar started the transition from AstroTurf to real grass this week. Next season, natural turf is mandatory in the Eredivisie, although not all clubs in Dutch professional football have made the switch yet.
The Emmenaren announced at the beginning of this season that they would be making the switch, but in Velsen-Zuid the conversion was a result of their somewhat unexpected promotion. In collaboration with a number of parties, including the KNVB, Telstar has worked on the transition to natural grass.
โA tight schedule is ready and with the right collaboration, we will be able to be ready for our first home match in the leagueโs second roundโ, general manager Leon Annokkรฉe announced on the club website on Friday.
Last season, all the fields in the Eredivisie were made of real grass. But for Excelsior and FC Volendam, the two other new teams added next season, will install new surfaces. The Volendammers set up a fundraising campaign for the conversion and started removing the artificial grass and sowing real turf in early May. The Rotterdammers also got started last month.
Kitchen Champion Division club FC Emmen followed the example of the Eredivisie sides and shared images of the removal of the artificial turf field on Thursday. After that, there are still six clubs in Dutch professional football with an artificial turf field: FC Eindhoven, FC Den Bosch, Helmond Sport (hybrid), Jong AZ, MVV and TOP Oss.
GBeNeFNย |ย Max Bradfield
