Technically advanced football possible thanks to Desso's artificial grass fibres


The UEFA Cup Final between FC Zenit St. Petersburg and Rangers FC will be played on an ingenious pitch at the City of Manchester Stadium, the home base of Manchester City FC.
More than 20 million artificial grass fibres will protect the natural grass ensuring that Manchester City’s pitch is in perfect shape.

Lee Jackson, Deputy Head Groundsman states “The pitch suffered with the bad weather during the busy winter period but thanks largely to the Desso GrassMaster has recovered quickly. As a Groundsman, it is an honour for the pitch to be used as the venue for the UEFA cup final and it is a chance to prepare a surface that will do justice to such a prestigious event.”

The stadium too has been designed according to a unique concept. It was built for the 2002 Commonwealth Games and was then converted into a football stadium.
Every seat in the stadium is covered by the roof, which is supported by an innovative pre-stressed cable net. However, the contemporary design had implications on the pitch. The rounding out of the seating bowl and the completion of the roof created an environment which made it difficult for the grass to grow. For this reason, the club opted to install the Desso GrassMaster system.

Thanks to this system and the efforts of the dedicated groundstaff, led by Head Groundsman Roy Rigby, the UEFA Cup finalists will be able to play on a technically perfect pitch.
Moreover, thanks to this system, events such as pop concerts are possible on the pitch, which also contributes to the stadium’s sustainability.