The Partnership for Healthy Playing Surfaces
Welcome!
The natural turf football field in East Meadow, New York
We are a partnership of medical, scientific, educational and environmental education organizations with a mission to move knowledge into practice by providing science-based resources to help communities make informed decisions about healthy playing surfaces.
Many schools and communities face choices about whether to invest in natural grass fields or convert to artificial turf. Decision-making about play surfaces at the community level is often difficult, hindered by a lack of resources and by competing priorities. There can be confusion about the impacts of these choices on health, costs, and playability.
Factors that may be considered include the cost of installation, maintenance and end-of-life handling and disposal, the number of days the field can be used, the likelihood of player injuries, the temperature of the playing environment, exposure of young athletes to toxic chemicals and environmental impacts.
This website is designed to help you understand the issues surrounding both artificial and natural grass fields, and provide research-based information you can use in reaching an informed decision. In addition to the materials you will find on this site, each of our partner organizations have their own dedicated web pages on this subject. Click on any icon below to learn more.
Please note: Links on this website may take you to websites outside the Partnership for Healthy Playing Fields, and may express views that are not those of all of the participating organizations.
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