Football Media

If you're new here, you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed. Thanks for visiting!

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 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.

Background info

- The Desso GrassMaster system is a 100 % natural grass pitch in which 20 million artificial grass fibres have been injected 20 cm deep into the soil by computer-controlled machines.

The roots of the natural grass intertwine with the synthetic grass fibres and anchor the turf into a stable and even pitch.

- 13 out of the 20 English Premier League clubs play or train on a Desso field. Eight of them play on a Desso GrassMaster field in their own stadium including Arsenal, Liverpool, Manchester City and Aston Villa.

- 7 clubs from the Dutch Eredivisie (Premier League) play on a Desso GrassMaster pitch in their stadium, including AZ Alkmaar, FC Utrecht and NAC.

- In the USA, NFL clubs such as Denver Broncos, Pittsburgh Steelers, Philadelphia Eagles and Green Bay Packers play on a Desso GrassMaster in their stadium

- Worldwide, more than 250 clubs play and train on a Desso GrassMaster system.

About Desso Sports Systems

Desso Sports Systems is European market leader in sports surfaces. The company annually produces over 3 million msquared of artificial grass for football, tennis, hockey, rugby and American Football pitches. The patented Desso GrassMaster system is internationally successful with professional and amateur football clubs.

Desso Sports Systems has its headquarters in Dendermonde (Belgium) and sales offices throughout Europe. The company is part of Desso, a top European manufacturer of contract carpets and carpet tiles for the office, aviation, hotel, marine, hospital, school, and consumer markets. Clients include ABN AMRO, KLM, Virgin Atlantic, Intercontinental Hotels and Resorts and the 1000 Desso employees are responsible for an annual turnover of 200 million Euro.

http://www.dessosports.com

http://www.desso.com

Source: Desso Sports Systems

The Official Langenscheidt UEFA Dictionary of Football

Football is the number one sport. Its worldwide popularity makes efficient international communication even more necessary. Langenscheidt and UEFA - top of the league in their fields - have therefore teamed up to compile the most up-to-date specialist football vocabulary in the official UEFA languages of German, English and French.

The dictionary contains over 5,200 terms relating to the game which to many people means the world. Whether it is flat defence or relegation zone, back heel flick or hat-trick: there are detailed definitions and a number of synonyms for each term. Informative illustrations in the appendix explain the most important basics and team formations.

What is a banana kick? And when do you talk about passive offside? Is a streaker a fast runner and what exactly is the man-marker? From kick-off to the final whistle and from fair play to foul, this reference work contains the most important terms which will help not just professional football players to be successful but everyone who is involved or interested in the game. The dictionary offers in-depth coverage of six special interest subjects - The Game, Stadium & Security, Equipment, Medical, Media, and Management & Administration - and will help you to be on the ball from a language point of view.

With this comprehensive approach, the Dictionary of Football is also an effective resource for anyone involved in football off the pitch: managers, coaches, delegates, sports physicians, journalists and fans. Just as UEFA President Michel Platini explains in his preface, UEFA wants to promote exchange within the worldwide football family and the entire community interested in football with this dictionary. Speaking football? From now on, you will be on home ground!

    LANGENSCHEIDT DICTIONARY OF FOOTBALL

    German - English - French - In cooperation with UEFA
    Around 5,200 terms - 524 pages - 12.5 x 19.0 cm - Paperback
    EUR 16.95 (D), EUR 17.50 (A), CHF 29.90 - ISBN: 978-3-86117-290-1
    LANGENSCHEIDT FACHVERLAG MUNICH

Source: Langenscheidt KG

From 7 to 29 June, Austria, together with Switzerland, is presenting the European Football (Soccer) Championship. Important information is available to all fans under http://www.sozialversicherung.at/ecguide/ so that the consequences of possible injury or sickness remain as minor as possible. Standing behind this information is the Austrian social insurance system that is responsible for Austria’s health care system, recognized as among the best in the world.

Via the internet address http://www.sozialversicherung.at/ecguide/ fans can already inform themselves of important steps to take in case anything should happen:

    - Will I be treated during my stay in Austria?
    - What is my legal insurance status?
    - Which documents should I take with me as a precaution?
    - Whom can I contact in Austria immediately in an emergency?
    - First aid dictionary for the most important expressions

In addition, there is general information about EURO 2008 and the host regions in Austria (Vienna, Salzburg, Innsbruck, Klagenfurt).

The guidebook is exceptionally easy to use and adapts personally to the user: Upon answering a few questions, it presents the visitor with information precisely tailored to his or her needs - and that in 34 European languages, from Icelandic to Greek, Russian to Montenegrin.

Austria’s Sozialversicherung, the Austrian social security system, is the foundation of social security in Austria. It is a legally established organization without commercial interests. With the introduction of the e-card for all Austrian insured persons, the Austrian social security system has earned a leading international role in the country-wide adoption and further development of e-health.

http://www.hauptverband.at

    For further questions, please contact:
    Main Association of Austrian Social Security Institutions
    (Hauptverband der österreichischen Sozialversicherungsträger)
    1030 Wien, Kundmanngasse 21-23
    Press Office
    Email: presse@hvb.sozvers.at

Source: Main Association of Austrian Social Security Institutions

Funny football moments