The Science Beneath the Game: Breakthrough Research in Turf Honored at 2026 ISEA Conference

At the International Sports Engineering Association Conference, TenCate helped recognize research advancing the performance and safety of turf and natural grass surfaces

PULLMAN, Wash., June 8, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- TenCate highlighted emerging sports surface research at the 2026 International Sports Engineering Association (ISEA) Conference, helping recognize researchers whose work is expanding the science behind turf, natural grass and field performance.

During the Sports Surfaces Session, Dr. Colin Young, TenCate's Chief Technical Officer, presented awards honoring research that is advancing the understanding of synthetic turf materials, natural grass performance and the consistency of NFL playing surfaces.

"Research is essential to improving sports surfaces," Young said. "When researchers and industry experts work together, we get a better understanding of how surfaces perform, where they can improve and how they can better support athletes."

Held June 1-4 at Washington State University in Pullman, Wash., the ISEA Conference is the world's leading gatherings focused on sports engineering and sports technology. The event brings together academics, researchers, sports scientists, product development engineers and major sports brands to share research and explore advances across a wide range of sports technologies.

The Sports Surfaces Session, chaired by Young, focused on surface engineering, testing methods, athlete-surface interaction and sports surface performance.

"For us, ISEA is about being part of the broader sports engineering community and engaging with the people helping move the science forward," Young said. "You have researchers, engineers, sports scientists and industry leaders all sharing ideas, challenging assumptions and learning from each other. That level of collaboration is extremely valuable."

TenCate's role in the Sports Surfaces Session reflects the company's growing investment in sports surface research through its Center for Turf Innovation, where that work has helped inform the development of Pivot^® Performance Turf. The system was developed through years of research into how different surfaces perform, with a focus on creating a turf system that more closely replicates the feel and performance of natural grass.

"Pivot is one example of how our research translates into an actual playing surface," Young said. "ISEA gives us the opportunity to compare ideas with researchers and engineers who are advancing the science behind sports surfaces. That kind of exchange helps us keep improving how surfaces are designed and evaluated."

Young said one of the important conversations in sports surface research involves moving beyond broad, simple comparisons between natural grass and synthetic turf and taking a closer look at the athlete and how the surface systems impact them.

"There is growing recognition that surfaces cannot simply be grouped together as 'grass' or 'turf,'" Young said. "Different types of grass and turf behave differently depending on field conditions and many other variables. The more we understand and classify those differences, the better the research and the better the decision-making becomes."

That focus on more precise classification was reflected in the research recognized during the Sports Surfaces Session. The awards recognized the following papers:

Award for research focused on turf: "Compaction Behavior of Pine Chip Infill on Third Generation Artificial Grass Pitches and Its Effects on Surface Performance," by Zach Morley, Paul Fleming and Steph Forrester of Loughborough University; and Tom Nott, Emma Coulson, and Joseph Julian of Technical Surfaces Ltd.

Award for research focused on grass: "Traction of sod for NFL use differs by turfgrass species and production method," by Philipe Aldahir, E. Meade Spratley and Cody O'Cain of UMS BioCore; Evan Mascitti of the University of Massachusetts Amherst; Andrew McNitt of Pennsylvania State University; Kristy Arbogast of Children's Hospital of Philadelphia; John Sorochan of the University of Tennessee at Knoxville; and Laura Schmitt of The Ohio State University.

Award for research focused on testing and implementation: "Spatial consistency of National Football League game fields using player-informed traction and impact testing," by many of the same researchers, including Aldahir, Mascitti, Spratley, O'Cain, McNitt, Arbogast, Sorochan and Schmitt, along with Nicholas Pappas of the National Football League.

The award-winning research reflects the growing emphasis on understanding how different surfaces perform under real-world conditions, a focus that has also shaped TenCate's own research and product development efforts.

TenCate developed Pivot to replicate the feel and performance of natural grass while delivering a more consistent playing surface under real-world use. The system combines durable sports fibers with newer fibers designed to look and feel more like natural grass. Years of intentional innovation led to successful removal of infill and finding new ways to create stability, grip and proper release. The system offers athletes reliable traction, a stable surface and consistent playability year-round – resulting in peak torque like natural grass.

As part of its development, Pivot was tested with over 1,000 college and professional athletes wearing sensors to capture movement patterns and surface interaction during play. The resulting data helped refine how the surface delivers traction, release and response under actual playing conditions.

"We are seeing increasing interest in how surfaces behave when athletes are actually moving on them," Young said. "The conversation is becoming more sophisticated. It's not just about isolated metrics. It's about understanding how surfaces perform through movement, repetition and real-world use."

For TenCate, participation at ISEA reflects a long-standing commitment to sports surface research and continued work with the scientific and engineering communities advancing the field.

"ISEA is where research, engineering and practical application meet," Young said. "That exchange is important because better science leads to better surface design. The more precisely we understand how surfaces perform, the better we can build systems that feel natural, stay consistent and support athletes throughout training and competition."

About TenCate
TenCate is the world's leading manufacturer, distributor and installer of synthetic turf systems for sports and landscape applications. Headquartered in Dalton, Georgia, with operations in the U.S., Netherlands, U.K. and U.A.E., the company serves customers in more than 40 countries with a suite of trusted brands and products. They include the new Pivot^® Performance Turf, designed to deliver grasslike performance without performance infill. Learn more at www.tencategrass.us and www.pivot-turf.com.

Contact:
Erica Rumpke
[email protected]
513-484-6795

SOURCE TenCate Grass Americas