Field hockey and football could not be further apart in their surface requirements. A 50 mm pile designed for a bouncing, rolling football produces the wrong ball behavior entirely for hockey — the ball would sink into the fiber, slow down, and bounce unpredictably off the tall pile. Hockey needs a short, dense, firm surface that keeps the ball on top.
The FIH Quality Programme defines three categories: FIH Global (elite, traditionally water-based), FIH National (club and national level, typically sand-dressed) and FIH Multi-Sport (community dual-use). Sand-dressed turf sits at the heart of the National and Multi-Sport categories, offering fast play without the water costs that irrigated systems require.
The 25 mm pile height, combined with sand filling to 60–70% of the fiber depth, creates a surface where the ball runs fast, stick-work stays clean, and the pitch is playable without irrigation infrastructure. FIH is actively developing dry (non-irrigated) turf standards, and sand-dressed systems align with that trajectory.
Shock pad underlay is standard beneath hockey turf — the short pile alone does not provide sufficient impact absorption for goalkeeper dives and outfield slides. The pad also contributes to surface evenness and ball-rebound consistency, both of which FIH testing evaluates.
Sand-dressed hockey turf is the practical choice for clubs and schools that want fast play without the water infrastructure and ongoing irrigation costs of water-based Global-category systems.
For projects targeting FIH National or Multi-Sport certification, Relyir supplies the turf product with full specification documentation and works with your testing laboratory through the certification process.
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