The Netherlands’ flagship soccer stadium, the Johan Cruijff Arena, uses 15 sensors embedded in its field to monitor the soil quality, temperature, and moisture of the turf. Now the Royal Dutch Football Association—the KNVB—is investigating whether to expand the high-tech turf management protocol to other pro clubs in the country.
Several other tool supplement the data gleaned from the underground sensors, including a 24-hour webcam, weather stations placed both in the rafters and at field level, and sensors measuring ventilation, humidity, and temperature at the height of the retractable roof. This system has also been installed on training fields used by the Dutch national team in Zeist, in the middle of the country.
The Johan Cruijff Arena’s field, which consists of 90 percent natural grass and 10 percent artificial turf, is trimmed by a mower with an onboard scanner that can assess grass quality and density. Images from the scanner can identify damaged areas, measure growth, and even count the individual blades of grass. The data is all compiled and processed in a dashboard used by the turf management team.
The technology behind the subterranean sensor-laden pitch was developed by the KNVB in conjunction with Wageningen University & Research with financial support from Sportinnovator, a government program operated by the Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport. The Johan Cruijff Arena, which was a 2018 SportTechie Awards nominee for Outstanding Venue, also features 4,200 solar panels and a three-megawatt energy storage system using electric vehicle batteries.
SportTechie Takeaway
Since every pro sports club’s most prized assets are its players, the surface they play on is perhaps the most important part of any stadium because of how it impacts injury prevention and playability. Other approaches to ensuring the best quality field surface include recent work from FieldTurf, which received a grant from the NFL last year, and aerial terrain monitoring from companies such as Taranis.