ATT Sports has been called upon to install E-layers at some of the premier collegiate field hockey venues in the country. It’s not an opinion or anecdote, 30 percent of the FIH certified fields in the country have an ATT Sports-build E-layer below the turf.
In addition to dozens of other E-layers installed throughout the Northeast and beyond, ATT Sports built the E-layers at the University of Michigan, the University of North Carolina, Central Michigan University, Providence College and Messiah College.
E-layers are of particular importance in the design of field hockey fields because the turf is watered before play to promote truer bounces and rolls. Drainage is of the utmost importance, meaning a properly built E-layer is crucial. The addition force reduction of the E-layer is also important because field hockey turf does not have infill to soften the turf.
Each of the FIH certified fields for which ATT Sports has built the E-layer has an Astroturf product for the playing surface. Astroturf has established itself as the best choice for top-level field hockey artificial turf fields. In fact, 11 of the 16 FIH certified fields in the country are Astroturf.
So why would Astroturf call on a running track surfacing company to install the base below their highest profile field hockey fields? The process is similar to paving the base mat for the majority of polyurethane running tracks.
We use the same paving equipment for E-layers as we do for paving track base mats. The difference is in the thickness of the mat for field hockey, which varies for each project. There is also stone aggregate added to the mixture of rubber and binder to increase thickness and promote uniform drainage.
