TenCate and OPSA are collaborating with ProLiga to give Spanish football clubs direct access to the latest knowledge and developments in sports turf. Choosing a new football surface is not simply a question of selecting a turf system. Clubs have to consider how intensively a field will be used, the level of play, local conditions, maintenance, available infrastructure and the performance required throughout its lifetime. Those factors differ from club to club. The right surface therefore starts with understanding how a field will actually be used.

A new collaboration between TenCate, OPSA and ProLiga brings that knowledge closer to Spanish football clubs. ProLiga represents around 250 clubs across Spain. Through the collaboration, its member clubs will have access to the combined experience of TenCate and OPSA when considering new sports surfaces and future improvements to their facilities.

TenCate develops sports surfaces by studying what happens where it matters most: between the player and the surface. At the Center for Turf Innovation, research combines laboratory testing with biomechanics, movement analysis and testing with athletes. High speed cameras, force plates and other measurement methods help researchers understand how different surface characteristics influence movement and interaction with the field.

That research continues outside the laboratory. Surfaces are tested in real playing environments, creating a continuous connection between research, development and what players experience on the field. For clubs, this means that conversations about a new surface can go beyond individual product specifications. Playing performance, usage intensity, field availability and long term performance can be considered together.

Technology is only part of the equation. OPSA has worked in the Spanish sports infrastructure market for decades and has been part of TenCate since 2017. That local knowledge is particularly important because every project comes with its own conditions, from climate and existing infrastructure to how many teams need to use the same field. 

Recent projects in Spain also show how quickly sports turf is developing. Pure PT™ surfaces without infill are already being used at Spanish football facilities, while clubs including Real Valladolid have been involved in testing the system under intensive football conditions. The collaboration with ProLiga creates a direct connection between those developments and the clubs making decisions about the future of their facilities.

Read the original announcement from ProLiga: