In 2015, the U.S Women's National Team (USWNT) won the World Cup. As a way to celebrate, the team would play a 10 game victory tour across the U.S. Out of 10 total matches, 8 would be played on turf fields. Turf fields are often the quick resort when having to create a soccer field in stadiums. There are many drawbacks to a turf field, the first being the heat. Turf fields can reach temperatures of 200 degrees Fahrenheit. Regular grass would rarely reach 100 degrees Fahrenheit on even the hottest days. Watering the field would help cool it down but only temporarily and not long enough to last the 90+ minutes a soccer game lasts. Another danger of turf fields is the increase in injury. Turf is only a layer of fake grass put over usually concrete or another hard surface. When falling the impact will be harder, this can in rare cases lead to concussions. Soccer players are often seen sliding on the field to save or block a ball. Turf burns are almost guaranteed anytime a players body makes hard impact with the ground. ACL injuries increase by 45% when playing on turf fields. Soccer cleats are not able to penetrate the ground of a turf field. Since the cleats don't have a good grip, players are more likely to fall and injure themselves. Despite all of these statistics the governing body refused to change over to natural grass fields for games. The men play all of their games on regular grass fields. In response the USWNT refused to play on turf fields for their own protection.
Former USWNT goalkeeper posted this on twitter to show the turf in which they were expected to play on. You can see how thin and easy it is to be lifted up. This can easily trip a player and potentially injury them.
USWNT player, Sydney Leroux posted this to show what her turf burns looked like after a soccer game.
For more info: https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/us-mens-soccer-but-not-womens-gets-to-play-all-its-games-on-grass/
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