Details of Grant 

EPSRC Reference:	EP/C525345/1
Title:	Network: SPORT - Surfaces Utilitarian Research Forum (SPORT-SURF)
Principal Investigator:	Fleming, Professor PR
Other Investigators:
Researcher Co-Investigators:	Dr C Young
Project Partners:	Cranfield University Nottingham University Hospitals Trust SAPCA University of Exeter University of Sheffield University of Strathclyde
Department:	Civil and Building Engineering
Organisation:	Loughborough University
Scheme:	Standard Research (Pre-FEC)
Starts:	01 May 2005	Ends:	30 April 2008	Value (£):	63,267
EPSRC Research Topic Classifications:	Biomechanics & Rehabilitation Pavement Engineering
EPSRC Industrial Sector Classifications:	No relevance to Underpinning Sectors
Related Grants:
Panel History:
Summary on Grant Application Form
Sports facilities in the UK are a vital part of our nation's infrastructure and influence a large section of today's society transcending boundaries of age, gender, race and sporting ability. A recent national exercise related injury study concluded that sports injuries are a public health issue. Many injuries are attributed to the interaction of the player with the surface. The sports have often varying requirements for player-surface interactions and the playing performance of the surface for the sport (i.e. for ball-surface interaction). There exist many current unanswered questions regarding the effect of the surface on the player, and the player on the surface. Whilst there does exist many relevant programmes of research there is a requirement to form a new community, through this proposed network, to ensure that future research programmes are more coherent and deliver step improvements to the industry.Investment in sport and sports facilities has arguably never been greater (More than 1 billion). There has been a rapid growth in the products available (in 2003 an estimated 140 synthetic 'carpet' products alone were available). However, there is very little scientific information available to substantiate their development with regard to player health and safety in particular. European standardisation of industry guidance has identified many challenges for the sports construction industry to meet new specifications and test standards (for 'fit for purpose'), although many of these tests originated from research in the 1970s and 1980s and are not being updated. The two most important aspects of pitch performance to the user's comfort and safety are the impact absorption (or hardness) and the frictional sliding resistance. The test results are influenced by a combination of the properties of the surface and sub-surface layers, and the test method. Many tests are acknowledge to be crude and insensitive tools, but are perpetuated due to a lack of serious commitment to change. Sport injury research has suggested that the mechanisms of injury are not currently well understood, and that player response to the surface and surface response to the player is very complex. However, hard and high-grip pitches are likely to be a potential hazard, especially to young and high frequency users. In general, however, injury and biomechanics research has not been well integrated with the engineering of the 'surface' and related product development.The relevant stakeholders that will both contribute and benefit from the Network include academic and commercial research organisations, funding organisations, venue owners & operators, manufacturers, constructors, maintenance suppliers, sport governing bodies, users, and the general public (funders, users and benefactors). A recent EPSRC workshop 'Thinking About Sport', comprising a very diverse participating audience, aimed to identify potential networks that could be formed. Of the seven major topics that EPSRC identified beforehand that of 'Sports Surfaces' was a very popular one and this Network proposal was in essence borne out of that. There exists a wide and diverse sports surface community that requires a common forum to meet and share ideas, and this is both timely and essential.
Key Findings
This information can now be found on Gateway to Research (GtR) http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk
Potential use in non-academic contexts
This information can now be found on Gateway to Research (GtR) http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk
Impacts
Description This information can now be found on Gateway to Research (GtR) http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk Summary Date Materialised
Sectors submitted by the Researcher
This information can now be found on Gateway to Research (GtR) http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk
Project URL:
Further Information:
Organisation Website:	http://www.lboro.ac.uk