Amsterdam has the world’s first ice hockey rink without water

Amsterdam has the world’s first ice hockey rink without water

It turns out that even artificial grass needs watering, but not this one

In the premium category, the city of Amsterdam announced that it now hosts the world’s first field hockey rink that does not need water. The new artificial turf field is the property of local club MHC Weesp and was unveiled on Tuesday, June 13, during a game played by former members of the national field hockey team.

The new field is designed to be completely sustainable and to contribute enormously to water conservation. It will also serve as a testing ground for the city to decide whether to invest in installing such fields in other areas.

It may come as a surprise to many that artificial grass needs to be watered at all. After all, it does not contain organic grass that needs moisture. However, it turns out that even artificial green sports fields need to be sprayed with water for at least two reasons.

On the other hand, when the weather is hot, spraying water cools the field. On the other hand, it actually makes playing field hockey easier.

New innovative design

It is said that with classic artificial grass, when the fibers are dry, they freeze and the ball does not roll properly. On the new, waterless field, the fibers are looped, and the players play on the side of the loops. The loops make water unnecessary because the ball rolls on them just as well without moisture. The quality of the field therefore remains good even without water.

The new artificial turf field meets all the requirements of the International Ice Hockey Federation (FIH). The body wants to get rid of the constant watering of hockey fields. The new rink is therefore intended to become the standard of the international hockey world.

In 2026, the World Hockey Championships will be played in Holland and Belgium. FIH is already considering the use of this type of new artificial turf field.