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Artificial turf surfaces with an integrated shockpad layer are increasing in use, partially due to the introduction of new non-styrene-butadiene rubber infills, which require a shockpad for managing the energy absorption properties of the surface. Selection of appropriate shockpad materials for football pitches is guided by the performance requirements outlined in the FIFA Quality Concept for Artificial Turf [1] manual. Olefinic foams were screened for their performance as shockpads using lab tests in compression along with FIFA Quality Concept (FCQ) tests, both on the foams and on an artificial turf system. Stress response, energy restitution, cyclic loading endurance and creep resistance were generally found to increase with increasing foam density and not be influenced by crosslinking. Foam density was established as the key design variable. The low density foams did not fulfill the FQC performance requirements. At a higher foam density, the nature of the resin played a significant role; elastomeric foams outperforming plastomeric foams by allowing for thinner shockpads at similar energy absorption performance. In addition, FQC test results showed how a welldesigned shockpad could help maintain a uniform performance across the artificial turf surface, overruling the effect of infill height variations caused by players on the field.

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