World Cup: France reach the semi-finals in Boston on Tarkett’s Grassmaster hybrid turf

France have booked their place in the semi-finals in Boston on a high-tech pitch designed by a French company. Here is how industrial heavyweight Tarkett took on a huge logistical challenge to install its hybrid turf in record time.

France are through to the World Cup semi-finals after a controlled 2–0 win over Morocco. While the world’s attention was fixed on Les Bleus’ performance in Boston, another French success story was playing out in the background - quite literally beneath the players’ boots.

The Boston stadium’s playing surface was created by Tarkett, an industrial group based in France. Having already beaten Norway on the same pitch during the group stage, the France team appear to have found a happy hunting ground in the United States. For the global flooring specialist, supplying a tournament of this scale is both a major accolade and, above all, an extra-large technical challenge.

The little-known flooring giant

Tarkett’s scale, ownership and history

Founded in the late 19th century, Tarkett can still claim 140 years of history. The company is a global leader in professional and residential flooring. Now controlled by the Deconinck family, it employs 12,000 people and reports turnover of €3.3 billion.

Tarkett’s sports surfaces footprint in the United States

Although its head office is in France, a significant share of Tarkett’s business is carried out across the Atlantic. In the United States, the firm supplies flooring for hospitals and schools, as well as athletics tracks and tennis courts. Its “sports surfaces” division has become a global benchmark for outdoor pitches.

In total, the company fitted out three major venues for this World Cup: Atlanta, Seattle and Boston.

The “Grassmaster” technology

A natural pitch reinforced with synthetic fibres

To meet the competition’s requirements, Tarkett deployed its patented technology known as “Grassmaster”. This is a reinforced natural grass system that is also used at the Stade de France. Visually, the pitch is made up of 97% natural grass, while the remaining 3% consists of synthetic fibres injected deep into the ground, explained the group’s chief executive, Fabrice Barthélémy, during an appearance on BFM Business. The real grass roots wrap around these polymer threads, which densifies the soil and makes it highly resistant to sliding tackles and repeated impacts.

Boston’s ultra-tight installation window

In Boston - where the stadium is normally used for concerts and American football matches on artificial turf - Tarkett had only two or three months to install its hybrid natural pitch. The timeframe was extremely short for allowing the grass to grow and take root securely, the executive acknowledged.