Athletes want to go back to more traditional non-turf fields and hopefully, in the process, prevent season-ending injuries.

Most outdoor sports like football, soccer, field hockey, and lacrosse, especially at Williston, are played on a turf field. Recently, more athletes are expressing a desire to play on real grass again. The risk of playing on turf is a lot higher than on grass. Turf also comes with more physical and heat-related injures.

Artificial turf was released in the 1960s and in the 1970s, Astroturf started to become popular in NFL stadiums, a trend that lasted until 2005, when some facilities returned to natural grass. There has been an increase of season ending injuries on turf, however, and NFL players and student-athletes alike want natural grass under their cleats.

The NFL currently has 15 stadiums that use natural grass and 15 that use turf. Williston’s two major fields, Sawyer and the field at Galbraith, are both turf.

Chase Bedrossian, a junior football player from Cumberland R.I., prefers the softness of grass.

“I think natural grass is better for preventing bad or even season ending injuries, because there is more give and is less hard than the turf is,” Chase said.

Turf is made out of a layer of sand underneath a layer of rubber with grass fibers on top. Football players as well as other athletes think playing on grass is better for their bodies.

Kat Mayer, senior lacrosse player from Massena N.Y., feels grass is more beneficial for recovery.

“I feel like grass is better for our bodies, especially if the grass is very well maintained,'” Kat said. “Me, personally, my body feels better after I play on grass rather than turf.”

Kat is coming off an ACL tear and surgery for the injury which took place May 14.

Nate Ellis, senior football player from Shrewsbury, Mass., feels more secure with natural grass.

“I played on grass last season my first game back from an knee injury,” Nate said. “Knowing that my first game back was on grass, it made me feel more confident returning from an injury.”

Both Chase and Nate agree that natural grass is a lot easier on your cleats than turf, which helps prevent injuries.

Chase told The Willistonian,“The grass has more give and it doesn’t like grab at your cleats as much.”

“I think turf causes injuries because when a player cuts on it, it doesn’t have any give like grass does,” Nate said.