The best way to keep an outdoor sports field in play during colder months of the year is to keep it free of snow and ice.
Electric field heating is an affordable and efficient way to heat outdoor playing fields such as soccer pitches and football fields, to ensure player safety and cost-efficiency. This method can alleviate the challenges posed by trying to balance the risk of injury in inclement weather conditions, with the potential conflicts and financial loss from cancelling events. Electric heating is also more environmentally friendly as well as being a less cumbersome alternative to antiquated terrain heating methods.
A combination of severe winter weather and large, active populations make many North American cities prime beneficiaries of electric field heating. Places like Toronto, Chicago, New York, Calgary, Boston, Minneapolis, Philadelphia all have a high number of outdoor sports facilities along with large numbers of people who utilize them. Due to their geographic locations, severe weather in these locales can last for 3–5 months, making the need for a field heating system a necessary component to safely operating these facilities.
Inclement weather conditions pose a significant risk to player safety on outdoor fields. The accumulation of snow and ice can result in injury to the lower extremities as a result of slips and falls but can also result in serious injuries to the head, neck, and upper body due to impact on a hard, frozen surface. Additionally, damage to a field as a result of plowing to remove snow and ice can also lead to player injury. Electric under soil heating provides a safe playing environment for players by quickly and efficiently eliminating the risks imposed by a frozen surface.
Another benefit of an electric field heating system is the cost savings that it provides over heated water pipe systems. This method is very costly, as it needs to run 24/7 during colder months when temperatures drop below zero to prevent the water from freezing. Not only does it result in significantly higher gas and power bills, if not maintained properly pipes are at risk of exploding if the water does freeze, resulting in additional costs. Electric undersoil heating simply takes less time and effort to set up and maintain, combined with fewer supplies and materials. Since these systems are fully automated, they’re much simpler to maintain than heated water pipe systems and they also remove the need for a snowplow and operator. This means that you can get on with your sporting event faster and more efficiently while saving money at the same time.
