With hockey since Turf-Day-1
Poligras, Sport Group’s hockey turf brand is overwhelmingly hockey’s #1 choice. Trusted and chosen by players, clubs and major venues worldwide, Poligras is available globally from Sport Group companies AstroTurf and Polytan.
Between them, AstroTurf and Polytan have provided hockey turfs at 10 Olympic games, starting with hockey’s first turf in Montreal in 1976. Paris will be 11th in total and the 8th Olympics on Poligras, to be followed by LA 2028.
With this commitment comes investment and innovation. Our turf development, along with brilliant players, visionary coaches and dedicated officials has been the platform for hockey’s transformation in to the fast and fluid, non-stop, multi-directional game it is today.
We are proud to have been hockey’s best partner for over 45 years.
‘The Surface’ Hockey's Turf Transformation
Hockey wasn’t always 360°, 3D and non-stop. Hear from the best about hockey’s amazing transformation. It started in Montreal in 1976…
News & Stories
Trusted & chosen
11 Olympic Games including Paris 2024 (Poligras & AstroTurf)
12 World Cups (including 2018, 2022, 2023, 2026)
3 Asian Games (including 2022)
4 Commonwealth Games
70% of 2020/21 FIH Pro League matches
Global partnerships with:
FIH (International Hockey Association)
Asian Hockey Federation
USA Field Hockey
German Hockey Federation (Deutscher Hockey-Bund)
Catalonia Hockey Federation
Major hockey stadiums and elite training venues around the world choose Poligras:
Sydney Olympic Park, Sydney
Bisham Abbey National Sports Centre, England
Warsteiner HockeyPark, Mönchengladbach
Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium, Delhi
National Olympic Center, Beijing
Harvard University, USA
CENARD, Buenos Aires
Wagener Stadium, Amsterdam (1986, 2022 World Cup)
Leading hockey with innovation
1976: The First Turf
At 10am on 18th July, 1976 the whistle blew in the opening match of the Montreal Olympics between India against Argentina. This whistle rang out around the hockey world. It was Turf-Day-1.
This first turf was made by AstroTurf in the USA, using nylon fibers. It rained during the Montreal Olympics and the turf played much better… hence hockey’s wet turfs were accidentally born.
AstroTurf’s hockey fields, with their iconic green colour, paved the way and were used at Olympic Games and World Cups. The nylon technology has continued to evolve and is still a hockey favorite and played on around the world.
1980: Moscow Olympics, Poligras as official supplier
Following AstroTurf’s nylon turf at Montreal, Poligras made its Olympic debut at Moscow. Poligras has been first installed in Switzerland in 1974 and these early turfs were made from polypropylene.
Poligras was an official supplier to the Moscow Olympics, and 42 years later we are still in at the top of the game, having provided turfs for Tokyo 2002, the 7th Olympic games to trust Poligras.
Poligras wasn’t the only ‘hockey debut’ at Moscow. The Moscow Olympics is very significant for hockey because it was the first Olympics with a women’s competition. The competition was a fairytale for Zimbabwe who won gold in a round robin format.
Poligras, official supplier of Moscow 1980 Olympic Games
Jamie Dwyer
2000’s: Polyethylene turfs creates a skills revolution
During this period there was a step-change in turf technology. Hockey began to see the visual potential of the surface, with our Sydney 2000 Poligras turf introducing colour for the first time
In 2003, Poligras turbo-charged the game by introducing turf made from polyethylene fibers. These fibers were more durable but crucially softer. This softness meant the ball sat on the surface better giving the players more control and allowing the ball to be moved at higher speeds.
This innovation matched the arrival of ‘Turf-Natives’ who replaced the grass generation. These players led by 5 x player of the year Jamie Dwyer, took the game to new levels. With an enhanced turf, composite sticks added more power and skills such as the drag flick and tomahawk become match winners.
London 2012: Colour & Noise
Poligras went blue for London 2012 and hockey has never looked back. Colour had become common on the outside but now hockey stepped over the line and embraced the full visual potential of turf.
The Poligras London Blue developed by Polytan was designed to broaden the appeal of the game, to be electrifying for players and fans and to provide greater visibility for TV audiences. The game wanted, and needed, to be noticed, and now the turf literally stood out like a beacon.
600,000 fans watched hockey at London 2012 and the world suddenly saw how amazing hockey was.
London 2012
Rio 2016
2014: Texturized turf – more skills, more creativity, less water
Poligras reinvented turfs again in 2014 with new texturized turf technology. This change in fibre shape removed the grain and any resistance to ball movement.
Ball control was now limitless, the skills could now be fully fluid, 360 degrees and 3D. This turf innovation was the launch pad as the Turf-Natives added more rocket fuel to the game with greater control, creativity and speed.
The technology also had huge environmental benefits as it held the water better meaning up to 50% less water was required for match play.
The Poligras Platinum turf used for Rio 2016 was a performance and environmental breakthrough. The standard of hockey was remarkable.
Tokyo 2020 & PARIS 2024: Turf made from sugar cane
For the Tokyo Olympics, Polytan created Poligras Tokyo GT, the world’s first climate positive hockey turf. Made from 60% sugar cane this revolutionary hockey turf provides a huge reduction in CO2 emissions.
Following a further two years R&D we are able to increase the sugarcane content to 80% for the Paris turf. This, plus other carbon saving technologies and green energy means the Poligras Paris GT zero is the world’s first carbon zero turf. The Paris turf saves 73 tonnes of CO2 compared to a conventional turf.
The hockey community has long known that turfs, with their maximum utilisation for thousands of players, are a positive environmental solution. It is therefore not surprising that the Poligras Tokyo GT turf was hockey’s #1 turf, with over 50 installed in all major hockey countries. The Paris turf will continue this green success.
The global hockey community is embracing the environmental challenge and is ensuring the sport makes a positive contribution.
Tokyo 2020