Virtual Meet & Greet with one of our GreenFields experts

with André Wolbrink – Head Engineering

GreenFields is proud to have André Wolbrink in the team. André joined GreenFields in 2015 and has over 25 years’ experience in the sports grass industry. He is involved in the construction of numerous hybrid and artificial grass pitches around the globe. André is involved in XtraGrass hybrid projects, and in FIFA, Cruyff Courts and Field in a Box synthetic grass projects worldwide, coordinating the projects from inquiry and shipping up to installation and maintenance.

Andrés passion is the design and installation of high performing hybrid grass systems and his knowledge and experience has been proven to be crucial for the success of GreenFields XtraGrass. XtraGrass projects managed by André include GelreDome Arnhem, Arena Lviv, and the National Stadium in Singapore.

André about XtraGrass: “XtraGrass is a woven system and offers a superior yarn bind.The partially biodegradable backing provides a support for the roots to anchor. Because the natural grass is longer than the synthetic fibres, there is only a very minimal wear of the synthetic fibres. The XtraGrass fibres protect the crown of the plant and increase the stability of the pitch, preventing major damages to the field.

 

Over the years I have travelled to many countries, in very diverse climates, to advise and assist with the installation and maintenance of our XtraGrass hybrid pitches. The installation of an XtraGrass field can be done through seeding, but there are also different options to cultivate the field in a nursery and transfer it to a stadium as a ‘lay-and-play system’. In this case, the field can be played on in days!

 

The installation of a hybrid field is the first step, but maintenance afterwards is just as important. The maintenance of a hybrid field is no different than natural grass, but you should look at it with a different view: The top layer must remain clean and the rooting needs to be good; these are important pillars for the lifespan of the pitch.”