Polytan LigaTurf Cross GT zero at the Ernst-Abbe-Sportfeld Jena

Best practice project for all of Germany

The Ernst-Abbe-Sportfeld has a history spanning almost a century. The sports complex in Jena previously consisted of a football stadium with an athletics facility and is home to the football club FC Carl Zeiss Jena and the women's football club FF USV Jena. In 2020, the transformation of the sports field into a dedicated football stadium began. It is designed to meet the requirements of the 2nd Bundesliga, as well as international standards in youth sports. The existing west stand will remain intact and will be supplemented by three new stands in the north, east, and south, accommodating more than 15,000 spectators. The centerpiece is the new main stand, including a functional building, highlighted by an innovative membrane façade like those used in Qatar's World Cup stadiums and Rio's Olympic Stadium. The stadium grounds will also house a youth performance center, providing ideal conditions for the development of future top talents across more than 1,500 m² of usable space. On an adjacent field, we have now installed our Liga Turf Cross GT zero, the world's first 100% CO2-neutral football turf, which meets the highest standards even under heavy usage. It is made from sustainable and bio-based PE raw materials derived from residual sugarcane and does not use rubber granules. By using bio-based raw materials and green energy in production, we have created an entirely sustainable and environmentally friendly artificial turf. Our goal in Jena was to create a symbiosis of sustainability and innovation as a "best practice project" for all of Germany.Liga Turf Cross GT zero not only allows year-round training at the highest level, but also, through the integrated performance diagnostics system Polytan SMART, supports the youth performance center in achieving optimal results in elite sports. Magnetsensors installed beneath the artificial turf collect numerous performance metrics of athletes using Polytan SMART. With this sports science analysis tool, users can efficiently conduct and evaluate sprint, jump, and agility tests. During the inauguration of the artificial turf field in September 2021, a partnership agreement was also signed between Polytan GmbH and EAS Betriebsgesellschaft mbH, which oversees the Ernst-Abbe-Sportfeld. Over an initial period of seven years, we will support the facility's operator in maintaining and preserving the artificial turf – illustrating that "sustainability" extends explicitly to collaborative efforts. This cooperation also encompasses further development of the artificial turf based on practical experiences and advancements in performance diagnostic tools in collaboration with sports scientists and EAS Betriebsgesellschaft mbH.