Arsenal have installed an AirFibr pitch at their training ground in London Colney, with the new pitch specifically designed to reduce injuries.

Paris-based company, Natural Grass, has revealed in a press release that Arsenal installed the pitch at their training ground in April of this year, and the Gunners gave the green light to install a full pitch after a two-year test on a goalkeeper training area.

The science behind the pitches

The technology behind the pitch is composed of a 100% natural grass rooted in a patented root zone, made up of synthetic microfibers, cork granules and fine sand, and according to Natural Grass, the pitches reduce training injuries up to 40% due to the absorption properties of the materials used to make up the pitch.

The pitches are also used by European giants Real Madrid, fellow London side West Ham, and French sides Lyon, Saint-Etienne, Bordeaux and Toulouse use the training pitches too.

Natural Grass also claim that their pitches are ideal for players returning from injury, as the texture of the pitches softens the impact of training, and relaxes the muscles as players train.

The AirFibr pitch will also be used for academy players and the under-23 side.

An unwanted record

Arsene Wenger’s training sessions have been criticised in recent years due to the high number of players who sustain injuries during training, and despite efforts to improve the quality of training sessions with new coaches and medical staff, injuries continue to haunt Arsenal.

Just this season alone, Aaron Ramsey, Olivier Giroud, and Per Mertesacker have all been side lined with long-term injuries, and Arsenal players have lost the highest number of days in Premier League history due to injuries.

However, the number of injuries Arsenal players are sustaining is decreasing. In the 2014/15 Premier League season, Arsenal players suffered from 70 injuries, missing over 2,000 days, whilst in the following season only 44 injuries were sustained by Arsenal players, however the number of days lost was still a staggering 1,504.

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Dylan Walsh
Student at the University of Brighton, 20-years-old, Twitter: @dylanwalsh_