Women's Soccer (May, 2014) | Page 15

Should the Women’s World Cup of 2015 in Canada be played on an artificial turf field or should they stick to natural grass? For some, the argument made is that if men have their world cup on natural grass, women should too and that it could benefit the health of the players. For others, the concern is purely about the natural grass being less damaging to the environment. It’s mainly a battle between what the players want and what’s easier for the 2015 World Cup organizing committee members.

One of the comments made by a fan was that the only importance to FIFA is “making it look good on television.” I think that the players needs in this case overrule FIFA and the 2015 World Cup organizing committee because they are going to be the ones playing on it. The worry about it not looking good is irrelevant to me because the men’s World Cups have been played on a natural grass field every year and people still watch that. The CEO of the World Cup organizing committee claims that they’re trying to “guarantee fair conditions for all the teams involved”, but many teams who have used natural grass fields in tournaments where it is reused, I don’t see an unfair advantage. My stance on the issue is that if your team is good they should be able to play on any field. With a natural field comes a more natural play of the game. On a turf field, the ball bounces higher, the slide tackles are restricted, the temperature is increased, and so many more unpleasant factors. I strongly believe that the game should be played how our ancestors played it and in the most natural way possible.