Artificial Turf Football Field in Komandoo, Maldives
PROJECT OVERVIEW
| Item | Detail |
| Location | Sh. Komandoo Island, Maldives |
| Type | Full-size artificial turf football field |
| Size | Standard 11-a-side pitch |
| Environment | Coastal island - high UV, salt air, highhumidity |
| Service | Turnkey supply & installation (material + construction) |
| Client | Local government / community sportsfacility |
| Status | Completed & in active use |
Football is deeply woven into Maldivian island life. On Sh. Komandoo - a compact, coral-fringed island in Shaviyani Atoll - the community needed a proper football pitch that could handle year-round tropical use while occupying limited, high-value coastal land. UNIGRASS was selected to supply and install a complete artificial turf football field, delivering not just materials, but a ready-to-play surface.
The Challenge - When the Pitch Meets the Ocean
Building a high-performance artificial turf football field on a small island is one of the most demanding scenarios in sports surface construction. This project combined three compounding environmental challenges:
1. Extreme Coastal Exposure
The pitch sits metres from the Indian Ocean shoreline. Salt-laden sea breezes and wave splash create a permanently corrosive microclimate that degrades inferior synthetic grass fibres, backings and infill within months, not years.
2. Intense Tropical UV and Heat
With year-round equatorial sun, surface temperatures on a poorly specified artificial turf football field can exceed 60°C. UV degradation causes colour fade, fibre brittleness and structural failure - issues that are especially costly and disruptive to repair on a remote island.
3. Logistics and On-Site Constraints
Material delivery to a remote atoll island, with no port infrastructure for heavy machinery, requires careful pre-project planning. Every roll, every bag of infill, and every tool must be transported by boat and managed with precision onsite.
UNIGRASS Solution
1. UV-Stabilised, Salt-Resistant Synthetic Turf
The turf fibres incorporate advanced UV stabilisers to resist colour fade and fibre degradation under prolonged equatorial sun exposure. The polyethylene monofilament construction is inherently resistant to salt and humidity - maintaining elasticity and performance over a decade of use without the cracking or matting common in lower-grade products.
2. High-Performance Drainage System
Island environments are subject to intense, sudden tropical rainfall. The drainage system beneath this artificial grass football pitch is engineered for rapid water dispersal - ensuring the surface is playable within minutes of heavy rain, with no pooling or surfacedeterioration.
3. Precisely Laid Field Markings
Full standard footballpitch markings - centre circle, penalty areas, goal areas and corner arcs - were applied using durable white yarn woven directly into the turf fabric, not painted or glued. This guarantees markings that do not peel, fade or require repainting throughout the product lifespan.
4. Turnkey Delivery and Installation
UNIGRASS managed the full project scope: material production, logistics coordination to the island, and on-site installation supervision. The result is a football pitch delivered to a play-ready standard - the client receives a finished facility, not raw materials.
RESULTS and OUTCOMES
The completed artificial turf football field on Sh.Komandoo has become the centrepiece of community sport in the atoll. What was previously an unplayable sandy patch is now a professional-grade pitch available every day of the year - regardless of rain, sun intensityor salt exposure.
