Use rubber mats to protect your track from unnecessary cleat damage

Summer is coming and soccer practice is starting for many high schools and colleges. Soccer practice means having studs on your feet (hundreds of feet each day) crossing the oval track that often surrounds school soccer fields. Running tracks can cost a small fortune and they look great. How long they look good depends on what measures are taken to protect the track surface. Consider the use of rubber mats to protect your track.

Mats can be used to prevent track damage that can occur from soccer cleats, turf care vehicles, and other types of equipment that are required to roll over the track to reach the infield area. Track protection is often an afterthought or not thought of at all until damage has occurred and expensive repairs are required. Protection methods used may include laying some plywood over the track, carpet scraps, or some other product that is not designed to protect the substrate below.

Plywood is heavy, tends to warp over time, and is not very attractive. Coaches or athletic directors will have to “remember” to put up the plywood, remove it, and find someone to do this ongoing task. Warping plywood presents a tripping hazard that can cause injury. Finally, if your school has spent a lot of money on a track, a stadium, painting the field, and decorations for the big game, warped plywood tends to detract from the entire experience.

Using rug scraps can work sometimes, but not for long. Rugs exposed to the elements will become heavy, soak up water, and begin to degrade. Gusts of wind can also wreak havoc on carpeting and plywood. It is difficult to control mother nature. The answer to this problem is to use rubber mats or mats that have certain characteristics:

Low profile – The rubber mats must be thin to prevent tripping and to prevent the wind from gripping and taking the product for a spin.
portability – If the mats are too heavy, the weight presents another impediment to their use. It would be preferable if the mats could be rolled up for easy use and collection.
sustainability – Mats must withstand cleats, lawn equipment and tractors. Rubber mats offer this durability.
sure cof – The COF coefficient of friction means that the mats must provide a safe walking surface that is not slippery, even when wet. Plywood can become slippery just like carpet, especially in wet or icy conditions.

The use of mats can provide some protection to field courts. Most mats are low-profile, portable, and provide an acceptable coefficient of friction (COF). Unfortunately, there are hundreds of mats to choose from. What type or types of mats offer the best solution?

My suggestion would be to consider only rubber mats. Many mats have a backing that looks like rubber, but is actually vinyl. Vinyl tends to degrade over time, becoming brittle and falling apart. Vinyl mats will lose their memory and won’t lay flat if rolled and unrolled too many times (especially when cold). If you have seen rugs with wavy or cut edges, it is most likely a vinyl backed rug and not a rubber one.

Mats usually have a rug or some type of fabric on their surface. This feature is great for adding colors, but does not add to the functionality of the product. My recommendation would be to use a rubber mat with no carpet or cloth on the surface.

Rubber mats offer a high coefficient of friction, are easy to roll up (portability), are very durable, and if used on a 1/8 or 1/4 inch gauge, offer a very low profile. Rubber mats are heavy enough to stay in place, but not so heavy that they can’t be easily moved. Some rubber mats offer a ribbed or pyramidal surface for “safety”. This is a feature that is not necessary because the rubber already offers a safe walking surface. These nooks and crannies can actually retain water and freeze, posing a slip hazard in icy conditions, especially ribbed mats.

When choosing a product to protect your track, you may want to consider a rubber mat such as Track Shield or some other type of thin rolled rubber mat. Products like these are durable and offer portability that allows the mats to be used for a variety of applications when protecting a floor or substrate is desired.