With a few weeks before kick-off in Brazil the pitches are in good shape and fit for play.

The pitch preparations have included overseeding with a top performing Perennial ryegrass mixture from DLF-TRIFOLIUM, parent company of the UK's Johnson Sports Seed.

DLF-TRIFOLIUM Export Manager Jan Gottlieb, and General Manager Maximino Santiago Borsi, took a tour of some of the Brazilian stadiums and training centres in early May.


At the Arena de Sao Paulo - Export Manager DLF Jan Gottlieb and Technical Director, World Sports Fabio Cämara

"We have been working on this event for 3 years in close cooperation with grass specialists and the constructors responsible for the pitches. We are in no doubt that this World Cup will present top class grass pitches,"said Jan Gottlieb on his return, confident that the pitches will be ready for the World Cup matches..

The heavy wear and challenging growth conditions will put a lot of pressure on the pitches. Football pitches in Brazil are generally Bermuda grass based, but due to the winter dormancy of Bermuda grass the pitches needed to be reinforced with temperate sports turfgrass to provide the perfect and uniform playing surface during the tournament.

The challenge wasmet by the specialist DLF turfgrass mixture chosen having proven itself to perform exceptionally well under the special climatic conditions, as well as the intense matches expected.The 4turf™ cultivar in the mixture has been trialled in the UK at the STRI and the final seed mixture thoroughly tested in Brazil by both international advisors & local sports grass specialists.

The pitch preparation process in Brazil has been coordinated by The Local Organizing Committee (LOC). They developed the guidelines and a detailed training programme for pitch managers.


Pitches in Brazil are 'in good shape and fit for play'


One adviser to the LOC has been Maristela Kuhn, agronomist and grass specialist, who has trained the pitch managers in the preparation programme.

"There are significant differences in climate and geography at the Brazilian's World Cup locations from north to south." said Maristela. "Therefore the key challenge has been to define a homogeneous grass solution providing uniform and fair playing surfaces for the football teams. To secure top quality pitches from kick-off, and all the way up to the final on July 13, overseeding the pitches with a Perennial ryegrass mixture has been an important part of the strategy and preparations."