Every morning for the last 20 years without fail, senior groundsman Mustafa Ismail goes to the Darulaman Stadium to inspect its pitch.
As a senior groundsman, the 55-year-old doesn’t have to do this — walking on the pitch and checking the grass.
Mustafa, or Bang Pa (Brother Pa), as he is known in the local football fraternity, can easily ask the junior staff to do it but he insists on doing the field inspection himself, as he called it, his ritual.
“I just love the feel of the grass beneath my feet. There’s no other feeling like it. Especially not on the artificial turf that I have been on.
“If I feel good walking on it, I hope the players who come here will enjoy the field too,” said Bang Pa who looked lovingly at the field that he has been taking care of since 1996.
You can say that as a result of Bang Pa’s labour of love, the Darulaman Stadium in Alor Star has been ranked as among the top three football fields in the M-League. It’s perfect for football, called the Beautiful Game, by Pele.
Appreciating Bang Pa’s work, the players and coaches often praise him for the immaculate pitch.
“Some players and coaches, who know the value of a good field, have told me how they enjoyed playing here. This gives me a smile and a great motivation to go the extra mile in my duty,” he said.
According to Bang Pa, the reason the players and coaches love the Darulaman field is because of its superb grass pitch.
“There are about 15 good football fields in the state. It’s about a football field each for a district and the majority are grass fields.
“In Darulaman Stadium, we use cow grass and we have the best maintenance team in the state.
“Why grass? Playing football on grass allows better control of the ball as it will settle well on the grass and allow time for players to strategise their next move.”
Bang Pa explained that football on artificial turf is played at a much higher speed, which is why most players will find it harder to control the ball and the game than on natural grass.
“On an artificial turf, it’s a harder surface and the ball tends to bounce harder.
“If you can’t control the ball, it will make the game a bit chaotic and less strategic.
“On grass, the ball bounces softer and more naturally, and the ball rolls at a speed that makes it easy to control.
“Everyone who plays football will tell you that is how football should be played.”
Bang Pa said another reason why football is best played on grass instead of on artificial turf is the injury factor.
“Artificial turf can cause more injuries. It’s a harder surface, you can easily injure your feet when sliding or tackling.
“Goalkeepers who have to jump or slide on the hard artificial surface will also face injuries.
“For players, the cleats on their shoes will find it hard to have good grip on artificial ground. As a result, they have to play harder to maintain their position.
“But when you play hard and fast, your cleats can get stuck on the artificial turf and it will hurt your playing feet when you turn fast or suddenly.
“This will not happen on grass. This is why players love it. They can play hard and fast or measured and strategic football, and they can adjust their playing style,” Bang Pa explained.
Veteran sportswriter R.J. Naidu, who is Kedah Athletic Association vice-president, is also a fan of the grass pitch.
Naidu, who has covered many M-League matches, said: “For our climate, artificial turf is not suitable because it can easily get hot. We are already a hot country. If they practise during the day on artificial turf, they can hurt their feet on a hot day.
“Natural grass is much cooler and more soft and comfortable for players. For the best football experience, always go for grass field,” he said.
Another pitch expert, Wan Fesol Hamid said the allure of artificial turf is that it is easier to maintain but he often advises clients to go for grass fields.
The 52-year-old, who hails from Baling, Kedah, runs a company, Arca Beluti Enterprise that specialises in building, maintaining and repairing football fields.
Having had seven years of experience in the field, Wan knows a thing or two about what makes a great football pitch and what's not.
“Artificial turf is attractive because it requires less maintenance and from afar it looks good and proper.
“But you don’t need a football field just to look at how beautiful it is, you want to play good games on it and nothing can beat a grass field for an enjoyable playing experience.”
Wan is passionate about what makes a good football field because he is also the owner of his own football club, the Baling City FC.
“Football is my passion, that is why I registered my own football club. When I play games, I am keenly aware of the quality of the fields I play on.
“That is what started my journey into learning how to build a good football field. People thought I was crazy but I don’t know anybody else doing this. Now, even my son is working with me,” he said excitedly.
Wan, who manages the Muda Agricultural Development Authority (Mada) football field in Kedah, said his goal is also to show people that it is a viable business as people need good football fields.
“When I first started talking about grass fields and wanting to go into the business of making grass football fields, people laughed.
“I also want to educate people on how to maintain their football fields so that it can last for years. I want to teach them that you can’t play any other sports on a football field because it can damage it.
“You can see schools usually facing this problem, because their fields are not proper football fields but rather multi-purpose fields. They play everything on it, football, rugby, cricket, et cetera. In the end, the field is damaged and needs costly repairs and they might not have the budget,” he said.
Sultan Abdul Hamid College, one of the premier schools in Kedah, is facing such a problem. The school used to be strong in rugby and football but its sport field is in bad shape.
Sultan Abdul Hamid Old Collegians’ Association vice-president Datuk Wira Ahmad Zakiuddin Harun said the college has a grass field but it has been used for other sports as well, thus getting damaged.
“It is a multi-purpose field, we use it for everything. As a result, the field is now in bad shape. When the field is damaged, it can cause injuries to athletes. Furthermore, our field was built on swamp land, it’s muddy and does not have good irrigation after heavy rains.
“To fix the problem is not easy and will need a huge budget.”
He said other schools also have the same problem because their fields are used for a variety of sports and school programmes.
He said schools should learn to ensure that their fields are maintained properly.
