Twenty-one of the twenty-four high schools that play soccer in San Diego's North County Conference, are using synthetic grass. Today's North County Times newspaper featured an article written by Tom Sheridan that focuses on the growth of artificial turf use within high school sports.

The article discusses the history of high school grass fields being difficult and unpredictable to play upon due to grass fields being often turned to dirt and mud.  The games are now played upon a smoother, more consistent surface, that is resilient to weather and wear.

"Savings over grass fields are realized through significantly reduced water bills and maintenance costs. And for soccer, it provides a uniform and nearly flawless surface."

More and more fields are switching to synthetic turf. The artificial turf is aestetically pleasing, saves on water and maintenance, and creates a smoother playing field. Another reason for the trend is in the quality and improvement over the years in turf manufacturing:

"FieldTurf has replaced AstroTurf as the industry leader over the last decade."

As the title of the North County Times article truly states, "sport reaches higher ground on turf surfaces."