Bionic Fibre® Infill
An infill granulate with a fibrous structure modelled on nature. As the invisible layer within the artificial turf of the World Cup final stadium, it delivered a playing feel barely distinguishable from natural grass.
Engineering Modelled on Nature
In the summer of 2015, the football world looked to Canada. For the first time in history, a World Cup was played entirely on artificial turf. Resistance beforehand was fierce: leading players feared a hard, unnatural playing feel, altered ball bounce and burns when sliding. The surface became a stress test for the entire tournament.
For the final stadium in Vancouver, a system was needed that eliminated exactly these criticisms. An artificial pitch is only as good as the material that fills it. The answer was the Bionic Fibre® infill granulate, whose development Jörg Siekmann drove forward decisively.
Where conventional granulates were angular and rigid, this one applied the core idea of bionics: a fine, fibrous and irregular structure, modelled closely on nature. We did not reinvent the wheel — we took our cue from nature and used superior engineering to build the perfect system.
What the Project Set Out to Achieve
The task seemed impossible: how do you engineer a synthetic system that makes even the most critical professionals forget they are not standing on real grass?
What was needed was an infill granulate that cushions impact like natural turf, optimises ball bounce, reduces heat build-up and allows safe sliding — without the dreaded skin burns. And all of it under the eyes of a global public already scrutinising the surface before kick-off.
The Outcome of the Project
The fine, fibrous structure bound moisture at the surface without absorbing it — producing a playing feel barely distinguishable from real grass. The system performed excellently in the final, and the initial criticism of the surface faded over the course of the tournament. The bionic principle lives on today in related products and, in a coarser form, even protects children on playgrounds as fall protection. For JSTec, this project stands for the invisible layer: the functional core in the background that provides reliability and protection.