The sun shines bright, the sky is a beautiful, clear blue and the sound of birds fills the air. And then comes the smell of burning rubber. My eyes sting. My teammates turn away.

On beautiful afternoons like these, the Taipei American School (TAS) soccer teams can often be found on the bleachers, screwdrivers and metal brushes in hand, scraping off the sticky, green pellets that have formed mounds onto the bottoms of their cleats. Is the turf melting? After another hot Taipei summer, it seems like this isn’t far from the truth. 

Since the first week of school, students and athletes have noticed that the turf on the lower field has been sticking to everything—shoes, equipment and even clothing. It’s become increasingly difficult to practice on the field and is even a potential safety concern. Rumors have circled around about health risks, with some students even wondering if the rubbery fumes might be carcinogenic. Are these rumors true? Or are they only what they seem to be: harmless rumors grown through fear? 

In reality, the field isn’t really “melting.” The issue is due to the failure of the synthetic rubber infill, which is the material between the turf that provides cushioning and bounce. According to TAS’s Chief Operating Officer (COO), Mr. Larry Kraut, “the artificial rubber infill has failed to perform as designed.” This same issue has also been happening at other schools that use the same rubber infill.

According to Mr. Kraut, our field was originally scheduled to be replaced last summer with a more sustainable infill. However, due to a factory shutdown and manufacturing delays from the supplier, the materials were unable to arrive in time for the replacement. Instead of closing the field for eight full weeks to finish the repair, TAS decided to postpone the replacement until next summer to ensure that students, athletes, and teachers are able to use the field with minimal disruption. 

On a sunny day, if you sit on the field and look carefully, you’ll see heat waves radiating off the surface. If you try to walk barefoot on it in the middle of lunch, your feet will quickly start to burn. That’s how hot it can get. According to assistant girls varsity soccer coach and Upper School Chemistry teacher Mr. Alex Dezieck, the field’s turf “has long polymer chains held together with physical cross-links or intermolecular forces. When you heat them, the heat breaks some of those bonds and forces, causing the material to soften.” In short, Taiwan’s heat and an old infill material that needs replacing are to blame for the sticky situation

While athletes may be concerned about potential safety hazards with the turf clumping and sticking to their cleats, they don’t need to be worried. “Our current field has been evaluated by experts who agree that the field is still safe for play,” says Mr. Kraut. Although it may be a bit inconvenient and is far from ideal, it allows the field to stay open while school is in session. 

On the field, I’ve also heard rumors about the smell of the turf being potentially harmful or even cancerous. When asked about this, Mr. Dezieck advises students not to panic. He states, “I wouldn’t start picking the plastic of your cleats and then licking your fingers. But I’m not particularly worried.”

Although the turf is pretty safe, it’s been a huge inconvenience to coaches and teams. “It impact[s] practice because players are taking time to get turf out of their cleats rather than doing other things, like stretching, getting other gear on, or you know, kicking a soccer ball,” Mr. Dezieck explains. “It’s a massive hassle [and] you’re losing minutes here and there, which adds up over the course of the season.”

In the meantime, TAS has taken several steps to reduce the issue. They’ve worked to clear large clumps of the synthetic rubber and are continuously monitoring the situation. Students are also encouraged to periodically clean their shoes and remove any sticky infill after practice. With TAS hosting Touch & Rugby IASAS soon, we can only hope that the temperatures will be cool enough to keep the field a little less sticky. For now, sunny days will continue to bring athletes a sticky, “melting” field.