The debate over the safety of athletic competition on artificial compared to natural turf has continued since the first artificial surface was installed. The current research attempted to compare the amount of force required to move selected athletic shoes across artificial and natural grass surfaces under wet and dry conditions.

Testing included the use of a portable apparatus termed the PENNFOOT. The PENNFOOT was able to accommodate weight up to 300 pounds, test various shoes, and be transported to different locations. PENNFOOT was used to test the shoesurface interface of selected athletic footwear that would be utilized on both wet and dry artificial and natural turfs.

Results showed that there are significant differences in the force required for movement between various shoesurface interface combinations. Throughout all experiments, the shoe-surface interface combinations on artificial turf required more force to move the selected footwear across the surface compared to the natural grass combinations.