Bottom line: Players do not enjoy playing on artificial turf. "[Your feet] just turn white, your skin is all ripped off. It's like walking on hot coal with your skin blistering and cracking," said Australian striker Michelle Heyman.
Whether it’s soccer, baseball or football, nearly all athletes prefer to play on a natural surface such as grass over a synthetic turf, which leads to more injuries. Not only is turf rough on your knees and feet, but it can reach unsafe temperatures well over 100 degrees.
Many of the elite women’s soccer players filed a lawsuit in protest once they were informed they would be playing on turf, but the tournament went on as planned despite complaints from the players.