When it comes to artificial turf, there's a lot of 'G' that gets bandied around. No, it's not a new type of phone signal but the different types of sports synthetic surfaces that you can play on.

5g grass is a third generation surface that uses long strands of synthetic grass and infill with sand and rubber crumb (more on this below). It's recognised as a safe, year-round, all weather pitch by sporting bodies such as the FA, RFU and FIFA.

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There are a few versions of 4G and 5G pitches being used at the moment, however these are speculations at this stage as nothing beyond 3g has been accredited by the IRB, FIH, FA or RFU as yet. Usually these will have a non infill carpet and some will also have a full rubber crumb infill, but at present it's all speculation as no accredited governing body has approved these designs.

A 5g pitch will have a higher fibre content than a traditional 3G surfacing, so it needs to be matched with specialist rugby and football boots that can deal with the extra grip. These are often called 'AG boots' and will have either rubber studs or blades to help with grip on a variety of surfaces. They're the best choice for rugby and will also give you more stability than TF (turf-type) boots.