If it's good enough for German powerhouse Bayern Munich and the women's World Cup, it's good enough for Australia's next generation of Socceroos.
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The Football Federation Australia Centre of Excellence will play on the world class synthetic pitch at the AIS for the first time when it takes on the Monaro Panthers in a Canberra National Premier League game on Sunday.
The FFA COE consists of the most promising 14-, 15- and 16-year-olds from across the country as part of their development from the junior ranks into the seniors.
The synthetic pitch cost $611,000 and took two months to construct to achieve a FIFA Two Star accreditation.
It is the first surface of its kind in Australia and is the same standard that Bayern Munich uses as a training ground.
It will also be used by Australia's women's team the Matildas, in preparation for next year's World Cup in Canada, which will be the first major senior tournament to be played entirely on synthetic pitches.
FFA COE coach and former Socceroo Tony Vidmar said the synthetic pitch would come in useful for national teams preparing to play on the world stage.
''Synthetic pitches have been used at junior world championships and now the women's World Cup, so to have something like this is invaluable to our program,'' Vidmar said.
''The old surface was becoming a bit hard under foot. This is certainly a bit softer and should lessen the impact of aggravating any injuries.''
The surface was installed over the existing bitumen. Above the bitumen is a 20 milimetre thick elastic layer shock pad, while the playing surface consists of Ligaturf RS+ 240 COOLplus fibre (40 milimetres long), 10 milimetres kiln dried silica sand topped with 10 milimetres of green infill bionic fibre.
The surface is cooler to play on in extreme summer heat and, unlike black rubber infill synthetic systems, doesn't produce any rubber odour.
The FFA COE is in its second season in the Canberra NPL. It plays for points, but is ineligible for the finals.
Vidmar said playing in the competition against older opponents gives his team of youngsters a valuable learning experience they can take into their careers.
''So far we've had five games this season and we've been really challenged by all of the teams,'' he said.
''The players are being exposed to different styles of football and have to adapt to how other teams play. It's a huge positive for their development and we've taken good points out of nearly every game we've had.''
SUNDAY: Canberra National Premier League: FFA COE v Monaro Panthers at AIS Synthetic Field. Canberra City v Canberra Olympic at Gungahlin Enclosed. Woden Valley v Tuggeranong United at Kaleen Enclosed. Belconnen United v Cooma Tigers at McKellar Park. All games at 3pm.
