Five Artificial Turf Pitches Lost Half Their Weeknight Bookings Because of Mosquitoes at Eight in the Evening
Last updated: 7 Sep 2026 | 3 Views |
A true story from a five-pitch artificial turf rental business in Pathum Thani, Thailand
Five Artificial Turf Pitches Lost Half Their Weeknight Bookings Because of Mosquitoes at Eight in the Evening
When the regular teams who play every week start disappearing one team at a time, and full weeknights become empty pitches
A five-pitch artificial turf rental business in Pathum Thani lost almost half its weeknight bookings in a single year, despite unchanged pricing and pitches still in good condition. The real cause was mosquitoes on site between eight and ten in the evening. Here are the real numbers, and how the AIROFOG AT35 thermal fogger brought the bookings back.
Thanawat, 39, built five artificial turf pitches on six rai in Pathum Thani four years ago — seven-a-side and five-a-side, with floodlights, showers and a drinks kiosk.
This business runs on regular teams booking the same slot every week, which is predictable revenue and the foundation of the whole operation. In year two he had 46 regular teams, and weeknights between eight and ten were booked out almost every day.
In year three the regular teams began drifting away one at a time. By year end only 24 remained, and weeknight occupancy had fallen from 88 percent to 47 percent — with no price increase and the pitches still in good condition.
The answers he got by phoning the teams who stopped booking
Thanawat did what many owners will not: he phoned the captain of every regular team that had stopped booking that year — 22 of them — and asked directly why, saying up front that he was not selling anything and simply wanted to know.
Nineteen answered, and the most repeated answer was mosquitoes: 13 gave it as their main or secondary reason. One captain said they were getting bitten at half time, players stopped wanting to come, and eventually they could not field enough people so they gave up.
What Thanawat had never considered is that in a sport requiring a full side, only two or three players losing enthusiasm is enough to end the whole team's booking, because you cannot play short. That is why teams vanished whole rather than person by person.
He also found the problem was not during play, when people move constantly and sweat, making bites less likely. It was at half time, waiting for a slot, sitting on the bench, and changing after the game — the periods when people are still.
What he found walking the site at eight in the evening
Thanawat walked all six rai at eight in the evening with his staff — the hour customers are actually there — and found the problem concentrated in three very specific places.
The first was the benches beside the pitches, which sit against the boundary fence planted with climbers and shrubs for dust and privacy screening. That is the densest harbourage on the site, and it is exactly where players sit at half time.
The second was the walkway from the pitches to the showers, which passes drainage channels holding water from pitch washing. The third was the drinks kiosk with its outdoor seating, where players sit waiting for a slot and talking after a game.
Surveying for breeding sites, he found 19 points holding water: the drainage channels around the pitches with insufficient fall, uncovered wash-down drums, old tyres used as car park barriers, plant saucers by the building, and pools on the vacant land against the rear fence.
Damage larger than it first appeared
Thanawat calculated the loss from the fall in occupancy — extra empty weeknight slots multiplied by the hourly pitch rate — at roughly 2,100,000 baht a year, revenue lost from the same assets and the same fixed costs.
But the real damage was larger, because drinks kiosk revenue fell with the player numbers, and that revenue carries a far higher margin than pitch hire. Combined, the lost profit exceeded the lost hire revenue.
Commercially the heaviest blow is that regular teams are an asset that is hard to build and easy to lose. Teams that have played together for years rarely come back once they stop, because the group disperses or settles into another venue as a new habit.
And there is a knock-on effect: when the pitches look empty on weeknights, new teams viewing the venue feel it lacks atmosphere, which makes them harder to convert — a spiral that reinforces itself.
What he did, and the result in three months
He started with all 19 breeding sites: regrading the drainage channels around the pitches, fitting lids to every wash-down drum, removing the old tyres and replacing them with concrete car park bollards, drilling drainage holes in the plant saucers, and coordinating with the neighbouring landowner to fill the pools against the rear fence.
Second, he thinned the climbers and shrubs along the fence, particularly beside the players' benches, which sharply reduced harbourage while keeping their dust and privacy screening function.
Third, the change that shifted the outcome: buying two thermal foggers and setting a daily application at around five in the evening, two hours before the first customers arrive, concentrating on the fence line, the bench areas, the walkway to the showers and the kiosk's outdoor seating.
What he added, and which worked beyond expectations, was messaging every regular team's group chat and every team that had left, telling them plainly that the venue had fixed the mosquito problem and exactly what had been done. Nine departed teams came back within three months.
What it actually costs
Regular teams are hard to build and easy to lose
A pitch hire business runs on regular teams booking the same slot weekly — predictable revenue. Losing 22 in one year damages the entire revenue structure, and teams that leave rarely return unless someone tells them things have changed.
A sport needing a full side means you lose whole teams, not individuals
In football, where you need a full complement to play, two or three players losing enthusiasm is enough to end the whole booking. That mechanism turns a small problem into large damage remarkably fast in this business.
Drinks kiosk revenue carries a higher margin than pitch hire
Fewer players means lower kiosk takings, and that revenue carries a far higher margin than the pitch fee — so the actual lost profit exceeds the lost hire revenue.
A venue that looks quiet
When the pitches look empty on weeknights, new teams viewing the venue feel it lacks atmosphere and are harder to convert — a self-reinforcing spiral that gets harder to break the longer the source is left.
Why the usual fixes do not work
Leaving repellent spray on the players' benches
Well-intentioned, but players sweating heavily do not want to spray themselves, and having it out tells customers directly that this venue has a mosquito problem — a message you should not send. And it removes no mosquitoes from the site.
Installing electric insect traps around the pitches
They work within a very limited radius and draw insects toward a light source. At a venue already under powerful floodlights all evening, their effect is negligible relative to six rai.
Removing all the climbers and shrubs along the fence
This solves one problem and creates another, because the planting screens dust from the road and provides privacy, both of which customers value. The right approach is thinning it and treating it regularly.
Contracted spraying once a month
The contractor comes on his schedule, usually during the day when mosquitoes are sheltering. Monthly is far too infrequent against a species that goes from egg to adult in seven to ten days — the problem returns within a week.
Cutting the hire price to win customers back
Many venue owners try this first, but it does not address why customers stopped coming. The result is few returning customers and a permanently lower hourly rate that is difficult to raise again later.
Fog daily before customers arrive, and concentrate where people sit still
What Thanawat understood after phoning the departed teams is that the problem does not occur during play. It occurs when people are still — at half time, waiting for a slot, sitting on the bench and changing afterwards — in three very specific places on the site.
So the requirement is direct: reduce mosquito numbers at those three points before the first customers arrive, concentrating on the fence line planted with climbers and shrubs, which sits right beside the players' benches.
A thermal fogger is the right tool, because the fog drifts into the climbers and shrubs along the fence, under the trees, along the drainage channels around the pitches, and into the vacant land against the rear fence — harbourage traps and sprays never reach.
The right window is around five in the evening, two hours before the first customers arrive, with the wind settling so the fog holds. Hence the AIROFOG AT35, which venue staff can operate and whose stainless body handles the constant humidity from daily pitch washing.
10 reasons the AIROFOG AT35 thermal fogger solves it
1. Fog reaches the climbers and shrubs along the fence beside the benches
Mosquitoes at a sports venue rest in the climbers and shrubs along the fence, under the trees, in the drainage channels around the pitches and on neighbouring vacant land. The AIROFOG AT35 produces a fog that genuinely drifts into all of them — impossible for traps and sprays.
2. Finished before customers arrive, so it never disrupts play
Owning the machine lets the venue set its own window at around five in the evening, two hours before the first customers, so there is no residual smell and no effect on the time customers are using the pitches.
3. A 100 percent stainless steel body that handles daily pitch washing humidity
Artificial turf is washed and watered regularly, so the site stays humid, and the machine is usually stored in an equally damp store room. Full stainless construction handles those conditions far better and lasts for years.
4. Venue staff can operate it as a daily routine
Venues already employ staff for pitch maintenance and the kiosk. The AT35 is simple enough to train two of them as responsible operators, so fogging becomes a routine like washing the pitches, at no additional labour cost.
5. Covers the whole site in well under an hour
Six rai with five pitches, service buildings and a perimeter fence takes roughly 40 to 50 minutes with the AT35 — short enough to do daily before the evening session opens.
6. Runs both water-based and oil-based formulations
A venue has areas near the drinks kiosk needing care and fence lines where full treatment is fine. Accepting both formulation types lets you match the product to each zone and rotate through the year to slow resistance.
7. Light enough for the whole site including the fence and neighbouring rough ground
A venue combines turf, narrow paths between pitches, fence lines and areas behind buildings no vehicle can reach. The AT35 is light enough for one person to carry throughout, including the fence facing the vacant land.
8. Certified to German and British standards
For venues hosting tournaments or corporate hires, internationally certified equipment is something you can state with confidence, showing that the venue manages this systematically.
9. Compliant with Thai government standard equipment specifications
For sports grounds operated by municipalities, universities, schools or government agencies procuring under public procurement rules, conformity with the standard equipment schedule makes budgeting and acceptance straightforward.
10. A Thai service centre with genuine parts and 10-plus years of technician experience
The rainy season is when artificial turf venues are busiest, because play continues in rain, and it is exactly when fogging cannot stop. Domestic service and genuine parts mean fast resolution rather than an overseas wait.
Before the thermal fogger
- Regular teams down from 46 to 24 in a single year
- Weeknight occupancy down from 88 percent to 47 percent
- Roughly 2,100,000 baht a year in lost revenue
- 13 of the 19 teams who responded cited mosquitoes as a reason for leaving
- 19 points on site found to be holding water
- Drinks kiosk revenue falling with player numbers
After the thermal fogger
- Nine departed teams returning within three months
- Weeknight occupancy back to 82 percent
- All 19 breeding sites dealt with
- Fence planting thinned while keeping its dust and privacy function
- Daily fogging at five in the evening by venue staff
- Kiosk revenue recovering alongside player numbers
The three-step process
1. Phone the customers who left and ask them directly
The cheapest and most direct way to find the problem is to phone the customers who stopped coming and ask, telling them up front that you are not selling anything and simply want to know. Twenty calls are worth more than a year of guessing, and the answers usually converge so clearly that no interpretation is needed.
2. Survey the site at the hour customers actually use it
Walk it at eight in the evening rather than during the day, marking where mosquito density is highest and where water stands — concentrating on the points where customers sit still: the benches, the walkway to the showers, and the kiosk seating.
3. Fog daily before the evening session, then tell customers you fixed it
Apply around five each afternoon, concentrating on the fence line, benches, walkway and outdoor seating. Then message your regular teams' group chats — and the teams that left — explaining what you fixed. That step is the one most owners forget, and it is what brings customers back fastest.
From someone who uses one
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The breeding sites sports venue owners most often miss
The drainage channels around artificial turf are the most common finding, because the surface is designed to drain fast but the surrounding channels often lack sufficient fall or accumulate sediment, holding water in sections. Inspect after every heavy rain and scrape out sediment regularly.
Old tyres used as car park barriers or bumpers are the second, found at many venues because they are cheap and easy to obtain — but every one holds water invisibly. Replace them with concrete bollards or plastic markers that hold nothing.
Wash-down and reserve water drums used for cleaning and watering are usually kept behind the building without lids. Requiring a properly fitting lid on every drum is a one-time measure with a permanent effect.
The last, and hardest to control, is vacant land against the fence, which typically holds pools and rough grass. Coordinate with the landowner to fill or cut it, and in the meantime treat that section of fence line particularly thoroughly on every pass.
The lesson about phoning customers who left
What Thanawat did and most owners will not is phone customers who have already stopped coming and ask why. He says what made people answer was telling them at the outset that he was not selling anything and simply wanted to know.
Twenty phone calls produced a clearer, faster answer than a year of analysing numbers, because customers who have already left have no reason to be diplomatic, and they say the things current customers will not.
An unintended benefit was that phoning made those departed customers feel the owner cared — so when he later messaged to say the problem was fixed, they were open to trying again. That is why nine teams returned.
The broader lesson is that in any service business, the customers who left are the most valuable and most freely available source of information — and almost nobody uses it, because phoning means first accepting that you may have got something wrong.
Frequently asked questions
Will fogging damage artificial turf?
No, when using an insecticide registered for the purpose at label rates. Artificial turf is a synthetic material that tolerates common chemicals well. The cautions are not to hold the nozzle very close because of the exhaust heat, and to concentrate the application around the pitches rather than across the middle.
When should we fog?
Around five in the afternoon is best: two hours before the first customers arrive, with the wind settling so the fog holds, and while the pitches are still free of users.
How many machines for a venue of my size?
Up to three pitches, one machine is enough. For four to eight pitches across several rai, two, so a full pass finishes within an hour with a spare available. Large multi-sport centres should consider three.
How often should we fog?
Daily through the rainy season and on alternate days in the dry. Let weeknight occupancy and the number of regular teams drive the decision — the indicators closest to the business, already in your booking system.
Can venue staff operate it?
Yes. Designate two responsible operators and train them fully on mixing, protective equipment and cleaning the machine after every use — which matters because the site stays humid from regular pitch washing.
Does this apply to other sports venues?
Yes. The same principles apply to tennis courts, outdoor badminton, skate parks, petanque courts, driving ranges and school and university sports grounds — all of which have points where users sit still and planted boundaries around them.
Should we tell customers we fog?
Yes, and treat it as a strength — especially with teams who left. Messaging them to say the problem is fixed and exactly what was done is the step most owners forget, and it is what brings customers back fastest, at no cost.
What if the machine fails during the rainy season?
AIROFOG maintains a service centre and genuine parts in Thailand with technicians of more than 10 years' experience, so issues resolve fast. Venues open daily should keep a spare, because the rainy season is the busiest period and fogging cannot stop.
Two or three people lose interest, and the whole team disappears
The mechanism that damages a sports venue faster than expected is that in a sport requiring a full side, only two or three players losing enthusiasm ends the whole booking. A small problem becomes serious damage within months.
And what Thanawat did is worth adopting in any service business: phone the customers who left and ask directly, because they are the most valuable and most freely available source of information, and almost nobody uses it.
Finally, fixing a problem and telling nobody is close to not fixing it. Communicating back to departed customers what you changed is the step with no cost and the highest return in the whole process.
Talk to the World Health Disinfection team about a mosquito control plan for your sports venue — machine selection, chemistry, and a schedule that never disrupts booked sessions.
See the machine and pricing — click here
Call 065-556-6294 or add LINE @whd268
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