A group of top women's football players have withdrawn a gender discrimination lawsuit aimed at not being forced to play this year's FIFA Women's World Cup in Canada on artificial turf.

Being forced to play the event on the surface, which has drawn complaints over injury worries and true rolls and bounces of the ball, irked the women given the men's World Cup is played on natural grass.

That sparked the lawsuit against world governing body FIFA and the Canadian Soccer Association (CSA) filed last year with the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario.

Attorneys for the players said they were forced to drop the lawsuit in part due to delaying tactics by FIFA and the CSA so the 24 teams - including Australia's Matildas - could have enough time to train on the proper surface for the global showdown that opens June 6.

"On behalf of the players, I want to thank all who aided our fight for natural grass fields at the 2015 World Cup including our volunteer lawyers from Canada and the United States," US star Abby Wambach said in a statement.

"Our legal action has ended but I am hopeful that the players' willingness to contest the unequal playing fields -- and the tremendous public support we received during the effort -- marks the start of even greater activism to ensure fair treatment when it comes to women's sports."

Wambach was joined in the complaint by several other top players, including US striker Alex Morgan, Germany's Nadine Angerer and Spain's Veronica Boquete.

Even actor Tom Hanks took up the players' cause, saying last year on Twitter: "Opinion: Women's World Cup is the best Soccer of the year. Hey FIFA, they deserve real grass. Put in sod. Hanx."

FIFA secretary general Jerome Valcke praised the desire of the women even as his group had fought against their goal of natural grass for the event.

"Over the last months we, myself included, have personally engaged with players and technical staff from the qualified teams to address their concerns and doubts," he said.

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Women's World Cup artificial turf lawsuit dropped

U.S. forward Abby Wambach and a group of fellow players have withdrawn their complaint of gender discrimination over the artificial turf fields to be used for this years World Cup in Canada.

The artificial turf became a contentious issue with the players, who have claimed that the surface is less forgiving than natural grass and impacts play because of concerns over injury. They also claim that balls travel and bounce differently on turf.

But their overriding complaint was one of equity: The mens World Cup is held on real grass.

Our legal action has ended. But I am hopeful that the players willingness to contest the unequal playing fields and the tremendous public support we received during the effort marks the start of even greater activism to ensure fair treatment when it comes to womens sports, Wambach said in a statement Wednesday.

The players complaint was filed last fall with the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario. It named FIFA, the international governing body for soccer, and the Canadian Soccer Association. Neither budged in reconsidering the planned surface for the event.

The World Cup will be played in six Canadian cities starting in June, with an expanded field of 24 teams. The final is scheduled for July 5 at Vancouvers BC Place.

The players want to focus on their matches and not the controversy, attorney Hampton Dellinger said.

The players are doing what FIFA and CSA have proven incapable of: putting the sport of soccer first, he said.

FIFA secretary general Jerome Valcke issued a statement saying that over the past several months he had met with players and the technical staffs from World Cup-qualified teams.

What was very clear from the meetings with the players was their desire and enthusiasm about making this the greatest FIFA Womens World Cup ever, and to ensure that they have the best possible conditions to perform well, he said. This is a goal they share with FIFA and we are totally committed to providing the best possible surface to enable everyone to enjoy a great footballing spectacle.

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Players withdraw complaint in Canada over Women's World Cup turf

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A GOOD PLAN: It takes time, and a bit of effort, but at the end of the process you will have a garden to enjoy for years to come.

Good gardens don't just happen; they're the results of careful planning and observation.

I suggest you get to know your property over the course of at least all four seasons before you commit to any major design changes or installations.

Observe the way the light hits your property throughout the year, how water flows and where additional privacy is needed. All this can only become truly clear once you've paid attention and studied these effects over time.

Designing your landscape equipped with that knowledge can then be one of the most rewarding projects you'll ever embark upon. And beginning that process at the start of a fresh new year is the ideal time to get going.

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5 steps to creating a landscape design

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