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Introducing a new concept: Field in a box™

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The TenCate Field in a box™ system from TenCate Grass links sport with social, educational and economic aims. Sport brings people together and helps to promote participation and integration. The system offers teaching and educational facilities and can help to boost employment and to strengthen the local community. Development cooperation focuses on helping these countries to develop further and to achieve a higher standard of living for their inhabitants. Until several decades ago Western organisations involved in this work were still following a top-down approach. Now there is far more of a bottom-up approach: grassroots development.The aid or cooperation aims at both facilitating economic progress and improving education, health care, infrastructure and the emancipation of minorities and vulnerable groups. The input and involvement of the local population are at the heart of this cooperation.

Non-governmental organisations
TenCate Field in a box™ is a ready-made solution in a single container of 84 cubic metres. Inside the container are all the components for a sports pitch measuring 40 x 20 metres. The container itself can easily be converted into a sports canteen, a room for people to meet, a classroom or an office. Optional extras include GreenSource® for water filtration, outdoor fabrics for fencing and roofing, customised printing and LED lighting. In order to expand the functions of the sports pitch, TenCate is entering into partnerships with non-governmental organisations, such as WorldCoaches. A non-governmental organisation (NGO) is not dependent on government, and focuses on such goals and interests as the promotion of human rights, health, environmental protection and development work. An NGO often has an advisory, facilitating and supporting role in development projects. Through its WorldCoaches the KNVB has since 2009 been using football to help advance the local community in developing countries.

More affordable
The coordinator of WorldCoaches, Johan van Geijn, is enthusiastic about the TenCate Field in a box™ concept. ‘There is an enormous demand in developing countries for a better foundation to enable children to play football and to train them in the neighbourhoods. It is often the price of the base that means that the initiative comes to naught, due to the high costs. Thanks to further development of the groundwork at TenCate Field in a box™, the installation is now much more affordable. The container immediately provides the local community with additional space for training and mentoring. This makes a great contribution towards a more vibrant neighbourhood. The improved base with synthetic turf has also made it possible to start developing a business model for using and running the facility.’

For more information on field in a box, please visit: www.tencatefieldinabox.com.

New Polytan hockey turf at Bisham Abbey National Sports Centre:

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Optimal training conditions for Great Britain’s hockey teams

Polytan will be in on the action when the world’s top athletes pit their strengths against each other at international level this summer. The turf used for the hockey matches in Rio comes from Polytan, as was the case in London and Beijing too. Blue and green versions of the new Poligras Platinum CoolPlus synthetic turf system are being installed. The very same hockey pitch has also been available to the British hockey squads at Bisham Abbey National Sports Centre since last October. The professional athletes are thus ideally equipped to prepare for the Summer Games.

The pitch comes in an eye-catching colour combination: a blue playing field with a light green border. The blue part of the playing field in particular is a hit in terms both of its design attributes and its appearance: ever since the blue pitch made its debut in London in 2012, the enhanced contrast between the dark playing surface and the light hockey ball has been appreciated by players, spectators and television audiences. The blue pitch in England’s capital city had a playing field with a pink border and was likewise a synthetic hockey turf system from Polytan.

Polytan has refined this synthetic turf system in terms of both colour and technology for the upcoming hockey tournaments in Rio: a higher stitch density and special texturing technology mean that even more accurate moves are possible when playing on Poligras Platinum CoolPlus.

Sally Munday, Chief Executive of England Hockey: “We have enjoyed a fantastic relationship with Polytan for a number of years and once again they have done a first-class job of installing the new pitch at Bisham Abbey. The quality of their product is outstanding, the installation work went without a hitch and the feedback from the players has been excellent.”

Bisham Abbey National Sports Centre is one of three national centres of excellence in England and was set up by Sport England, the central sports organisation. The venue enables British national hockey teams to make professional preparations for forthcoming competitions, as well as elite athletes in other disciplines.

Kevin Burton, Head of National Centres, Sport England: “In order to ensure our Great British hockey players had the best possible chance of success in future sports competitions, Sport England took the decision to replace the hockey surface at Bisham Abbey with the exact same surface that will be installed for the international sports competition in summer 2016. The process from our first contact with Polytan, working through the delivery of the project, to the handover was incredibly efficient and caused minimal disruption to ongoing operations. It helped enormously only having to deal with one company, as Polytan not only manufacture the carpet, but undertook the installation as well. The feedback from our hockey players and travelling international camps has been overwhelming. We are delighted with the surface as well as Polytan’s first-class service.”

Verde Recreo

Millfield School Gets FIH Global Synthetic Turf Hockey Pitches

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Millfield, a leading private school in Somerset, England, recently received two new state-of-the-art synthetic turf hockey pitches to support their thriving hockey program. The pitches feature Act Global’s water-based Xtreme Turf NFH13-MF, and were professionally installed by partner Verde Recreo.

Millfield is today one of the top UK independent schools for students aged 2-18 years. As the country’s leading hockey school, the sport continues to flourish for both boys and girls at Millfield. The hockey program focuses on encouraging player development for all, with a strong coaching staff, specialised technical one-to-one training; and athletic development sessions with strength and conditioning coaches. Millfield’s hockey program competes very successfully in the National Schools and IAPS competition, and many pupils will graduate to international and Olympic teams.

The new FIH Global pitches from Act Global are a significant addition to the prestigious hockey program. Global Certification signifies a playing surface with elite performance qualities, ideal for developing these top young players. Xtreme Turf NFH13-MF is a water-based system, designed using highly resilient yarns, a short, dense pile height, and a glass-reinforced primary plus latex coating. The non-filled system is built with an in-situ shock pad and irrigated with a water layer to provide optimal speed of play, excellent foot stability and technical ball accuracy.

“We are honored to work with our partner Verde Recreo and Millfield School to bring these players the best in quality hockey turf,” said Gary Breen, regional sales manager for Act Global.

Act Global was recently appointed an Official FIH Supplier, which confirms their commitment to delivering top-quality hockey pitches around the world. This initiative is part of the FIH Quality Programme for Hockey Turf which is aimed at ensuring good quality hockey fields are built for all levels of play, from elite level competition to community development.

For more information Act Global hockey turf visit www.ActGlobal.com or email info@actglobal.com.

Lincoln Hockey Project

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The Lindum Sports Association is a Charity established as a members club offering a wide range of sporting and other facilities. The Club was formed in 1947 and enjoys a premier reputation as one of the most successful and friendly sports clubs in the city of Lincoln. Cricket, Hockey, and Squash are the principal sporting activities together with a very popular Bridge club.

Lindum Sports Association decided to invest in a premier sports surface after receiving a £235,717 grant of National Lottery funding from Sport England to assist with rejuvenating their facilities. The new surface is set to be the home turf for Lincoln Hockey Club, as well as Lincoln Roses Hockey club, for training and playing competitive games.

A new synthetic pitch has been installed which is fully compliant with the International Hockey Federation’s (FIH) National standard – guaranteeing professional quality player interaction and a satisfactory standard for international matches and/or tournaments.

Further installations include fences, floodlight and a 30 space car park.

The London 2012 ‘Olympic Legacy’

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When Stourport Hockey Club opted to improve its facilities in order to maximise playing time and inspire improved performance as part of the London 2012 ‘Olympic Legacy’, it was decided that a synthetic pitch would provide the ideal solution.

The club has always had a long-standing tradition for both recreational and amateur level Hockey, as well as other sports. With the Stourport Hockey Club’s women’s team playing Investec national league fixtures, Stourport’s requirement for a premium quality playing surface was imperative.

The new pitch was officially opened in July 2013 by GB Olympic Bronze medallist, Sally Walton and the club now has the full confidence that its playing surface is up to the elite standard it needs to be, with low maintenance and high performance guaranteed.

Francine Moss; Facilities Manager at Stourport Sports Club commented: “The newly built pitch opens so many doors for our club as we are now able to host a range of regional and national competitions as one of the only local clubs to boast three pitches. What’s more, our junior players now have a safer environment in which to play their hockey as they no longer have to cross a busy road to reach a pitch.”.

Manager Mark Sampson says England Women will be prepared for artificial turf

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England Women manager Mark Sampson insists his team will be fully prepared to play on synthetic turf at the 2015 World Cup in Canada.

England play their final World Cup qualifier against Montenegro on Wednesday having already sealed their place at the finals with a perfect win record in nine matches in Group Six.

But the build-up to the tournament threatens to be overshadowed by the controversy surrounding the playing surface, with nearly 50 top players signing a petition and threatening legal action in protest at the decision to use artificial grass.

Sampson is confident though that his side, who have scored 42 goals and conceded just one in qualifying, will be well-prepared for Canada.

“We’re in a good place in terms of preparation because we’ve got a fantastic facility here at St George’s Park where the groundsman can make sure that pitch is close as possible to the specifics that we are going to face in Canada,” he told Sky Sports News HQ. 

“We have a great opportunity for us to practice on the surface and get familiar with it so there are no surprises for us. We will have played on it over here and the players will be very comfortable with it.”

England defender Alex Scott does not believe the petition will have any effect, adding: “Nothing will change. The decision was for it to be played in Canada. We’re just preparing and looking forward to playing there.

“The ideal situation would be for the World Cup to be on grass, but the situation is out of our hands. We’ve qualified, we are there, and now it’s just about preparing well. That’s why we’ve been training indoors, trying to get used to it and we just have to get on with it.”

SOURCE: Sky Sports, 15/09/2014 (accessed 18/09/2014 at http://www1.skysports.com/football/news/11095/9471770/manager-mark-sampson-says-england-women-will-be-prepared-for-artificial-turf)

The Amlin Challenge Cup Final is played on FieldTurf synthetic turf

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FieldTurf makes history! Never before has a European final of a professional major sport like rugby been played on synthetic turf. On Friday 23rd May, Cardiff Arms Park, equipped with FieldTurf’s state-of-the-art Optimum 65 RGF surface, will host the Amlin Challenge Cup.

Bath Rugby and the Northampton Saints face off in one of the most prestigious European championship, with the amicable consent of the Heineken Cup, both organised by the ERC (European Rugby Cup). It took several years for such a high-level competition to be played on synthetic grass, but performance and security of the surface, supported by several tests certified by the the world governing body for the Game of Rugby Union, the IRB, have convinced both organisers and professional players.

IRB Head of Technical Services, Steve Griffiths, said: “It is very clear in this modern age that the quality of third-generation turf produced and installed by reliable and experienced manufacturers like the IRB preferred turf producers, and in this case FieldTurf, provides a safe and consistent playing surface in all weather conditions.”

The rivals (that are also competing in the Aviva Premiership League, the highest category of the English professional Rugby Football Union) know very well the quality advantages provided by FieldTurf’s synthetic grass system they’ll play on, thanks to the Cardiff Blues players, the tittle defenders.

“I don’t think the players from Northampton Saints or Bath Rugby will have any problems with adapting to the surface and, after all, they will both have played at the Saracens’ home at Allianz Park. I think they’ll enjoy it and everyone can look forward to a very fast and open final […] It is much easier to run on than a grass surface and it is great for the kickers. The ball bounces a little differently, but you soon get used to that”, said Dafydd Hewitt, a Cardiff Blues club player.

So far, only a handful of European championships qualifying matches have been played on synthetic turf. For example, Champions League football matches such as CSKA Moscow against Real Madrid and Spartak Moscow against FC Barcelona, both in 2012, went ahead on the most innovative FieldTurf surfaces.

On Friday, FieldTurf’s synthetic grass will make history once again at Cardiff Arms Park, as one of the top elite professional sports surfaces worldwide. The stage is set for a superb final. Now all we can hope is that the best team wins!

ESTO members at Rugby Expo 2014

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Dear ESTO member,

ESTO are always looking to maximise the value and benefits that they are able to offer as part of your membership of the organisation. In line with this, we have put an agreement in place with ESTO to offer all ESTO members a 10% discounted rate to exhibit at the Rugby Expo 2014 exhibition and conference at Twickenham Stadium, London on 22nd – 23rd October 2014.

Rugby Expo is the largest rugby conference and exhibition in the world, supported by the RFU and Premiership Rugby, and brings together the key decision makers involved in the development of both the professional and grassroots game. Rugby Expo is attended by key representatives from every Premiership club, plus a host of Pro 12, Championship and national league clubs, as well as over 400 community and grassroots clubs from all over the UK, providing you, as an ESTO member, with the ideal audience to promote your services.

One of the key issues raised by the professional and grassroots audience at Rugby Expo year after year is how can clubs generate additional revenue, as well as improving player development and practice opportunities at every level. With synthetic turf pitches providing a far more secure revenue stream for rugby clubs in comparison to natural grass, particularly in reducing the amount of training time and match days lost to adverse weather conditions, the delegate audience attending Rugby Expo would be hugely receptive to the products and services ESTO members provide.

Read more …

 

Complete Football, Newcastle

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In 2007 Complete Football launched its new development and training centre. ‘Football For All’ was a key mission for the club and so the project involved the whole community including local football clubs and schools. Another goal was to bring a level of experience in football coaching and training to the community. Through the provision of accessible and affordable facilities of excellence, encouraging participation, developing ability levels for both players and coaching staff the club aimed to discover and pass on the international players of the future.

Essential for the success of such a project is the availability of a playing field of the highest level which offers the required durability. Through Research and Development the club and its partner came to a surface that meets all the highest national and international standards and displays the most up-to-date playability and look.

Other districts in the United Kingdom are keen to learn from Complete Football’s experiences and are already in contact with the club after 7 years of successful delivery.

Leeds Metropolitan University, England

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Leeds Metropolitan University offers students and staff numerous sporting facilities both indoor and outdoor. The outdoor centre includes a synthetic full size football pitch which can also be divided into three mini pitches or be used for lacrosse and rugby. Due to the installment of floodlight the pitch can be used year round for daytime and evening seven days a week.

In order to make efficient use of the facilities the pitch can be hired by groups or teams for training sessions and tournaments.