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Cruyff Court Everton is kick started by Koeman.

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The sun was shining in Walton on Wednesday for the opening of Cruyff Court Everton. The fifth of its kind in the UK, the artificial grass pitch, funded by The Johan Cruyff Foundation and The People’s Postcode Lottery will be operated by Everton in the Community (EiTC) and will provide members of the local community in the area a safe place to play sport.

Everton FC manager and Cruyff Foundation ambassador, Ronald Koeman, was guest of honour and declared the pitch officially open by scoring a penalty watched on by EiTC members and local school children. After watching a game played by the Everton FC disability team, Ronald, a close friend of Johan Cruyff remarked that it was an incredibly proud day and that he is equally as proud to be a part of the project and of the foundation itself.

The pitch is located at EiTC People’s Hub, a community centre opened in November 2016 that is home to many of the charity’s community projects and offers local people a safe haven to socialise and to access vital services. The Cruyff Court will enable Everton in the Community to continue to provide a wide range of programmes for the whole community, as well as introduce new programmes such as, walking football and disability sessions delivered by the charity’s coaching staff and volunteers.

The Cruyff Foundation’s overall aim is to provide children in the UK and abroad with a safe place to play sport, but as Nieeils Meijer, Director of the Cruyff Foundation mentions, the court will offer so much more: “The Cruyff Court offers the community of Everton a playfield that stimulates physical activity, but it is designed to be so much more than just a football pitch. It is a place where pupils learn about respect, responsibility and integration through sports.”

After the successful completion of Cruyff Court Everton the Foundation are now looking forward to the opening of more Cruyff Courts in the UK this year.

To find out more about the Cruyff Foundation please click here.

TigerTurf publishes guide to selecting and maintaining artificial grass tennis courts

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Leading artificial grass manufacturer, TigerTurf UK, has launched a new guide dedicated to helping tennis club managers and school facilities staff through the full specification process of an artificial grass tennis court.

Bringing together the latest thinking from within the industry, TigerTurf’s A break from tradition: how to select and maintain the best artificial grass tennis courts makes the case for investing in an artificial grass facility – and explains how clubs and schools can get the most from their surface once they have invested.

The guide gathers expert opinion on the installation of artificial surfaces, featuring the thoughts of tennis court contractors, Tennis 2000, on the most important considerations for a new installation, a column on choosing suppliers by the Sports and Play Construction Association (SAPCA), and even comment from Tennis Coach Ireland on the playability of artificial surfaces. Those who download the guide will also be able to read about tennis clubs who have successfully installed artificial tennis courts of their own.

The result is a comprehensive look at the reasons why artificial grass is an increasingly popular option within the tennis community, and is designed to help clubs and schools to take advantage of a relatively new, but rapidly evolving market.

Paul Langford, Managing Director at TigerTurf UK, commented: “Tennis is a sport which is developing all the time, and the latest generation of artificial tennis surfaces is furthering this progress no end. So many clubs are looking to do the best thing for members as well as distinguish their facilities from competitors, but it can seem quite a big step without the right information. We’ve produced our guide to put club managers at ease and map out exactly how they can take full advantage of the benefits on offer from an artificial grass court for years to come.”

For more information, or to download the guide, click here.

TigerTurf bolsters overseas operations with new Export Manager

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TigerTurf UK has bolstered support for its overseas operations with the appointment of its first ever Export Sales Manager.

Bringing over 10 years of experience within the sports surfacing sector, David Hook will head up TigerTurf’s newly-expanded export sales team as the business looks to further grow its presence in mainland Europe and the Middle East.

David forged a career in the textile industry through various technical, operational and sales roles, before a love of sport led him to a succession of business development roles in the manufacture of artificial grass. Having developed an eye for improving product quality and business efficiencies, David’s focus then moved on to developing new export sales markets, building sustainable relationships across Europe, Scandinavia and as far afield as Japan and Canada.

David will now be tasked with helping TigerTurf to build on existing partnerships abroad, as well as identifying new opportunities amidst a growing level of global competition. In this he will be supported by Suzi Cowen, who becomes Export Sales Co-ordinator following a successful period strengthening TigerTurf’s landscape sales.

David commented: “The opportunity to represent one of the major brands in the industry was one I couldn’t resist, and I’m delighted to be working within such a strong team backed up by excellent product range and quality of service.

“This is still a relatively new industry with a vast number of opportunities, especially for companies who focus on product development, quality and service. We will be looking to tap into these potential markets, by supplementing strong relationships with continued innovation.”

On the decision to create the new position, Managing Director, Paul Langford, added: “With TigerTurf having established itself in the domestic market, we are seeing an increasing number of opportunities for growth overseas – even during the uncertainty of the Brexit period. David’s experience in this sphere will be invaluable to the business as our focus on export grows and we take advantage of our strong position as a British manufacturer with international support from our parent company, TenCate.”

Xtreme Grass Hybrid Construction at SV Eerbeekse Boys

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Netherland football club selects Act Global Xtreme Grass for two high performing hybrid turf pitches. The pitches have been built by head contractor partner Sallandse and Hofmeyer.

 

Eerbeekse Boys, the amateur football club from the Dutch village Eerbeek, will soon be playing on new premium hybrid turf pitches.

The hybrid system, called Xtreme Grass, is an ideal solution to reinforce natural grass with the durability of synthetic turf.

Xtreme Grass features synthetic grass fibers interlocked to a strong, open weave backing. Natural grass will grow upwards between the synthetic fibres, as roots will easily penetrate downward through the woven back. The synthetic and natural components become integrated into the pitch, to result in a high-performing, natural sports surface—which offers significantly more playing hours than unreinforced grass alone. This is due to the fact that synthetic fibres helps stabilize and protect the natural grass to improve root development, promote thicker, healthier growth, and reduce playing damage to the field.

At Eerbeekse Boys, the Sallandse and Hofmeyer construction team removed the existing natural surface in order to create a new, stable sand subbase, as the existing surface contained too many stones. Next, the crew installed a growth medium layer, to provide proper soil and nutrients into which the natural grass roots can develop. The Xtreme Grass synthetic turf rolls were then laid out and sewn together atop the growth medium layer.

[WATCH: Xtreme Grass Construction Timelapse at Eerbeekse Boys]

The crew seeded with two types of native natural grasses, which have varying seasonal growing patterns to maximize natural grass density for a longer playing season. The pitch was then topped with more growth medium top finish construction and begin natural grass growing phase.

After just a short time, the pitches at Eerbeekse began to experience healthy initial natural grass growth. Xtreme Grass creates an ideal micro-climate that facilitates quicker germination and thicker, more uniform grass distribution.

The pitch will be officially opening in September 2016 for play.

Act Global has worked with leading agronomy research universities and testing labs to validate Xtreme Grass’ impact on natural growth, durability and sport performance. When compared to unreinforced natural grass, Xtreme Grass performed better in shearing and tearing resistance tests. This means that when the players foot a field, their feet will not tear into the natural grasses as severely.

For more information, see http://www.actglobal.com/hybrid.php.

About Act Global

Act Global is a world leader in synthetic turf technology, with manufacturing facilities on three continents and sales in more than 70 countries. The company carries a full range of products for sports (Xtreme Turf and Xtreme Grass), landscaping (Xtreme Lawn), aviation (AvTurf) and land reclamation (LiteEarth). Act Global is a FIFA Preferred Producer for Football Turf, Synthetic Turf Council Certified Manufacturer, World Rugby Preferred Turf Producer, FIH Preferred Supplier, and holds ISO 9001 Certification. Its products have undergone hundreds of independent laboratory tests for quality, durability, safety, environmental soundness and performance. 

Cruyff Foundation Turns To TigerTurf For New Community Sports Facilities

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The Johan Cruyff Foundation has partnered with leading artificial turf manufacturer, TigerTurf, to install up to six children’s community sports pitches throughout the UK.

Thanks to funding from the People’s Postcode Lottery, the charitable organisation founded by Dutch football legend, Johan Cruyff, to give children the opportunity to play and be active, is expected to deliver outdoor playing areas manufactured by TigerTurf to schools and community areas around the country. Each ‘Cruyff Court’ is designed with the aim of encouraging children to get active and learn vital social skills such as respect, responsibility and integration through sports.

Introduced in 1997, the Foundation’s ‘Cruyff Court’ concept is a community leisure area measuring 42m x 28m and made using artificial turf. Every one of the new courts installed during its three-year partnership with TigerTurf will boast the optimum combination of durability, high-performance and safety for users of all ages.

Initially, the agreement is set to bring Cruyff Courts to six local areas; some of which in partnership with professional football clubs as part of their community outreach programmes.

Niels Meijer, Director of the Cruyff Foundation, commented: “The partnership with TigerTurf UK allows us to expand our activities in the UK. Being active at a young age is of severe importance for the development of a child. With the establishment of at least six Cruyff Courts, we are pleased that TigerTurf partners with us to provide state-of-the-art sport facilities in the UK so that more children can be active.”

Paul Langford, Managing Director at TigerTurf UK, added: “The Cruyff Foundation does a truly excellent job in encouraging children to stay active and healthy while learning vital social skills through sport. We’re honoured to have been approached to play our part in bringing some interactive spaces to schools and communities around the country.”

For more information on TigerTurf UK and its industry leading portfolio of synthetic turf, visit www.tigerturf.com.

Field in a box™ part of the Olympic Experience in Scheveningen

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During the 2016 Olympic Experience on the beach of Scheveningen, the Netherlands, Field in a box™ will be shown to the visiting public as the Box full of hopes & dreams©. A temporary mini hockey court of 20 x 40 meters is constructed for the Dutch Olympic Committee NOC*NSF, and the Royal Dutch Hockey Association KNHB. Anyone that wants to experience the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro the best but has no ability to travel to Brazil this year, is welcome on the beach of Scheveningen, near The Hague. During daytime a variety of sports can be played under the guidance of more than 20 different Dutch sports associations, such as the KNHB. In the afternoon and evening, the 2016 Olympic Games in Brazil can be followed live on large screens, and can be enjoyed during media commentaries, other entertainment and the presence of former athletes and former Olympians.

The event takes place from 6 to 21 August and is intended for sports fans, families and other interested parties who want to experience the best of the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro from the Netherlands. TenCate organizes four special days for selected stakeholders and TenCate relations interested in the Field in a box™ concept.

Learn more about Field in a box™ op: www.fieldinabox.com

Learn more about the 2016 Olympic Experience: http://denhaag.com/en/event/40096/olympic-experience

GreenFields becomes Official Supplier to PSV Eindhoven

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GreenFields, the innovative market leader in synthetic turf systems, has undertaken to be the Official Supplier to PSV Eindhoven until 2018. GreenFields – part of materials technology company TenCate – will, under the terms of the agreement with PSV Eindhoven, install various new synthetic turf systems at De Herdgang sports complex in Eindhoven, the Netherlands. GreenFields and TenCate will use the PSV sports complex as the FieldLab for sports-related technical research and as a showcase for international customers.

De Herdgang in Eindhoven boasts numerous pitches produced by TenCate and installed by GreenFields, including the main pitch on the youth side, the synthetic turf pitch near the professionals and the innovative FieldLab. All the pitches are equipped with the latest technology related to synthetic turf systems. The mini-pitch, which has already been installed and on which youth teams can enjoy very specific training through the use of innovative techniques, has also been provided with a woven GreenFields® MX synthetic turf system.

More intensive training

Marcel Brands, technical manager of PSV Eindhoven, states that he is delighted with the installation of the new synthetic turf pitches at De Herdgang. “The GreenFields pitches enable all the youth teams to train more intensively and to make even better use of the pitches. And what is even more interesting is the fact that we together with GreenFields are going to look at the development of hybrid pitches.” A XtraGrass™ hybrid system is a combination of a natural grass pitch reinforced with a woven synthetic turf backing. This system is fully recyclable and in part biodegradable.

Innovation driven

Toon Gerbrands, general manager of PSV Eindhoven and Ton Raaphorst, director of TenCate Grass and GreenFields signed the contract earlier this month. Raaphorst is very enthusiastic: “PSV made the sealing of our collaboration an unexpectedly great moment. It was well deserved, as both parties are driven by innovation: on the one hand, sporting innovation and on the other, technological innovation. And don’t forget, GreenFields is the holder of credentials from countless professional sports organisations worldwide, including American Lacrosse, FIFA, World Rugby and the FIH – the International Hockey Federation. GreenFields has more than 3,000 sports pitch installations across the world.”

First Cruyff court in Liverpool installed with TenCate Ecocept™

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GreenFields and the Cruijff Foundation are proud to announce the official opening of the new court in Anfield-Liverpool. The new court is part of a £260 million regeneration of Anfield, courtesy of funding partners Liverpool City Council, Liverpool Football Club and Your Housing Group, working together to improve housing and sporting facilities in the area. There are currently only two existing Courts in the UK, both of which reside in London: Cruyff Court Dennis Bergkamp and Cruyff Court Tottenham Hotspur – the Anfield Sports and Community Centre Cruyff Court will be the first outside of the UK’s capital, and the first which GreenFields have installed.

This particular Cruyff court is very special as it is the first court where the new TenCate Ecocept™ performance sports base is used. TenCate Ecocept™ is a new innovative sports base specifically developed for synthetic turf athletic playing surfaces. Is integrates seamlessly with the synthetic turf product. This product is a new sports base which utilises a 50/50 mix of recycled rubber and plastic, and saves roughly 140 tonnes of materials from landfill for every full size pitch. This system gives an improved shock absorbency for players, due to the stability of the base, and provides several functions in a single layer.

In the meanwhile the Cruyff Foundation, founded in 2003, has installed more than worldwide – including Argentina, South Africa, and Brazil. The foundation supports various projects that encourage young people to exercise in a safe environment.

Football clubs and korfball club in Almelo opt for GreenFields® slide max XQ™

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GreenFields has installed four soccer and one korfball pitch in Almelo during the summer months under instruction from the region’s municipal sports trust. Mid-week evening training sessions on the new surfaces are in full swing, with league games being played at weekends, which has led to very ethousiastic reactions of the players of all clubs.

Selected on intensity of use and durability

The clubs in question were all consulted on the choice of pitch. Nieuwmeier comments: “Representatives from clubs based in the region were involved in the selection process, looking at the different pitch options available. This pitch system came out on top in terms of the intensity of use and durability, in particular. For us, we’re talking around 1,500 hours of use each year. The system will last us twelve years and will retain its properties.”

Football clubs Oranje Nassau and Almelo are based on a complex which sits in the shadows of the Heracles Almelo stadium. Plans to grant the two amateur clubs a couple of new artificial turf pitches have been in place since the re-development of the first division club’s stadium, one year ago.

Joint approach for greater efficiency

The project was a substantial one, albeit that more and more municipalities are choosing to lay a number of artificial pitches simultaneously with a view to maximising efficiency and saving costs. The various stages of work involved – from digging and laying the underlays to installing the turf – took place sequentially, moving from one sports complex on to the next.

Hatko installs second FIFA two star artificial grass pitch with TenCate Grass fibres

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Early may 2015, Hatko installed a second FIFA** pitch in Cyprus using TenCate Grass artificial grass fibres as its base. The pitch is located in Gazimağusa, a town on the country’s east coast, and measures 106 by 76 meters. It is named after the Turkish-Cypriot politician, Rauf Denktaş, who passed away in 2012.

Hatko Dokuma Tekstil insaat Taahhut Ve Ticaret Ltd Sti. is TenCate Grass’ partner in Turkey. The customer opted for the Omega Turf – Hatko’s top of the range pitch. TenCate Grass Middle East Ltd. engineered and produced the synthetic turf fibres within the space of a single week. The entire installation process took just three weeks to complete.

According to Hatko, the Omega Turf is renowned for its unique, curved shape and three ‘spines’, which create a bouncy grass fibre offering excellent flexibility and durability. Testing and analysis performed by Hatko engineers showed that the system’s durability remained uncompromised after as many as 40,000 Lisport Test cycles.

Hatko Sports has been using TenCate synthetic grass yarns for a number of years. The company has successfully completed many sports and landscaping projects throughout Turkey and the Middle East using TenCate technology.