Case Studies
Eton College has long been regarded as one of the UK’s leading independent schools, renowned for its academic excellence and famous alumni. However, in the world of sport it is also recognised for its hockey provision, with a number of pupils even going on to play at an international level. With this in mind, when one of its oldest pitches began to deteriorate, upgrading the surface was made a priority.
Date Project Completed
July 2018
Area
6014 sqm
Surface
Evo Pro
TigerTurf’s Evo Pro artificial grass turf takes its DNA from the very successful WETT Pro hockey turf product. The Evo Pro turf is a product of the most advanced monofilament yarn technology. It is an exceptional turf for hockey fields and, being a versatile synthetic playing surface, is also an ideal turf for multi-sport facilities. Evo Pro synthetic grass turf can be used for a variety of sports, such as tennis, futsal, touch rugby, and athletics, as well as being soft enough for recreational football.
The college’s two full sized hockey pitch installations are used for lessons, co-curricular training and competitive fixtures. Originally installed in 1998 and 2002, the pitches served the college and its 1,300 pupils extremely well over the years. However, with this long lifespan came the expected signs of ageing.
Michael Chapman, Building Surveyor comments, “The colour had started to fade and in parts the surface had deteriorated and begun to move. We knew that this could really hamper the quality of play, and impact the pupils’ ability to develop their skills so we started researching what artificial grass surfaces were available on the market.”
Leading sports surface specialists, McArdle Sport Tec Ltd, installed the surface after being awarded the contract following a competitive tender process.
Mr Chapman continues, “It was an instant hit. Everyone loved it and we heard nothing but positive praise for the new pitch, with pupils saying it played faster and more consistently. As a college which prides itself on the offering it provides, Evo Pro was the natural choice when we were looking to resurface the second pitch.”
This time came in July 2018, when the second pitch was resurfaced in just eight days – a particularly impressive turnaround for the 6,014sq m installation.
Meeting the FIH National standards, Evo Pro is a high-quality artificial grass manufactured from the latest in monofilament yarn technology. Established as the UK’s number one choice amongst education and community facilities, the dressed carpet is half filled with a special rounded silica sand. This offers improved comfort and safety, as well as easy maintenance. It also creates a grain free playing surface meaning the ball travels smoothly in all directions, making it the perfect surface for the pupils to hone their skills on.
TigerTurf manufactures and installs high quality products for a range of sports, leisure and landscape applications. We are committed to providing expert knowledge and advice on synthetic turf products and systems, along with exceptional customer service before, during and after your purchase.
