Forever and a day, people have been building tennis courts in their back yards.  This enables family and friends to get together for a few games, socialise, get a bit of exercise and have some fun.

But tennis is just one sport.  With TigerTurf’s multi-sport surfaces, your tennis court can also be used for hockey practice, developing football skills, basketball, netball, a cricket practice net; there are many options.

A TigerTurf MultiPlay court at home is a wonderful investment for all the family, drawing together all ages and skill levels to play together, creating the scene for leisure, fitness, skills development and family fun.

Turn your dream of a tennis court into a TigerTurf MultiPlay court, and you will invoke many more opportunities for fun and your family will become fit and happy as they form long-term healthy family relationships.

The ultimate solution for your sports mad family

It is just as easy to lay a court surface that works brilliantly for tennis, and for hockey, netball, basketball, football and family social events.

Families often have many different sports interests as schools extend the sports available to their students. By installing a good quality TigerTurf MultiPlay synthetic court, you provide your children with the opportunity to improve their technique safely and conveniently in your own garden, for many years.

A TigerTurf MultiPlay court provides more fun and games than just a tennis court

When it’s time to resurface your existing tennis court, talk to our tennis and multi-sport experts about your family’s sporting interests and find out how we can make one court work even better for all your family.

TigerTurf courts provide you with a dry, level surface that looks attractive every day, needs very little maintenance and will become an enjoyable part of your family life. That’s reason enough for a MultiPlay court, but there are plenty of other great ideas you could include.

• Basketball keys and hoops can be installed
• A hockey “D” can be cut in at one end or at the side of the court and used for practicing stick tricks, dribbling, tapping and goal scoring
• If your family includes cricket enthusiasts consider adding a cricket wicket on the edge of your MultiPlay court
• This could also be combined to create a mini-golf driving range; suitably fenced and enclosed to ensure no wayward balls… the perfect practice wicket and golf range in one, alongside your multi-play court.
• More of a netball enthusiast?  Install a netball goal circle and hoop for perfecting your goal shooting.
• The MultiPlay court is also excellent for improving football skills with a non-directional surface providing consistent ball control and secure footing.
• Other options can include volleyball, badminton, a baseball diamond or games such as hopscotch and foursquare.
• And let’s not forget lawn bowls and croquet!

TigerTurf uses different colours and line markings to distinguish different games and sports within the turf.  These are either tufted into the turf during manufacture or cut into the turf during installation.  We are the experts, having established and installed hundreds of multi-sport courts in schools over the past 30 years.

Don’t have enough room for a full-sized tennis court?  Talk to TigerTurf about MultiPlay courts for smaller gardens

You don’t need the space of a full-size tennis court to enjoy the benefits of the TigerTurf MultiPlay court.  As gardens have become smaller, sports have adapted to be played in a tighter, more concentrated format. Loosely translated, this generally means an even tougher workout.

• Multi-play courts can be smaller than conventional tennis courts, and perfect for pop tennis, bowls, netball and basketball, golf putting, cricket and many other outdoor activities.
• The pared-down size of a pop tennis court can still provide the same fun and workout as regular tennis.  In fact, the upped tempo, as players race to reach the faster ball is just the thing for an excellent cardio workout.
• We can include a putting green as part of your multi-sports court, but these do look most inviting when attractively placed in your garden setting, ideally replacing a troublesome section of lawn.

TigerTurf multi-play surfaces have been tested for many sports

Our multi-sports surfaces are the product of many years of research and development, and have been variously accredited by international sports bodies for tennis, hockey, football and cricket – the different products will hold different accreditations, which your TigerTurf advisor can explain.

TigerTurf Evo Pro

• Evo Pro is a fabulous multi-sports surface, specified by top tennis and hockey clubs, and for an increasing number of residential courts, we have constructed for keen tennis players, who have played on this surface and want their own Evo Pro court at home. You could say that TigerTurf Evo Pro is the rock star of our multi-sports galaxy.
• TigerTurf Evo Pro has been certified by the ITF (International Tennis Federation, FIH (Federation of International Hockey, ECB (England and Wales Cricket Board).

TigerTurf Trophy

• Trophy is accredited as a fast tennis surface by ITF, and holds international accreditation for hockey (FIH) and netball (AENA), making it a wonderful all-rounder as a sports surface.
• This is another of our non-abrasive turfs, an excellent choice for families with young children, keen football players, or both.

TigerTurf Advantage

• One of our favourite sports turfs for many years, Advantage is a technically advanced, extremely durable multi-sport surface. Classified ITF medium/fast, and preferred by top-level players in tennis clubs, it is the number one tennis surface in the UK.
• Advantage has the characteristics necessary for a successful multi-sport surface, as a premium all-round surface offering good grip underfoot and reliable ball control. It offers outstanding playing qualities for many family sports, such as hockey, volleyball and netball.
• TigerTurf offers a ten-year comprehensive warranty with Advantage, an indication of the durability of this surface.

When you’ve had enough of games, transform your MultiPlay court into an entertaining and dining venue for special occasions

Holding large functions for family and friends is made much easier when you have a level, dry and very attractive landscape lawn to set up tables and chairs, lights and food.

Christmas becomes much more fun; family celebrations such as weddings and birthdays are a breeze. Even simple family picnics on summer evenings are more pleasant on a soft, dry lawn.

Talk to us about what you’d like to achieve, and we can design a successful MultiPlay court that will provide versatility, flexibility and safety, be a striking feature in your garden and bring enormous value to your lifestyle.

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Schools want to give students a greater choice of sports, in order to engage more children in physical activity. However, providing the right sports facilities requires space and funding which is at a premium at many schools.

TigerTurf artificial grass sports and landscape turfs have been adding value to primary and secondary schools around the country for over twenty-eight years. And schools are seeing the benefits of synthetic turf for a range of applications, keeping costs and maintenance to a minimum while maximising the use of precious space.

TigerTurf offer durable artificial grass turfs for three core applications in schools:

• TigerTurf’s short-pile multi-sport turfs which are designed to produce outstanding performance for various sports, including all court games (tennis, basketball, netball), cricket wickets and hockey. These sports surfaces extend the number of sports you can offer your students with only one court.
• Synthetic grasses for field sports that have been developed especially for rugby, football, AFL, futsal and cricket outfields. These longer pile multi-sport turfs have the same playing characteristics as natural turf fields, with many intrinsic benefits for schools.
• TigerTurf landscape grasses form fresh, smooth lawns that are extremely hard wearing in traffic areas, and attractive in garden settings.

TigerTurf multi-sports turfs

Suitable for:  Tennis, Netball, Basketball, Hockey, Football, Junior Cricket

TigerTurf multi-sport courts extend the usability of sports facilities and numbers of students playing sports on one top quality sports turf. The versatility of top-quality multi-sport surfaces benefits schools in several ways:

• TigerTurf all-weather multi-sports fields have line markings for several different sports giving students choice, encouraging more students to play sports
• Your school can field more teams with better practice facilities in all seasons and maintain your training and competition schedules.
• The courts are bright, clean and attractive, reflecting a healthy school culture.
• TigerTurf sports surfaces are highly durable and will stand up to long hours of play for many years.

TigerTurf sports systems for field sports

Suitable for:  Football, Futsal, Rugby, Cricket outfields

Grass sports fields can cause headaches for schools, drying out to hard dusty, often slippery, summer surfaces, becoming muddy mires in the winter months just when they are in demand. Constant maintenance is required to keep these fields playable and safe: mowing, rolling, spraying, irrigating, drainage, and re-applying marking paint.

No surprises then that international football and hockey are now often played on artificial grass turfs, and practice facilities use synthetic grass for consistent playing conditions that are not dependent upon the weather. Our field sport turfs closely resemble natural grass pitches, but offer more benefits for schools:

• Your teams can play their best game safely in all conditions on an even, stable all-weather surface.
• Training and game schedules are not compromised because of poor weather or poor field conditions.
• Non-abrasive, softer, longer yarn grass allows players to tackle and side-step at speed safely.
• Our synthetic fields are comfortable for players, absorbing the accumulated impact of hours of hard practice and reducing the risk of stress injuries.
• The fields are permanently marked up for several field sports, and can include a cricket pitch, practice wickets and a running track around the perimeter of the field.
• The consistency of the surface enables players to develop their skills confidently and safely without disruption.

TigerTurf hockey fields

Suitable for:  Hockey, Tennis, Netball, Basketball, Junior Football

Hockey is tremendously popular in schools and in the community. Investing in an all-weather top quality TigerTurf hockey pitch adds lasting value to your school. Years of research and consultation resulted in the development of TigerTurf WETT Pro and Evo Pro, both world-class hockey surfaces recognised by the international hockey community for their star qualities. Both can be used wet or dry. TigerTurf’s Trophy is another excellent hockey surface, which is also accredited for tennis. All are extremely durable, high performance multi-sport synthetic turfs, accredited by ITF and FIH.

Some tangible benefits for your school include:

• Students can practise skills and techniques on their technically engineered hockey surface designed with player safety in mind.
• The TigerTurf yarn used for hockey pitches is free of grain, allowing the ball and stick to move across the surface evenly in any direction, allowing players to practise stick skills and use them in competitions.
• Practice timetables and competitions can be planned with confidence on our weather-safe surfaces with disruption from weather events significantly reduced.
• Irrigated pitches can be constructed with reticulated drainage built into the sub-structure to retain the water for reuse.
• Our hockey pitches have been engineered for high performance and are FIH accredited. The school could host national competitions, adding funds to your school budget.
• TigerTurf hockey installations are carried out professionally and designed to last for many years of intensive play.
• You will find that your hockey pitch will be busy most days and evenings as more students take up the game, and local clubs and business teams take advantage of your outstanding facility.

TigerTurf artificial grass for cricket and athletics

Suitable for: Cricket and Athletics

Cricket wickets were one of the first turf’s TigerTurf developed when we started business in 1981.  For over 36 years TigerTurf has specialised in synthetic turf cricket wickets, responding to changes within the game, and in consultation with the cricket community.

• We produce synthetic cricket surfaces for every level of play, from junior schools to international levels.  Projects include cricket wickets, batting cages, bowlers run ups, outfields, indoor cricket facilities with practice nets and cricket winter covers.
• For schools fielding teams at national standard, indoor cricket training wickets allow early morning and evening coaching sessions under cover all year round.
• Indoor cricket training wickets can also be designed to accommodate coaching sessions for netball, volleyball, tennis and football.
• The same field can also accommodate athletics with sprint tracks, long jumps and permanently marked up running tracks around the perimeter.

Cheerful, easy-care interactive playgrounds

Suitable for:  Junior school and pre-schools playgrounds

TigerPlay and our other playground surfaces are practical, all-weather systems which can include colourful graphics and activities on the surface itself. These are designed by the school and TigerTurf to provide learning opportunities, the development physical skills, and interactive play amongst groups of students.

With minimal care, our colourful playgrounds remain bright and cheerful for years of daily use, safe for children in sunshine or rain, and irresistible for even the shyest students.

TigerTurf playground surfaces can be laid underneath playground equipment with special cushioning pads beneath the surface. These have been tested against “Critical Fall Height” regulations to provide “soft fall” for up to 3 metres. Our playgrounds exceed government safety standards, and we take particular care with the safety of all playgrounds we install in schools and playgrounds.

TigerTurf landscape grasses revolutionise school playgrounds

Suitable for:  Playgrounds, lawn areas, general beautification

TigerTurf landscape lawns are the answer to many school ground woes.

Deceptively hardy, TigerTurf landscape lawns make once dull, scuffed shabby areas functional and beautiful. Envy XWR 35 is an attractive, yet durable, landscape grass TigerTurf has developed for just this purpose. Students and staff find our landscape settings relaxing and refreshing for tired minds.

• Our synthetic lawns offer many benefits that overcome the problems related to natural grass in busy school grounds such as worn, muddy areas, debris carried indoors, or lack of outdoor chill out zones for students.
• Our landscape grasses can replace hard surfaces with lush green lawns inviting students to relax with a book, chat with friends or perhaps finish homework.
• A TigerTurf synthetic lawn is also a practical area for classroom group work, creating a gentle ambience conducive to peaceful discussion.
• TigerTurf’s landscape lawns are also perfect alongside fields and pools, along banks for comfortable, informal seating for spectators and for alfresco theatre practices and productions, while harmonising with the natural landscape.

Ask TigerTurf to advise you on the right synthetic sports system for your school. TigerTurf uses yarn produced exclusively by TenCate Grass, the top producer of artificial grass yarn in the world. Our long-lasting synthetic turfs have been designed for playing performance at the top level of every sport. Some of our products are specialised for particular sports, others have been manufactured with the qualities required for several sports, designed for schools, family courts and community sports clubs.

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TigerTurf Ecocept

TigerTurf Ecocept is a high-performance sports base layer made from 80-90% recycled plastic and rubber.  This product is the result of years of research by TigerTurf and TenCate grass to find a solution to recycling end of life synthetic turf and other plastic waste.  TigerTurf’s goal is to be a net neutral producer of plastic waste.

• The plastic used can be of any type; it does not need to be a particular grade or of a particular composition.
• The rubber used is from recycled tyres.
• The synthetic turf, plastic waste and rubber tyres are re-processed into granules which are then mixed with a polyurethane binder and paved directly onto the sub-base much like an asphalt road.

• TigerTurf’s Ecocept product can use the turf from three end of life hockey fields in one Ecocept base.
• The high permeability of Ecocept enables harvesting rainwater for re-use such as irrigation

General Recycling

• Recycled rubber granules, made from recycled truck and car tyres, are often used in the base of synthetic turf as infill and for rubber shock pads.  These rubber granules are keeping
• old tyres out of landfill
• End of life disposal often sees old turf end up in landfill. We encourage our customers to try and re-sell, donate or recycle parts of the synthetic turf wherever possible, for example often community groups can utilise different aspects of an elite playing surface that is being replaced.

At the end of the day, recycling the turf into other products and uses is the best option and there is ongoing research into better ways in which synthetic turf can be removed, cleaned and re-used, or components of it recycled.

Synthetic turf has a lot of positive environmental credentials.  It is often promoted as being a ‘green’ alternative to natural grass. The main ecological benefits of synthetic turf are:

Water Conservation

Artificial turf surfaces have a major advantage over natural grass for most sports. Irrigation is a key component in maintaining good quality natural grass, whereas, synthetic turf does not require irrigation in most situations.

Although there are some types of synthetic turf that do perform better when watered, this water usage is generally significantly less than that needed to irrigate and maintain natural grass.  Research in the US has shown that each full-sized rectangular artificial turf field saves between 1.8 million to 3.7 million litres of water each year.

No mowing

Mowing grass uses fossil fuels and contribute carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.  The environmental impact of your lawn mower may seem minimal, but, according to the EPA, the gas emissions from a 3.5 horsepower gas-powered lawn mower releases the same amount of air polluting emissions in one hour as a new car driven 340 miles (550 km).  Extrapolate that out to large areas of natural grass in parks, stadiums and schools, and the impacts soon become significant.

Eliminates the use of toxic pesticides and fertilizers

We all know that the runoff of toxic pesticides and fertilisers is a source of water pollution.  In fact, The EPA has identified runoff of toxic pesticides and fertilizers as the principal cause of water pollution.  So, fertilisers can harm the earth more than help your lawn or football pitch. 1

Artificial turf eliminates the need for pesticides and fertilizers.  Again, this may seem insignificant when used in your back yard or local sports field but it all adds to the big picture.

1 https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-fertilizers-harm-earth/

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So which mistakes and misplaced assumptions have we encountered most frequently over the last year? The following list should give you some pointers on what to avoid when the time comes to choose your very own artificial grass for tennis.

1. “All artificial grass is the same.”
   
   This misconception is probably the one that occurs most frequently across multiple sports, and is one many UK-based manufacturers are working hard to address. There might be plenty of low-cost imports available on today’s market, but will those products last the 10-15 years a quality tennis turf should? Probably not. And will they meet the approval of the ITF’s testing requirements? That seems highly unlikely too. If the price you’ve been quoted for your new artificial tennis court seems too good to be true, there’s every chance it is. If in doubt, ask your tennis court contractor to name the brand of turf they plan to install, and check the brand’s credentials yourself before giving the project the go-ahead.
    
2. “We just need to make sure we choose a surface made for tennis.”
   
   As recently as a decade ago, you might have been right to assume that all tennis turf options were more or less made equal, but that certainly isn’t the case today. Depending on your needs, you might want to choose a conventional artificial grass, an artificial clay, or even a Multi Use Games Area (MUGA), which is suitable for a number of recreational sports. If you
   need to brush up on the differences between each type, our guide to the different types of tennis court surface is a great place to start.
    
3. “Having an artificial tennis surface means we don’t need to worry about maintenance.”
   
   Most clubs will be used to looking after their natural grass courts. After all, troublesome divots, long grass, and worn markings are all a nightmare for players. Artificial tennis turf will reduce the risk of all of these, but only if the court is looked after properly as a synthetic tennis court should be considered low maintenance, not no maintenance. If you’re thinking about having a new surface installed, why not read our quick tennis court maintenance guide first?

Of course, not every club finds itself making mistakes during the planning or installation of their new tennis courts. Some of the best case studies featuring clubs and schools who have wisely invested in new facilities this year can be found here.

Why not make 2019 the year you give your club some facilities to be truly proud of?

Pick your partner

The first factor in building a tennis court is to carefully choose who you work with. There are lots of companies who are able to build tennis courts, but not all are SAPCA approved. Working with a contractor who has been audited and approved by SAPCA means they are financially stable and have demonstrated the technical expertise, experience and quality to carry out the installation. In fact, most local authorities will only use a SAPCA contractor for this reason, and the Royal Tennis Association has also adopted this as a requirement for any projects they fund too.

The Site

Next, you must find an area of land that is big enough, and in an appropriate position.

For tournament play, the International Tennis Federation (ITF) and Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) advise that a single court should ideally be 36.57m x 18.29m, which includes run-offs of 6.40m at each end and 3.66 on either side. The minimum club court size is 34.75m x 17.07m, however, areas such as public parks may be permitted even further reductions.

Orientation is also crucial. As the sun rises in the East and sets in the West, it is preferable to always have courts running from North to South to avoid the sun causing disruption to play.

Ground Conditions

Once you’ve found the site, the contractors will need to assess the ground condition. Doing so will ensure the foundation is suitably designed with the appropriate depth of sub-base for the type of ground you have. This is outlined in the SAPCA code of practice.

For example, it is widely known that clay soils are one of the worst types as they are prone to swelling when they come into contact with moisture, and also cracking and shrinking when dehydrated. However, it is still possible to build a tennis court on clay ground, you just need to ensure the level of foundation stone below the court meets the depth recommended for this type. Failing to do so could eventually cause undulations and inconsistencies on the playing surface.

Sub-base

The sub-base (foundation) itself should consist of free-draining primary aggregate, such as a Type Three stone.

All overlying topsoil must be excavated and removed down to the underlying sub-soil. The excavated levels then need to be assessed relative to the designed construction depth of the new court and an additional excavation or “Cut and fill” carried out to provide a compacted excavated formation level with designed falls to suit the new court construction. A geotextile membrane is laid at formation level, prior to the sub-base being placed and compacted to finished level tolerance of + 25mm / – 50mm.

As a tennis court is a porous construction, it is also important to include a perimeter drain, below the level within the subsoil. This collects any water that comes through and runs out to a soak away 5-6 metres from the court.

Perimeter Edging

Next, the perimeter of the court is set out to the required dimensions using either precast concrete edgings or block pavers, if preferred.

Post Sockets

Following this, post sockets are installed in a minimum 750mm x 750mm x 600mm concrete foundation to location, level and strict tolerance. The net posts are not installed until the court is fully constructed and surfaced. However, once in place, they should always be slackened when not in use as this will prevent strain on the posts and nets and stop them deteriorating over time.

Fencing

Fence posts are installed flush with the outer face of the court perimeter edging. Traditionally, tennis courts are fenced with chain-link metal. This is popular with players as if the ball hits it will deaden. However, many public facilities are now using weldmesh as it is more robust and requires less maintenance. While it does have a longer life span, it isn’t always a favourite with players as the ball often bounces off it.

Asphalt Surfacing

Now it’s the asphalt layer. Proprietary porous asphalt for a tennis court is generally laid in two layers with a 40mm compacted depth of binder course and a 25mm compacted depth of wearing / surface course, which is finished to strict level tolerances as set out in the SAPCA Code of Practice.

The Carpet

Finally, from artificial clay to synthetic grass, it’s time to lay the tennis turf. For this, the asphalt base should be swept and cleared of any debris so the carpet can be installed and seamed using proprietary seam tape and adhesive. A sand infill should then be applied, in accordance with the manufacturer’s recommendations for the particular synthetic surface being installed.

If you’re considering having an artificial grass tennis court installed, why not read TigerTurf’s guide on finding the right one for you here.

1. Extended play
   Getting maximum use from a sports facility is a common objective for those looking to invest in artificial grass, or upgrade their macadam playground. Synthetic turf is non-slip – even in the rain – meaning that play doesn’t have to end just because of the poor weather. This allows for the sporting facility to accommodate play for a longer period of the academic year.
    
2. Greater versatility
   As the name suggests, a multi-use games area is suitable for many sports such as tennis, netball, football, cricket, and hockey, while flexible netting can be used so that several different sports can be played on the synthetic surface at once. This flexibility ensures that schools maximise their sports offerings in an economical fashion without compromising on much-needed space.
    
3. Hard-wearing and long-lasting
   When investing in a new sports facility, you want to know that you’re buying into quality and longevity. Cross play surfaces such as the Multisport 20, made out of hard-wearing yarns, are designed with sustaining high performance over time in mind. This means that players will continue to benefit from a synthetic surface that performs to their highest expectations for many years to come.
    
4. Additional income
   A MUGA’s utility doesn’t end with providing a safe environment for a school’s pupils, they can be used as an additional revenue stream if rented out to local clubs too. The versatile and professional nature of the synthetic surface can serve to attract numerous sports clubs and local groups to rent out the pitch. As a multi-use games area can be used for multiple sports, there are few limits on the local groups that can make use of the space – this additional income will help to offset any ongoing maintenance costs and keep the facility in perfect shape.
    
5. Easy maintenance
   Unlike natural grass which requires intensive, ongoing maintenance to keep it at a high standard, artificial grass requires much less work to keep it looking and performing at its best. The coloured lines on a MUGA will not fade, come rain or shine, even when exposed to rigorous play. While the synthetic surface is also more resilient making it far less likely to get damaged compared to natural grass.

As long as those investing in a MUGA maintain their pitches correctly, they will continue to have access to an all-weather pitch for the next 10-15 years. So, why not make 2019 the year that you give your club some facilities to be truly proud of?

For more information, why not take a look at our range of multi-sport synthetic turf?

Roy Lavery, TigerTurf framework manager, works closely with the Football Foundation, The FA and Sport England to install artificial grass pitches in communities across the UK.

Most recently, he pioneered a project with Jo Valks at Ealing Borough Council to install five pitches, providing facilities for all ages, genders and abilities, to participate in sport ahead of this summer’s London Youth Games.

Here, they both explain why artificial grass can be a game-changer for communities, making sport accessible to those who wouldn’t normally get the opportunity to take part.

How can artificial grass pitches benefit your local community?

Roy: Providing the right maintenance programme is in place, the number of hours you can play on an artificial grass pitch is significantly higher than a natural pitch.

An artificial turf pitch is accessible throughout the day and into the evening, for a range of sports and activities. Depending on your needs, there’s flexibility in the line marking and netting, so you can transition from a walking football game, to a ‘Back to Hockey’ session through to an ‘A-team’ practice – it’s flexible for all sports and all abilities.

You’re also not limited by weather. Matches and training sessions can carry on whatever the conditions, meaning your facility can confidently provide a packed timetable of activities.

Jo: The artificial pitches at our facilities have allowed us to host trials in the build up to the games for those who live in the local community, both during the day and after school under the flood lights for the 30 sports squads involved in the London Youth Games.

Alongside our usual busy timetable of activities, the pitches have also been available for training on weekends, so our teams can build confidence in their performance.

The durability of artificial grass pitches really does mean more people can play more sport in our facilities.

How can artificial grass pitches benefit your club?

Roy: Increased playing hours equals increased revenue. In the instance of Ealing Borough, and many others, several teams can be accommodated of all ages, to train and play on the pitch all-year-round.

Round-the-clock access also attracts those clubs or individuals who ordinarily wouldn’t have considered using the facilities. This can increase club, school, and community centre profile, and showcases your facilities as the best on offer in your area, attracting talent and giving you an edge over competitors. Basically, the ability for more people to use the artificial grass pitches provides an opportunity for more revenue for the club.  

Jo: We chose artificial grass because we wanted to provide facilities which can cater for the whole community and are available all-year-round. It’s fantastic that we can now meet local demand and provide a jam-packed timetable of activities to suit all ages, genders and abilities – from toddler classes, to grassroots football, through to walking football games for over 60’s.

We now also have the flexibility to run a number of sessions on each pitch at any one time, so we can increase the revenue for the local community facilities.  

How can artificial grass pitches benefit sports players?

Roy: To be the best, you need the best training facilities, and all-weather access means no practices get called off because of unplayable conditions.

TigerTurf’s longer-pile artificial grass, designed with the latest in yarn technology, gives players an experience that’s as close to playing on real grass as you can get, and no matter how often it’s been used – pitch performance stays perfect. You can be confident that whoever uses your facilities will be able to train, or play, at their best, day-after-day.

Jo: It was an absolute must that our pitches were suitable for beginners through to advanced sports players. With artificial grass, we don’t have to worry about goal areas getting muddy, or certain parts of the pitch getting worn – with correct maintenance, our pitches remain of the highest quality game after game.

Contact us to talk about installing a TigerTurf pitch at your community facility, or follow Ealing Borough’s success journey through the London Youth Games.

But this hasn’t always been the case. Artificial grass still faces criticism with long-held beliefs that it isn’t ‘on-par’ with playing on a real grass surface – usually due to a bad playing experience on first and second generation ‘AstroTurf Pitches’ back in the 1990’s.

“In 2019, it’s a whole other ball game,” says David Hook, TigerTurf national sales manager.

Advancements in artificial grass technology

David explains that the artificial grass pitches being manufactured and installed now, are as close to real grass as you can get.

“Historically there’s been concern that artificial grass pitches are hard on impact and ‘carpet like’, resulting in players not being able to perform. This isn’t the case today.

“TigerTurf’s technological advancements in manufacturing artificial grass has led to yarn developments which now mimic real grass. For example, when under pressure, the yarn in our Premier Pro 3G product twists and bends, like grass would, to create a bounce-back action which doesn’t result in weak points in the fibre.

“This creates an experience more reflective of what a real pitch delivers, giving players the opportunity to ready themselves for the exact playing conditions they’re going to experience on match day.”

Reduced risk to injury

David addresses another concern with artificial pitches – a perception of heightened injury risk.

“There’s a preconceived idea that these pitches are hard under foot, resulting in high-impact joint injuries. Again, this isn’t the case. Research in the British Journal of Sports Medicine concluding there’s no evidence of a greater risk of injury when football was played on artificial turf compared with natural grass.

“There are several layers to the base of a 3G pitch, including shock-pad layers and rubber crumb infill, to emulate real grass. This provides a cushioning effect ensuring shock absorption and creates a smooth, level and sturdy playing surface, actually reducing the chance of injury. Each base can be designed specifically for different sports.”

An all-weather pitch

“The base layers in an artificial grass pitch also contain optimum drainage, so regardless of the weather, training and matches can continue without concern over muddy, water-logged pitches that will take days to recover,” adds David.

“Artificial grass pitches pay their way during the winter months. Colder temperatures can result in hard, frozen grass pitches, but artificial grass provides a surface for players to train on which is the same as during the summer months.”

Artificial grass pitch in-action

From a coach’s perspective, Cirencester Town FC academy manager, Ross Langworthy, says the club’s artificial grass pitch has improved player performance.

“Previously, we weren’t able to train daily on the main pitch, particularly if there’d been a match the night before, or if we’d experienced heavy rain. But now we have daily sessions where my players can play fast-paced football, emulating match experiences, so they’re ready for every game.

“Having personally played on ‘older style’ artificial turf, I did worry that it wouldn’t be as good as the real thing, but the 3G pitch we have now is the closest to real grass my players could play on. They have confidence to trust the surface, to use it as they would real grass but with smoother movements of the ball – creating great passes of play.

“We’re massively benefitting from being able to train in all conditions, as often as we like and at all times of year, with the rewards being shown in our match performances.”

Looking to the future of 3G, David adds that innovation is only likely to continue. “I’m excited to see how we can continue to make advancements in artificial grass pitches, moving to the next generation of surfaces to allow players to perform at their best – so watch this space.”

To talk to David about installing a TigerTurf pitch at your community facility, contact us.

Installing an artificial grass pitch is a massive investment for any club, and requires a solid business case for how the pitch can pay back the pennies.

For Cirencester Town FC, the potential of creating a new revenue stream through increasing the number of teams able to play on the pitch, and hiring it out to local third-parties, attracted them to invest in a new full-sized 3G pitch.  

Artificial grass pitches deliver a return on investment

Scott Griffin, Cirencester Town FC football secretary, says the biggest attraction of having a 3G pitch at the club was the potential for additional revenue from other clubs.

“The 3G pitch has brought an extra £40k to our club since installation in 2017,” says Scott.  

“TigerTurf has a reputation for high class pitches, which other clubs are attracted to come and use. We now have an extra 16 teams outside of the club who regularly use the surface.

“We had to estimate the possible expected hours that we could use the 3G pitch for, but until it’s actually in use you don’t realise how big an impact it has on the club and the community.

“Our Premier Pro surface is better than any other 3G grass, so clubs are actually prepared to travel further afield just to train and play at our facility.”

Artificial grass pitches allow for increased playing hours

“Our club motto is ‘providing football for all’, so we make our facilities available to teams to train and compete on the pitch whenever they can,” says Scott.  

On the previous real grass pitch, Scott explains the club only had around four hours of play per week, meaning it was kept for senior team matches on the weekend.

“With the new artificial grass pitch, we have up to 60 hours of play, whatever the weather. This means over a weekend we can have as many as six games taking place.

“What’s more, we used to have to cancel fixtures if the weather was poor, losing us revenue, but now this isn’t the case.

“Training time has also increased. We couldn’t train on our natural stadium grass, but now we have up to 28 hours per week of training time for all the teams at Cirencester Town FC.”

Benefits of installing an artificial grass pitch to a football club’s development

Since installing Premier Pro, Scott explains the club has been able to increase the number of teams it has, because of their reputation for high quality facilities.

“Since we’ve had the new pitch, our junior teams have flourished with new players attracted to the club and new teams being established. We now have 20 youth teams which offers football to over 250 children, alongside our three adult sides.

“Our artificial grass pitch has revolutionised the club – it was definitely worth the investment.”

Contact us to talk about installing a TigerTurf pitch at your community facility.