Balfron High School

Balfron High School wanted the latest artificial grass technology

Having accumulated 17 years of usage, the school’s primary sports surface had begun to pose risks to those using it. Flooding and freezing had become common, which not only raised doubts over the suitability of the surface for the school’s players, but had also become the main cause for cancelled sessions throughout the winter months.

Given the local community’s dependency on the facility for a range of activities, it was decided that a short pile 3G surface would better suit the needs of those frequent users – specifically local football and hockey clubs.

The latest technology

Balfron’s facilities management company, Bellrock FM, was eager to ensure the school and its 850 pupils could take advantage of the latest artificial grass technology, not least because of how much artificial sports pitches had advanced in nearly two decades. Having already installed TigerTurf surfaces at other projects across the UK, Bellrock FM was keen to use this familiarity and established relationship to benefit the project at Balfron High School. Following a competitive tender process, Scottish-based specialist, Ecosse Sports, was chosen as the preferred contractor.

Having taken into account the needs of both the school and clubs from the local area, TigerTurf’s Premier Pro 40 surface was chosen as the perfect surface for the new pitch. Boasting the FIFA Quality Pro mark, which demonstrates its durability, resistance, safety and performance, the surface is suitable for players at club and school level looking to develop their skills on a consistent, all-weather pitch.

No more flooding & freezing

Since the installation of the new 6,358m2 facility, improved drainage has made regular flooding and freezing a thing of the past – leading to a noticeable increase in sessions. As well as being used by the school for 10 classes during the week, the new pitch is also used for evening training sessions by the local rugby club, and a number of football and hockey teams.

Neil Macquarrie, Head of PE at Balfron High School, commented: “We’re in the fortunate position of having 56% of our pupils engaged in extracurricular sport, which made our choice of playing surface a very important decision. Thankfully, our new pitch not only gives us a much improved surface to hone our pupils’ skills on, but it also means we are nowhere near as prone to the elements during the winter months.”

Martyn Scott of Bellrock FM added: “We are absolutely delighted with the new 3G surface at Balfron High School. The project was delivered professionally and effectively by Ecosse Sports and it is comforting to know that the product installed is the latest 3G technology, produced by a reputable UK-based manufacturer.”