Sports | STRI
Sports turf management is a scientific business which top clubs around the world are keen to capitalise on.
Sporting Chance
STRI test new grasses and cultivars for Wimbledon at their Bingley research centre I
magine you were asked: ‘Where would you find the best sports surface in the world?’ You probably wouldn’t answer ‘Bingley, Yorkshire’. But that is where you will find many world- leading sports surfaces, with the same quality turf and first-rate performance as some of the most iconic sports venues, such as Wimbledon, World Cup stadia and St Andrews Golf Club.
And why Bingley? Because that is where STRI (Sports Turf Research Institute), the world-leading sports turf consultancy is based, up a winding track in the grounds of the St Ives Estate in the Aire Valley in Yorkshire. This is where the best soil scientists in the world work, researching and testing the best ways to grow grass, all striving to achieve optimal performance on a myriad of different sports surfaces. For each different sport you will find a segmented and defined area within STRI’s research grounds; an expanse of grass covering eight hectares, with hundreds of species of grass. In the middle of this expanse is a replica of the Centre Court at Wimbledon, where new grasses and cultivars are tested before they are grown on the courts in London, and the surface worn by machines replicating the action of trainers on the tennis court. All of this is done to develop the best quality and most durable surface fit for one of the world’s top sporting tournaments.
Many other sports fans across the globe will have experienced STRI’s influence in the world of turf in one way or another. They consult for football’s governing bodies, FIFA and UEFA, The R&A for golf and The British Open Championship, International Olympic Committees and, of course, Wimbledon for tennis. The STRI team are currently working in Brazil, overseeing the development of the World Cup stadium pitches and all the teams’ training pitches. STRI was established way back in 1929 to provide research and advisory services for golf clubs on their golf greens and courses. By the 1950s, STRI had clearly established a reputation as the leading company in Europe for providing advice and research on new products and techniques for managing sports turf, not just for golf but for all types of sports surfaces and amenity grass areas. The last two decades have seen growth on an international scale for STRI, where they are now delivering a full range of design, consultancy and research services across a global client base of around 2,100 sports clubs and facilities each year. Their clients span across 51 countries throughout Europe, Asia, Africa, North & South America, the Middle East and Australia, and in 2013 STRI opened
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a new research facility and office in Brisbane, Australia to further support the research and development of turfgrass for the Australia and Asia regions. This facility, combined with their
headquarters in the UK, and an international team of 74 confirms STRI as the largest sports surfaces consultancy in the world. One recent development has been the STRI Trueness Meter™, which was developed to accurately measure the smoothness and trueness of golf greens. This new and innovative technology tracks (through extremely accurate and precise measurements) the vertical and lateral movements of golf balls across the surface of the course. The STRI Trueness Meter™ has now measured more than 2,500 greens across the world and is used annually by The R&A in all Open Championships. This forward-thinking attitude has created a demand for STRI’s services in all types of clients, including sports governing bodies, stadium architects and contractors, sports club owners and facilities managers, local authorities and schools. But the goal for STRI remains the same, no matter the type of client, no matter how big or small the project; to make sure the grass is as good as it can be.
GO
FURTHER INFORMATION Tel: +44 (0)1274 565131 Email:
info@striglobal.com
global-opportunity.co.uk
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