NEW OPENING
PITCH CARE
T
he sport pitch terrace construc- can withstand dry conditions and does
tion by Spade Oak – comprising not require much fertiliser. Once the
two full-sized synthetic football/ sward had established, 9,500m (31,200sq
rugby pitches (a 3G Tiger Turf Soccer ft) of land drainage was installed along
Real and a Tiger Turf Evolution), two with a further 37,000m (121,400sq ft)
junior football pitches and a cricket of sand slits to ensure the surface was
square – took almost two years’ to well drained and can be used even in
complete due to exceptionally wet sum- very wet weather. The turf surface then
mers in 2007 and 2008. The company received another 1,000 tons of sand to
Above: The eight-court combined sports hall also constructed eight porous macadam ensure an even playing surface.
has a 822 seating capacity. Below: Surrey tennis courts, three of which are also A new irrigation system has also been
Storm netball team is based at the park line-marked as netball courts. installed, which will allow the ground
Work on the 40,000sq m (131,233sq ft) staff to use large self travelling irriga-
Anyone who can look at a building pitch area started with stripping off the tors in dry weather. This will be es-
site – which is what the Surrey Sports topsoil and then loading the subsoil and sential for renovating the pitches after
Park is at time of writing – and visualise spoil to form the sub base level , which tournaments and at the end of season.
so clearly and passionately its amazing had to be heavily compacted to prevent The university ground staff took over
potential, is a pretty driven individual. future settlement. The topsoil was then the maintenance in November 2009, as
Yet Harborow envisages a future exactly re-spread over the area and laser lev- Spade Oak was responsible for the first
like this for the park. “We have a facility elled. Due to the heavy clay content and year’s maintenance. The ground staff are
unlike any other in the country. One that high percentage of flint in the top soil, highly trained in all aspects of turf care
combines high quality places for people it required a great deal of preparation to and ongoing work will include mowing,
to play sport – both indoors and out- avoid potential flint injury to players. fertilising, aeration, weed control, pitch
doors. Lots offer one or the other, but Sand was then spread on the top soil marking and improving the sward cover
not many do both,” he explains. and incorporated into the surface with with further dressings of sand to main-
The former Liverpool Culture Com- specialist machinery. Fertiliser was tain and improve the surface levels.
pany CEO is determined to use his sports applied and the area had a final light Modern grass seed mixtures, material,
business knowledge to attract the best cultivation and level adjustment. A line marking compounds and mainte-
corporate partners and sponsors. Now hard-wearing mixture of red fescue and nance techniques will be used to ensure
responsible for managing the 2010 rye grass seed mix was then sown; as it the facilities are kept to a high standard.
Women’s Rugby League World Cup
at the site, Harborow was previously
the Manchester 2002 Commonwealth
Our facility combines quality places to play sport, both indoors
Games; commercial general manag-
er, Wigan FC’s JJB Stadium operations
and out. Lots offer one or the other but not many do both
director, centre manager for Europa
Pools and general manager at the Robin 5am to midnight, so lots of people can volleyball and can be used as a high per-
Park Arena and Sports Centre. He has a use it at whatever time they want.” formance indoor cricket coaching centre.
straightforward solution to the issue of The swimming pool is big enough to
conflicting interests when deciding who Featured facilities host regional competitions and national
will use what and when. Four glass-backed squash courts sit training; a traversable boom separates
“It’s simple,” he says. “The park is big alongside two major show courts, the pool into two sections. In the first, a
and will be open 350 days a year from where there is seating for 160 specta- moveable floor makes an ideal surface for
tors. Across the walkway waterpolo because it can be set to a 2m
there are three multi-pur- depth all over with no shallow end, and
pose sports halls, two of assists swimmers’ training times because,
which can be combined to says Harborow: “the deeper the pool the
make an eight-court hall faster the time.” He says the Guildford
with 822 Bleacher seats City Swim Squad will use the pool and
available should a top bas- a synchronised swimming club and water
ketball or netball event polo team has also shown interest in us-
come to the park. With ing the facility. “There are enough seats,
sprung Junkers floors, the about 100, for regional events. We’re
halls reach international not looking to attract national competi-
specification for netball tions, but we do want top swimmers
and basketball and the to train here,” he says.
walls in the smaller hall Mark Foster believes that the pool will
have been painted blue have a significant impact on the devel-
for high-performance opment of British swimming. “Facilities
badminton. The halls of this standard are absolutely essential
also cater for mar- to enable swimmers of all levels to reach
tial arts, table tennis, their full potential,” he says. “I did my
Issue 1 2010 © cybertrek 2010 Read Sports Management online sportsmanagement.co.uk/digital 31
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