Bristol City’s fibrelastic pitch has recently completed its second full season. Head Groundsman, Craig Richardson, explains how the decision to install it was taken and the benefits that the system offers
SOFT SELL ... N
ow into its second year of play, Bristol City’s Fibrelastic pitch is still wooing the players who enjoy the benefits of better traction and a softer, more resilient surface to play on. The club first considered using
Fibrelastic in September 2006 after seeing results from the initial trials carried out on the new product by the STRI. Head Groundsman, Craig Richardson, then visited the trial grounds at Bingley in West Yorkshire with his Managing Director, Doug Harman, and Group Chief Executive, Colin Sexstone in February 2007. There they met met Steve Baker, the STRI’s Head of Soils and Sports Surface Science. Needless to say, they were impressed with what they saw.
The fact that they would get extra
resilience, increased traction and a softer playing surface was of great interest. After a number of meetings the club chose to go ahead and install Fibrelastic for the 2007/08 season. A typical Fibrelastic Rootzone
(FERTZ) comprises 80% by volume 110 The four components of FERTZ are:
Sand: The sand gives the pitch its free draining characteristics, enabling any surface water after heavy rain to disappear rapidly.
Organic matter (OM): OM provides the nutrient source vital for healthy grass growth.
Polypropylene fibres: Rigid staple fibres (35mm in length) randomly spread throughout the profile impart three dimensional strength and provide stability.
Elastane Fibres: Soft flexible fibres of varying length, and present in significantly greater numbers than the polypropylene fibres, act principally to absorb the impact energy at the surface of the pitch.
Craig was already managing a fibresand pitch at Bristol City, and was keen to learn more about the elastic properties of the new fibre and what it offered in terms of pitch
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sand and 20% by volume organic matter (soil and/or compost), reinforced with both polypropylene and elastane fibres.
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