STADIA AND ARENA
Turf choice According to Westway, the pitch surface was established by seeding with perenni- al ryegrass onto a fibre-reinforced sandy rootzone. “The type of reinforcement used was Fibrelastic – produced by the Mansfield Sand Company. It comprises a mixture of polypropylene and elastane fibres, it has previously been tested in trials carried out by STRI and has dem- onstrated that it provided pitches with a much more player-friendly surface, with less jarring of the limbs and a lower risk of injury. It is also less prone to surface disturbance, giving ball players a bet- ter grip. This form of reinforcement was particularly well-suited to the intended dual use of the pitch for international rugby and football fixtures,” he explains.
Performance testing On the main stadium pitch, performance testing was carried out at the end of the establishment period to check the quality of the playing surface. The main parameters assessed were grass cover, volumetric moisture content, hardness, ball rebound, infiltration, penetration depth, traction and root depth. With the information obtained used as a back- ground to management decisions as the pitch was brought into use. “On the external synthetic turf pitch
an independent testing house was en- gaged by the contractor to assess the performance of the finished playing sur- face, conducted to International Rugby Board (IRB) test standards,” Westway explains. “On this pitch, performance cri- teria ball rebound, slip resistance, shock
Above: STRI assessed the light availability over the pitch surface and made site visits to monitor construction progress (right)
absorption and surface regularity were measured and the playing surface passed on all the criteria tested.”
Maintaining quality A maintenance programme involving routine mowing, fertilizer applications, irrigation, aeration, brushing/scarifying and after-match pitch repairs is currently being carried out. However, Westway says that additional maintenance will in- clude the use of lighting rigs to support grass growth on the more shaded parts of the pitch during the winter period and the under-soil heating system will also be employed as and when required to keep the pitch in playable condition.
Multi-use issues Westway says the main issue which will affect the overall quality of the stadium’s playing surface is the holding of music concerts and the need to build a stage at one end of the pitch. “While the main part of the pitch surface can be largely preserved, using standard pitch protec- tion materials, the construction of the stage can cause a lot of damage to the pitch surface,” he explains. “This usually involves covering the
UP IN LIGHTS M
ost stadia projects are single sport facilities, so having both rugby and football games in a national stadium was an unusual project for Musco Lighting. In addition, its residential location also required carefully or-
chestrated equipment deliveries to avoid traffic snarls in the area. The general floodlighting specification called for 2,500 lux in a horizon-
tal plane and 2,000 lux to the main camera locations, while the unique design within the stadium called for exact placement of the lighting fixtures to avoid structural components located in front of them. The translucency of the roof also called for careful lighting design with regards
to environmental issues. However, Musco’s specialised aiming process allowed pre- cision to 1/10 of a degree – assuring that the light is focused on the playing area. An added benefit is the guarantee of constant light over the life of the lamps
and a standard warranty that covers parts and labour for a 10-year period. 42 Read Sports Management online
sportsmanagement.co.uk/digital
stage area with heavy duty track sheeting which compresses the turf and prevents sunlight reaching the surface. If left in place for several days or more, it can damage the grass cover. Once a concert has finished, it often takes several days to completely clear the stadium arena and, depending on how long the turf has been covered and the amount of com- pression the surface has received, there may be damage to the pitch surface. “In the worst-case scenario, any
damaged sections will need to be returfed, but the preferred option is to intensively aerate, scarify and over- seed the existing turf. The type of renovation carried out will depend upon the time available between the concert finishing and the next sporting event to be held in the stadium. “We work closely with the stadia and
event management to ensure minimum damage to the pitch and effectively manage the pitch back to high quality – often in tight timescales,” Vickers says. ●
Issue 1 2011 © cybertrek 2011
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