CONSULTANCY
From putting together a 2018 Commonwealth Games bid to preparing Abu Dhabi for the fi rst premier league rugby game outside the UK, three leisure consultants tell us about their most interesting recent projects
PROLEISURE
PREPARING THE PITCH FOR THE LONDON WASPS V HARLEQUINS RUGBY, ABU DHABI
O
n the 30 January 2011, the Emirates Palace Hotel and the Emirate of Abu Dhabi
played host to the LV Cup match between the London Wasps and the Harlequins. This was the fi rst time a Premier League Rugby game had been played outside of the UK. Proleisure was asked to help by using its expertise and its Pro Pitch System to ensure that the foot- ball pitch that had been built in the grounds of the Emirates Palace in 2009 for the FIFA Club World Cup Tournament could be converted to host rugby. Part of Proleisure’s brief involved ensuring that the converted pitch met all the Premier League and International Rugby Board Standards. The Pro Pitch System was used to objectively measure the quality of the pitch during its development and prior to the match. Pro Pitch is a unique tool that quality-assures a pitch to estab- lished standards in three categories – playing standards, construction and herbage. There are 21 tests across the three categories that produce a star rating for the pitch. Proleisure’s aim was to achieve the top rating of
52 The pitch was
originally built for the FIFA Club World Cup UAE 2009 (right)
fi ve stars for the Emirates Palace Hotel pitch. Proleisure’s role included the purchasing, exporting and installing of equipment; setting the dimensions of the pitch and marking it out to meet standards of play and media; and ensuring the fl oodlights met HDTV requirements. Proleisure was also responsible for ensuring that the player welfare areas were fi t for purpose and included suitable chang- ing rooms, medical areas, drug testing areas and match offi cial rooms, and that staff were accommodated appro- priately within the grandstand. The team on the ground had 25 days to transform the football pitch in the gardens of the Emirates Palace Hotel. Local partners were sourced, and with guidance from the Premier League, the London Wasps and Fast Trak as well as input from stakehold-
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ers, the pitch was transformed within the time frame. To add to the complex- ity of the project, all the stakeholders were in different parts of the world. The stakeholders met face to face for the fi rst time three days before the match, however in the month leading up to it there was constant communi- cation between them. The pitch received a fi ve star rating and 5,000 fans watched the match. Proleisure’s leisure portfolio con- tinues to grow. Having worked with a number of clients to accelerate mem- bership sales in 2010, the consultancy started work on several new projects in January. One particularly successful project saw an increase in sales of 40 per cent year on year at a large single site operated by a leisure trust.
ISSUE 2 2011 © cybertrek 2011
A HELPING HAND
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