3G PITCH installation AT THE CORINIUM STADIUM.

McArdle Sport Tec install the UK’s first Premier Pro 60 3G Pitch for Cirencester Town Football Club.

McArdle Sport Tec were delighted to work in partnership with TigerTurf on another successful Football Foundation project, installing the UK’s first FIFA Quality Turf, Premier Pro 60 3G pitch for Cirencester Town Football Club.

The club’s original natural grass pitch, based at The Corinium Stadium, proved itself to be unreliable and prone to waterlogging. Training and games were frequently postponed due to poor ground conditions. The new 106 x 70m 3G playing surface will allow improved flexibility and reassurance over the winter months for matches and training.

Cirencester Town FC successfully received a grant from the Premier League and The FA Facilities Fund for £369,383. The Centurions also secured sponsorship from the club’s chairman, and Cirencester College over a two-year period. The grants and additional funding allowed the club to replace the natural turf, into an artificial grass installation.

The club, whose motto is incidentally “Providing Football for all”, compiled a five-year Football Development Plan with Gloucestershire FA and the Football Foundation. The five-year strategy outlines the plan to increase the numbers of players and intended use of the pitch. The club will introduce 10 new teams to boost the participating numbers, including a number of junior girls teams to increase the numbers of female players.

Nigel Robbins, Mayor of Cirencester, officially opened the club’s 3G Pitch on Sunday the 27th August. The Centurions were also delighted to welcome Matthew Boucher (Football Development Manager for Gloucestershire FA) and the Football Foundation’s Club Chairman, Steve Abbley, to the official opening ceremony.

A recent Twitter post via the club’s official page @CirenTownFC commended both McArdle and TigerTurf:

“Our all weather pitch is one of a kind thanks to the generosity of TigerTurf, who offered us the opportunity to be the first club in the country to upgrade our pitch by using their new 3G FIFA Quality Turf Premier Pro 60 product. TigerTurf are the UK’s leading artificial grass manufacturer, and together with sports pitch construction experts McArdle Sport Tec installed the first ever Premier Pro 60 pitch in the UK here at the Corinium Stadium. Our new artificial grass pitch boasts the latest synthetic grass yarn technology, combined with sand and PRO-Gran, a new infill product developed by Murfitt’s Industries, the system will offer unrivalled playability, durability and safety. The artificial surface is considered to have similar play characteristics to a natural grass surface and is tested annually to ensure it meets the exacting standards as set out by the FA and FIFA”.

Daren Hibbert, Technical Manager at TigerTurf UK, explains why Premier Pro stands out from other synthetic sports surfaces:

“The technology behind Premier Pro is what sets this product apart from other 3G surfaces. The polymer and profile of the yarn is superior to those used in regular 3G products, therefore offering unrivalled performance and durability. The pile in other 3G yarns can become exposed after use, creating a weak point in the fibre where it can bend, weaken and eventually break under pressure. We designed the profile of the 3DN XL yarn to remove those weak points. An entirely new shape was developed, so when force is applied, such as a player’s footstep, the new yarn acts like a spring. The yarn twists and distributes the pressure through the entire length of the fibre, rather than one localised point, meaning the yarn is able to retain its memory and remain upright.”