Marden Hockey & Cricket Club

McArdle Sport Tec install two new sand-dressed hockey pitches, tennis courts and cricket facilities.

McArdle Sport Tec were awarded a competitive tender through TGMS to construct two new sand-dressed hockey pitches, cricket ground facilities and tennis courts at Marden Hockey and Cricket Club.

The sand-dressed hockey pitches meet BS EN 15330 and the FIH National Standards.

The ‘Fédération Internationale de Hockey’, commonly known by the acronym FIH, is the international governing body of field hockey and indoor field hockey. The FIH developed an internationally recognised quality-assurance programme – the FIH Quality Programme for Hockey Turf.

The programme provides consistent and dependable industry standards and ensures the appropriate quality of performance for the intended level of play.

The FIH certifies four different categories of hockey fields:

1. FIH Category 1 (previously known as Global Elite): non-filled water-based surfaces that are primarily used for FIH World Level International Competitions

2. FIH Category 2 (previously known as Global): non-filled water-based surfaces that are primarily used for lower level international and top level national competitions

3. FIH Category 3 (previously known as National): normally sand-dressed or sand-filled surfaces designed primarily for hockey. This category of surface is normally used for lower level national, regional and club play.

4. FIH Category 4 (previously known as Multi-Sport): surfaces designed for a number of sports and on which basic community and development level hockey can be played.

FIH Certified Fields are independently tested by an FIH Accredited Test Institute to ensure they meet the requirements of the FIH Quality Programme. Tests include measurements of how the ball interacts with the playing surface, verification that adequate comfort and performance is being provided to ensure the well-being and protection of players, and checks to confirm the field has been built to the correct dimensions, line marking, slope and surface drainage.

The hockey pitches were built using TigerTurf’s 18mm Evo Pro carpet in a stunning dark green with light green surrounds, laid upon a 15mm in-situ SBR shock pad; new fencing and floodlights complete the facilities. The tennis courts have been finished with royal blue surrounded with dark green. New fencing and floodlights have also been installed, providing the community with a social area for training and games practice. The cricket club also benefit from a new two lane 30m practice area.