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By Chris Bassett in Synthetics on 20th Nov 2008 12:00
Synthetic pitch maintenance specialists Technical Surfaces have secured a major industry coup, winning the maintenance contract for the FIFA 2* approved artificial Ligaturf pitch at Welsh Premier League club The New Saints FC.
The Leicester-based firm is no stranger to the intricacies of the FIFA 2* accreditation: in October 2007 their efforts and expertise at Saltley Leisure Centre in Birmingham were rewarded when FIFA confirmed that the 2* artificial pitch on site had passed the rigorous testing process for a second year running, which is no mean feat when one considers the strict requirements involved in upholding this prestigious status.
There are currently very few synthetic sports surfaces in the UK that can boast FIFA 2* status, which, if granted, bestows on a facility a standard of artificial grass high enough to host UEFA Champions League matches and FIFA final round competitions. To The New Saints, a club frequently there or there-abouts at the top of the Welsh Premier League, an artificial surface of this quality was vital in granting them the assurance they needed of a pitch that could potentially host high-profile European fixtures. Moreover, the grounds staff at the club recognised that it was not enough simply to secure a FIFA 2* pitch; to keep it up to standard they would need to implement a maintenance package that could help the surface withstand season after season of football matches in Wales's top division.
When investigating the maintenance options available to them, club representatives visited Saltley Leisure Centre to see how a synthetic pitch could best sustain its FIFA 2* status, and they were impressed by what they saw: an artificial sports pitch that was the end product of a programme of expert maintenance by Technical Surfaces, coupled with a quality installation by Polytan Sports Surfaces and an in-house dedication to carrying out weekly drag brushing. With two out of the three necessary requirements already in place, all that remained for The New Saints was to secure the services of the UK's leading synthetic pitch maintenance company…
"It is crucial that our playing surface is maintained to a very high level," explains Ian Williams, General Manager of The New Saints; "therefore, we are pleased to have Technical Surfaces looking after our facility and carrying out the regular maintenance."
With talk of the 2010 World Cup in South Africa being played on artificial pitches, and the growing endorsement of synthetic turf at every level by football's international governing body, Technical Surfaces are proud to be at the very forefront of FIFA 2* pitch maintenance in the UK, pioneering the new wave of synthetic pitch care for many years to come.
For further information, please call Technical Surfaces' National Office on 08702 400 700 or visit www.technicalsurfaces.co.uk
Read more articles in Synthetics, by Chris Bassett or from November 2008.
