The Sky's the limit for Notts Sport's new 3G Pitch Service
Leading sports surfacing specialist Notts Sport celebrated the official launch of a new state-of-the-art third generation pitch system with a football match featuring stars from Sky Sports.
The seven-a-side game took place on the new Notts Sport 3G pitch at Charters School in Sunningdale, Berkshire, with Jim Rosenthal, Martin Tyler and Geoff Shreeves among the Sky Sports team, playing a team from Charters specialist sports and science college and Charters Leisure Centre.
They put the 61m x 41m FIFA 1* approved synthetic pitch through its paces, and confirmed that the facility 'plays like natural grass' and will be a vital and much-loved resource for students and leisure centre users alike.
The project, for the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead, saw Notts Sport act as planning agent for the local authority, working up a number of designs for different locations within the borough, and providing a cost analysis of each.
This preliminary work over a two-year period was carried out 'at risk' by Notts Sport, with no upfront fee for the council to pay. On selecting the scheme at the Charters School site, the council only needed to meet the costs of materials supplied by Notts Sport, and installation of the 3G pitch system by Notts Sport approved installer, S & C Slatter.
The Charters School pitch is the fourth Notts Sport facility for Windsor and Maidenhead, with the local authority already impressed by its twin five-a-side 3G football/rugby pitches at Braywick Park and Sports Centre, and a multi-use games area at Windsor Leisure Centre.
Kevin Mist, Head of Leisure for the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead, said: "We've worked with Notts Sport on a number of projects and have found the company's Design & Advisory service a very effective way of delivering high-quality facilities for our residents.
"The facility at Charters School is a very rewarding project for everyone involved, because it is being used by the local community during evenings and weekends, and by students at the specialist sports and science college during the day."
Notts Sport's surfaces offer the durability for intensive use, with floodlighting for evenings plus fencing and caging as an option.
Shaun Patrick, Chairman of Notts Sport, said: "We're always delighted to see one of our new facilities in use, and in this case it's particularly satisfying after meeting stringent planning criteria for the facility to be positioned within a green belt area.
"Our Design & Advisory service provides guidance and full project management as required, from identifying potential sites through to gaining planning approval and providing pitch aftercare. This is what sets us apart from other synthetic surfacing suppliers, and why local authority and private sector clients regularly return to us to look after their sports and leisure needs."
With 26 years of experience designing, advising on and supplying artificial surfacing systems for a range of activities, Notts Sport is an ideal project manager.
The unique Notts Sport service proposal means that customers can benefit from the company's development and design expertise without incurring any upfront fees. This gives customers the best chance possible of securing planning and external consents, while safe in the knowledge that their installation will be completed to the highest standards possible.