New Artificial Pitch Unveiled at Westwood Road in Major Boost to Grassroots Game
Works began in March 2021 and saw the complete overhaul of the existing stadium pitch at Westwood Road with a brand new FIFA Quality Pro 8,000 sq/m world-class artificial pitch. The new facility comprises a state-of the art full-size playing surface replacing the existing natural grass field, allowing the club to provide outstanding training and competition facilities that can be played all year round.
The chosen surfacing solution: 8,000 sq/m 50mm SUPERB artificial carpet on a high density performance shock pad, sat atop a complete drainage system and stone base. The project has also seen the installation of a new perimeter fence, and the lighting has also been upgraded to LED floodlights which means the spillage is a lot less and there is less wattage.
“We were approached by the Board of St Ives Town FC to present our solution to the club for resurfacing their stadium pitch. The club are very active in their community and as a result they have a number of sponsors that could, and wanted to provide relevant resources to support this project.
We at PST listened and accommodated all stakeholders and the result is a pitch that the whole community and user groups can be proud of. The Club were engaged from the very start and we believe that we will work with the club for many more years in supporting their continued development”
KENNY ABBOTT, SALES DIRECTOR, PST SPORT
New pitch at St Ives: Heartbeat of the Club & a Huge Asset to the Local Community
The new stadium pitch which meets FIFA Quality Pro standards is one of the best surfaces in Europe. It’s a massive step forward for St Ives Town FC and will contribute significantly to the overall development of sport in the community.
Over the previous couple of seasons, the club had to cancel fixtures and turn players and teams away as they could not support the additional use on the club’s old grass pitch, which historically had issues with draining in the winter months. The reality is that with grass, you are going to lose matches, training and commercial opportunities to the weather. The ability to train, and play, consistently on a top-class surface will give players that extra edge, maximising the use of the club’s facilities.
St Ives: Reaping the Benefits
St Ives Town FC are already reaping the benefits of the world-class playing surface. The new 3G pitch will enable the club to provide outstanding training and competition facilities that can be played year-round. The facility will not only host St Ives Town FC, but act as a sports hub for the entire community. All 11 teams can be accommodated as well as hiring out the facility, which is set to become the main revenue stream for the club.
“At the start of this whole process we were very clear of what we wanted to achieve in terms of end product and how this project would really benefit the club and local community for many years to come. We wanted a real top quality, state-of-the-art, market leading surface including shock pad together with all associated works of the same high standard. What we were very uncertain of was which partner we could work with to deliver this for us.
At this point a contact of ours recommended that we talk to PST Sport based on their fantastic experience of working with them. Following initial discussions with Kenny and the PST team it was obvious to all of us at the club that they were the partner we wanted to engage with. Their advice, professionalism, innovative approach, understanding of what we wanted and top quality, market leading products/service was exactly what we were looking for.
Fast forward to the end of the project and we have exactly the new market leading, top-quality, professional facility we envisaged. Delivered by PST. Like ourselves, they really value a long-standing relationship and working partnership. We very much look forward to working with PST for many years to come.”
GARY CLARKE, CHAIRMAN
PAUL REASON, DIRECTOR
MARK TAYLOR, COMMERCIAL DIRECTOR
The Latest in Third Generation Design
The entire natural grass surface was removed from site and re-used by a club sponsor. The new sub formation was subject to a full under pitch drainage system before being topped by a modified subbase stone, designed to store and control the release of the surface water. All subbase layers were tested to exacting standards prior to the new synthetic surfacing system being installed.
Innovative Sports Turf Technology
Our Superb synthetic turf system offers superior play characteristics providing the ultimate football experience. The unique diamond shaped yarn ensures the blades stay standing upright, giving a ball roll that is as close to a high-quality natural turf pitch as possible. Superb is manufactured using the C8 polymer, the market leading yarn in artificial & sports grass worldwide. C8 is a purer polymer making the fibres extremely soft to touch yet incredibly durable and exceptionally resilient.
St Ives Town v Hitchin Town – 19th October 2021
“St Ives Town FC ran out 1-0 winners in their local derby with Hitchin Town FC on the newly laid artificial pitch. The game played out in torrential rain at times, was end to end and a very good spectacle to watch. The 50mm SUPERB carpet played magnificently well and absorbed the heavy rainfall without any danger of the game being called off as in the past before the artificial pitch was laid.
The club are reaping the benefits of the local community using the pitch, as-well as the academy who train daily and play midweek Wednesday fixtures. As an ex semi-professional footballer, coach and manager I would have loved to have played on such a great surface.
The pitch not only played true but encouraged players to show off their technical ability. Chairman Gary Clark was a happy man following another 3 points and a decent crowd watching on a wet Tuesday evening. All is looking good for the future of St Ives Town Football Club.”
COLIN PAYNE, PROJECT MANAGER, PST SPORT
How PST Sport Can Help You
PST Sport design, construct and maintain the most technologically advanced artificial grass pitches, both green field sites and re-turfing older pitches. We deliver world-class sports surfaces for clubs, allowing players at all levels to perform to the highest level all year round, maximising clubs’ investment, and in turn success.
If you have a project you would like to discuss we would love the opportunity to meet with you to see if we can help in any way – CONTACT US