Czech This Out: Notts Sport Lays Two MUGA’s In The Czech Republic

In the summer of 2014, their 30^th year in business, Notts Sport laid two multi-use games areas (MUGA) in the Czech Republic. With one MUGA in Slavicin and the other in Vratimov, the Czech Republic has proved to be a successful area for business for Notts Sport.

Before Notts Sport’s involvement, the areas focused upon in the two respected towns were worn out artificial grass areas that did not appeal to the local communities. Notts Sport gave the each society a new lease of life by installing the VHAF NottsSward 1300 Sand Filled Needle Punched Carpet. Both installations were done in a short period of time, with the MUGA in Slavicin taking 4 days to install, and the one in Vratimov taking 3 weeks to complete (thus showing how efficient Notts Sport are when managing a project).

Pictured: Notts Sport MUGA facility in Vratimov

Notts Sport is not only a nation wide company, but also a thriving international brand, with work being carried out everywhere from New York to Nigeria. Notts Sport is always looking for ways to improve and grow as a business, and the export industry is certainly a profitable avenue to pursue.

Penrice Academy Boasts New Sand-Filled Sports Pitch

An academy in Saint Austell, Cornwall is now the owner of Notts Sport’s very own sand-filled multi-use synthetic playing surface. Penrice’s students can now be active on a new artificial area where sports including hockey, football, netball and tennis can be enjoyed. Thanks to Notts Sport’s personal customer service approach, the facility also includes storage space, so goals, nets and posts can be kept safe when the pitch is not in use.

The pitch replaced an existing redgra / shale pitch which was under used due to its age and performance in inclement weather. The redgra conversion to a fully compliant multi-use games area was designed to cater for all school curriculum sports. The pitch was completed in June 2014, and with permanent and semi-permanent pitch markings, the synthetic surface was ready to be home to a plethora of sports. Notts Sport do not only provide a high quality playing surface, they also look after the entire project for the customer. Penrice Academy is the perfect example of this as Notts Sport took the responsibility of providing a macadam access pathway to the pitch, 3m high ridged panel fencing system with integral rebound mesh, and 2m high ball stop catch netting. Notts Sport promises to deliver a holistic approach, and Penrice Academy is proof that the company can deliver.

Pictured: Notts Sport Sand-Filled MUGA at Penrice Academy

Backed up by 30 years of success, Notts Sport is one of the leading names in the sport and play surfacing industry, and as Official Partner of England Hockey, Penrice Academy chose the ideal company to complete their project. Graeme Beattie, the Business Manager at Penrice Academy had this to say about Notts Sport: “On behalf of the academy, we are absolutely delighted with the finished project which has been completed to a very high standard. It has been a pleasure working with both CLS Sports and Notts Sport and the professionalism and support given to the academy by both companies, throughout the planning and construction phases has been of the highest order”.

Furze Platt School Enjoys Notts Sport’s World Class Facility

Furze Platt School in Maidenhead, Berkshire is now home to a new state of the art, full size 3^rd Generation (3G) synthetic sports pitch The 106m x 70m playing surface can be used for a number of sports due to its innovative design which allows including football, hockey, rugby and additional aerobic activities to be supported. Notts Sport lead the scheme which was developed from scratch and completed within the same year.

The Berkshire school approached Notts Sport in February 2014 with the idea of laying a synthetic surface suitable for both hockey and football, and who better to do that for them than Notts Sport: the official partner of England Hockey. With 30 years experience in the industry, Notts Sport is without doubt a leading force in the artificial playing surface market.

In December 2014, the FA 1* & FIH compliant 40mm 3^rd Generation football pitch was ready for use. In addition to the full size 3G pitch the project included resurfacing of existing macadam courts and the provision of a new 90 space macadam car park along with brand new non-turf ECB approved cricket practice and match facilities due to be completed in Spring 2015 ready for the new cricket season.

Pictured: Furze Platt School’s new Notts Sport facility

The whole project was finished within nine months, an impressive feat considering the complexity of the facility itself. Based in Leicestershire, Notts Sport is a nation wide company that’s future is undoubtedly bright with strong partnerships with England’s hockey and cricket governing bodies.

Penzance Hockey Club Now Home To State Of The Art Playing Surface

Notts Sport’s impressive national brand reaches out as far as Penzance, Cornwall.

Completed in March 2014, this striking International standard green and blue sand dressed turf well and truly puts Penzance Hockey Club on the map. Already highly regarded in the South West, Penzance HC will now be renowned around the country thanks to their new state of the art Notts Sport synthetic pitch.

The original pitch was constructed in 2000 and following a series of performance tests by Notts Sport it was clear that the surface had reached the end of its lifecycle after 13 years of use. Notts Sport worked with the Club for several months to aid in securing the necessary funding to replace the pitch surface from the existing EH category 3 sand filled surface to an upgraded EH category 2 sand dressed surface.

During the construction process and following on site key stage inspection carried out by Notts Sport it was also deemed necessary to replace the performance shock pad layer, so in their project managers role, Notts Sport specified and instructed the addition of a new insitu rubber shock pad (performance control layer), offering long term performance and peace of mind for the Club and maximising the performance in combination with the elite standard new surface.

The Cornwall Junior Club Of The Year for the 2009/2010 season now has a pitch to be proud of thanks to England Hockey’s Official Partners.

Notts Sport’s hockey department continues to work tirelessly to expand their product portfolio, and with their 30 years specialist knowledge of synthetic turf pitches, specific performance characteristics can be tailored & manipulated to suit individual preferences and standards ensuring that every pitch is bespoke for every customer need.

Notts Sport ChildsPlay Education Makes Playtime Interesting For Youngsters

Schools and nurseries looking for new ways to make learning fun and exciting can now spark children’s imaginations with amazing ChildsPlay Education mats from leading play surfacing specialist Notts Sport.
Installed as part of a ChildsPlay system, the design possibilities for mats made from Notts Sport’s world-renowned VHAF NottsSward synthetic turf are limitless.

Notts Sport can offer expert advice on creating an educational area using ready-made patterns and innovative designs, or alternatively, clients can see their own ideas brought to life using the latest computer technology.

In the space of a single playtime, for example, adventurous children could go on a journey of discovery around the globe on a world map play mat, or even planet-hop on a surface representing the entire solar system!

Chairman of Notts Sport, Shaun Patrick, said: “With our palette of 15 vibrant colours there is unlimited potential for patterns and games and we can create a bespoke ChildsPlay Education mat to suit a school or nursery’s requirements perfectly.

“Freeform patterns from the general play area can flow into more conventional games such as chess and hopscotch, while distance markers, maps, letters and numbers can give children the opportunity to challenge themselves individually or in groups.

“Because the range of designs is infinite, children who will use the play area can be invited to put forward their own ideas to be considered by the school or nursery for incorporation into the overall design. The only limit is their imagination!”

The highly-adaptable ChildsPlay system is the perfect way to refurbish an existing, run-down playground or to create a brand new play area from scratch.

Mounds, slopes and hollows can be incorporated into the design – and whatever colour or form it takes, the textured, tactile VHAF NottsSward artificial turf carpet has great sensory appeal.

The surface and underlying elements of the system combine to offer a playground that is clean and quick-draining even after heavy rain, and is resistant to cutting, fire and graffiti. It also requires minimal maintenance over its long lifetime.

Pictured: Notts Sport educational mat at Gilmorton Primary School

With the new, lightweight NottsBase EPP tiles providing a specialist base layer, ChildsPlay is ideal for fast installation and offers enhanced safety with critical fall height protection of up to three metres.

And including a ChildsPlay Education mat in the design offers further opportunities for play providers to create a stimulating and exciting learning environment.

With free advice from the experts at Notts Sport, clients can be sure of making the right design choices for their project.

Shaun commented: “Creating a ChildsPlay area is a fun and exciting project, and we offer free guidance to our customers every step of the way, ensuring they get the very best from their playground facilities.

“Our ChildsPlay Education mats offer added value to playtime as children can explore an environment designed specifically for them, having fun and learning at the same time.”

School Gets State-Of-The-Art Facility Thanks To Notts Sport Fast Track Funding!

An exciting partnership between a North London Academy and a local hockey club is blazing a trail in the provision of first-class sports facilities for schools and communities – and it’s all thanks to a unique funding scheme by England Hockey’s only approved synthetic pitch supplier Notts Sport.

A state-of-the-art double hockey pitch at Whitefield School in Barnet, which is also the home of West Hampstead Hockey Club, is the first project to be constructed under Notts Sport’s innovative Fast Track Funding initiative and was completed in September.

The school-led project has transformed the facilities available for the use of Whitefield students for PE and extra-curricular sports and activities.

Headteacher Martin Lavelle said: “After a year of solid planning, it’s fantastic to be able to provide our students with such a high quality surface capable of hosting a range of different sports.

“We are also proud to offer pitch time to the wider community that Whitefield serves. We continue to enjoy a strong relationship with West Hampstead Hockey Club and hope that these fantastic new facilities enable other community groups to forge new, ongoing relationships with us.”

Under the Fast Track Funding scheme, Notts Sport provides up to 100% of the funding for a brand new synthetic pitch. While the school can use the completed facility for its students during weekdays, the hockey club hires the pitch for evenings and weekends to provide guaranteed revenue over a set period to fund the repayments.

Shaun Patrick, Chairman of Notts Sport, explains: “Fast Track Funding is a unique option provided exclusively by Notts Sport and has been the perfect solution for both Whitefield School and West Hampstead Hockey Club.

“The original pitch was 18 to 20 years old and was badly in need of replacing. It got to the point where it couldn’t be used for matches because it was in such a poor state. The school was losing income from the hire of the facility and the hockey club was concerned about losing players.

“Through Fast Track Funding, the hockey club has made a commitment to the school to hire the pitch for a certain number of hours, which means the school can budget for the cost of the repayments over the next five to seven years.”

Pictured: Notts Sport MUGA at Whitefield School in Barnet

Notts Sport offers the widest possible range of FIH (International Hockey Federation) compliant pitches and over 30 years has developed an enviable reputation for delivering high quality sport and play facilities, and is the only approved supplier of the England Hockey Board (EHB).

Whitefield School’s initial contact with Notts Sport came from West Hampstead Hockey Club through this partnership with the EHB and this led to the company carrying out a free pitch condition survey.

Fox Cub caught in Cricket netsThe project at Whitefield School involved removing the worn-out sand-filled synthetic turf surface and shockpad layer and replacing them with a new rubber shockpad and a new FIH National compliant monofilament sand-dressed hockey surface in green.

While the facility provides a high-quality synthetic turf pitch for hockey, it is also suitable for a range of sports and activities, including football, tennis and general aerobic activity.

Shaun adds: “This is the only area the school has for sport as there are no grass pitches on the site, so it was important the pitch could be used as their main PE area as well as catering for the needs of the hockey club. Because the school also has football clubs and five-a-side leagues using the pitches the surface choice had to be tailored to maximise the durability for small-sided football, which will provide further income to the school.”

Notts Sport supplies all types and ranges of synthetic turf, meaning hockey pitches are designed individually to suit each and every customer’s needs and requirements, while all additional features such as fencing, floodlighting and other elements are also included to provide the complete solution.

At Whitefield School, because the pitch refurbishment was funded through Fast Track Funding, the school was able to secure additional funding elsewhere to upgrade the fencing around the pitches as part of the scheme.

Shaun concludes: “Fast Track Funding has really made this project possible, as the school didn’t have the capital available to fund it, and would have struggled to raise the funding itself. The school and the hockey club are also now able to work together to plan for the replacement of the facility in the next 15 to 20 years.

“The hockey club is really committed to this partnership and also developing its relationship with the school in other ways to bring young players through and develop new talent for the future.”

Tufted Cricket Surfaces Come Out On Top In Independent Tests

Tufted synthetic turf cricket surfaces are nearly twice as durable as woven ones, according to new independent analysis based on the British Standard test used by the ECB.

Notts Sport, has long been confident that its hard-wearing tufted surfaces are a cut above outdated woven manufactured pitches – and now has the independent evidence to prove it.

In research carried out by sports surface and equipment testing specialist Labosport, the two surfaces used on Notts Sport’s leading ECB-approved cricket systems – the premium NottsGrass NG12 carpet and its lower-cost alternative NottsGrass NG7 – were subjected to rigorous abrasion testing alongside a woven surface.

The research was based on the British Standard test for ‘Abrasion resistance of non-filled surfaces’ (BS EN 13672), which is used by the ECB in its own TS6 testing for non-turf cricket surfaces. In this case, however, the test was continued for a prolonged period to find out how the respective surfaces would stand up to sustained use over a greater length of time.

At the end of the test, the woven surface had a percentage mass loss of 14.985% of its original weight – nearly twice as much as was lost by both Notts Sport’s NG12 surface (7.914%) and NG7 (8.144%).

The results provide a compelling case for choosing a tufted artificial cricket pitch over a woven surface every time.

Chairman Shaun Patrick said: “At Notts Sport, we’ve been installing tufted cricket pitches for 14 years and in all that time we’ve never been called out to repair any of them or asked to send out any patch repair kits, so we already knew how durable these surfaces are.

“Unlike other industry tests which have been publicised recently, Labosport’s analysis has been carried out in accordance with the ECB’s preferred testing methods, and our NG7 and NG12 products were also tested in comparison to one of the higher priced woven surfaces, which we felt would give a much fairer and more accurate result than comparing a top-of-the-range product with a lower-budget surface.”

The ECB TS6 document covers ‘Performance standards for non-turf cricket pitches intended for outdoor use’ and its test involves a specially-designed machine with abrasive wheels being applied to the surface. This simulates the effect of continuous use on the pitch with non-spiked footwear, as spiked footwear is not recommended for non-turf surfaces.

During the research carried out by Labosport, this test was continued to 5,000 revolutions and then 11,000 revolutions and on both occasions, the NG7 and NG12 surfaces exhibited considerably less wear than the woven surface. Final results were based on the average weight-loss figures of four samples of each of the three materials.

The summary of the Labosport analysis concludes: “After 5,000 cycles NG12 had a weight loss percentage of 2.258, NG7 had a weight loss percentage of 2.157 and Wilton Weave had a higher loss percentage of 5.476.

“Following the extended wear testing to a total of 11,000 cycles, NG12 and NG7 continued to have similar weight loss with much better performance than the Wilton Weave.”

Customers choosing a Notts Sport surface benefit from a ten-year warranty, with a typical life expectancy of 12 years of more.

New Sales Director Announced At Notts Sport

Notts Sport, the leading specialist in artificial surfacing for sport and play, has appointed Duncan Bennett to the new role of Sales Director, responsible for the company’s local and regional sales structure.
Since joining the company twelve years ago, Duncan Bennett has gained extensive knowledge of creating bespoke facilities for schools, local authorities and private sector customers throughout the UK.

In his new position, Duncan will now head-up Notts Sport’s sales strategy, manage the sales team and oversee the existing and new-to-market services.

Shaun Patrick, Chairman of Notts Sport said “Over the last few years, Duncan has worked tirelessly to develop the Multi-Sport and ChildsPlay departments. We are now a leading brand in Hockey and continue to be the ‘go to’ company when considering safer surfacing.

“I am absolutely delighted to see Duncan progress to the position of Sales Director where he promises to deliver a new perspective and direction to the team.”

Commenting on his new appointment, Duncan said, “I am thrilled to have been given the opportunity of the position of Sales Director and look forward to developing our existing plans, introducing new sales strategies in the UK and continue our current growth across the sport and play sectors.”

Notts Sport Secures The UK’s Biggest Safer Surfacing Contract

Leading synthetic turf surfacing specialist Notts Sport has secured an exclusive three-year contract to provide safer surfacing solutions for Glasgow City Council.

Notts Sport has been the exclusive supplier of safer surfaces for recreation and play to Glasgow City Council since 1991, and in that time has worked with the council on over 650 playgrounds and multi-use games areas.

The company won the latest contract – the biggest safer surfacing tender in the UK – ahead of many of its main rivals in a competitive tender process.

Many of Notts Sport’s installations for Glasgow City Council have seen the company provide a cost-effective solution to refurbish wetpour rubber playgrounds. Notts Sport’s hard-wearing, vandal-resistant VHAF NottsSward carpet can usually be laid directly on top of an existing wetpour surface and requires minimal maintenance or repairs.

Shaun Patrick, Chairman of Notts Sport, says: “We’re delighted to have once again secured the biggest safer surfacing contract in the UK.

“Glasgow City Council began working with Notts Sport 23 years ago following a thorough evaluation of all the surfacing options available and has stayed with us for so long because of NottsSward’s tremendous vandal-resistant qualities – a particular concern for the authority – and the durability of the product, with many of our installations in Glasgow lasting over 15 years without the need for repair or replacement.

“We look forward to continuing to work with the team to deliver the very best safer surfaces for local users.”

Notts Sport has also worked with Glasgow City Council on a ground-breaking new type of play area at Glasgow Green which became the forerunner of the ChildsPlay Active system, which has since been rolled out nationwide. ChildsPlay Active creates new opportunities for active play and encourages healthy living and exercise by combining sport, play and education in one space.

Notts Sport also provides a full service solution for the local authority including running installation courses for council staff, and providing maintenance training for apprentices.

The surface and underlying elements of the popular ChildsPlay system combine to offer a playground that is clean and quick-draining after rain, and resistant to cutting, fire and graffiti.

ChildsPlay can include varying levels of shock absorbent layering beneath the VHAF NottsSward artificial turf, offering critical fall height protection of up to three metres.

The synthetic VHAF NottsSward turf carpet is available in 15 colours, offering unlimited potential for patterns and games, and can be laid over shapes, mounds and hollows. Whatever colour or form it takes, the textured, tactile carpet also has great sensory appeal.

Meanwhile, Notts Sport’s high-quality synthetic turf systems are suitable for a range of sports and activities and, where space and budgets are at a premium, a multi-use games area provides a cost-effective way to offer a variety of activities on one surface.

The company’s top-quality project management and design service is available at no upfront cost, so clients can be sure they’ve chosen the perfect scheme before making an investment.

England Hockey Selects Notts Sport As First Ever Official Facilities Partner

Leading synthetic surfacing supplier Notts Sport has taken its support for grassroots hockey to a whole new level – after being chosen as England Hockey’s Official Facilities Partner.

The new partnership will see Notts Sport work closely with England Hockey to ensure that clubs, schools and local authorities can deliver the best new and refurbished hockey facilities to help grow the game in communities up and down the country.

The announcement comes just two years after Notts Sport became Approved Supplier to England Hockey for Facility Design, Advice & Supply, and provides an emphatic endorsement of the quality of service the company provides.

As well as Official Facilities Partner, Notts Sport is also proud to announce it is the Official Club Weekend Partner of England Hockey from 2015. This fantastic nationwide event runs annually each September, providing a series of events at hockey clubs around the country which encourages people to give the sport a try and enhance the relationship between clubs and their communities.

Notts Sport Sales Director Duncan Bennett says: “As proud supporters of the grassroots game, we’re absolutely delighted to have been selected as England Hockey’s first ever Official Facilities Partner.

“During our two years as an England Hockey approved supplier, we have provided our unrivalled service to deliver high-quality hockey facilities to more clubs, schools and local authorities than ever before – and it’s a tremendous honour to have our work recognised with the award of Official Partner status.”

Jonathan Cockcroft, Commercial & Membership Director for England Hockey, adds: “We are delighted that Notts Sports has become both our Official Club Weekend and Official Facilities Partner. Having worked together to improve hockey facility provision over the past two years, we have been impressed by their extensive knowledge and collaborative approach.”

Further details can be found by clicking here: England Hockey Partnership