JOIN US FOR OUR 1ST ONLINE FAST TRACK FUNDING SEMINAR!

Unable to bring our roadshow seminars to you this year in these strange times, we have decided to take them online! Our first seminar highlighting our exciting funding scheme which enables the installation of state-of-the-art community sports facilities, will be avaialable on Zoom on the 26th November 2020 at 1330.

Fast Track Funding – an initiative from leading synthetic surfacing supplier Notts Sport – has funded 35 new sports facilities worth in excess of £15 million over the past 7 years.

Fast Track Funding is the only non-traditional funding route for artificial turf facilities – such as 3G football and rugby, or multi-use hockey pitches – proven to be compliant with Education Funding Agency requirements and local authority or academy auditors.

It’s an ideal and easy solution for schools and local authorities, providing high-quality, synthetic turf sports pitches, with little or no upfront capital contribution required.

That’s because most sports facilities are able to generate significant revenue through community use, and this income can be used to pay for a considerable proportion, if not all, of the cost of projects delivered under the unique scheme.

This online event will give all viewers the opportunity to find out how the scheme could benefit them and learn about the experiences of customers who have already had facilities completed thanks to Fast Track Funding.

With Fast Track Funding, Notts Sport works closely with the individual customer to design a bespoke sports facility that’s specific to their vision and strategy.

Instead of the customer spending months or years applying for grants and waiting for funding, Notts Sport will provide a flexible funding solution with repayments spread over an agreed period to suit specific budgets. So depending on the customer’s requirements, Notts Sport and its specialist funding partners, UniLink Finance Ltd, could provide full funding for the facility up front or supply part of the cost to top up existing funds or budgets.

Duncan Bennett, Managing Director of Notts Sport, says:

“Over the past 7 years our free Fast Track Funding Seminars have proven to be an ideal opportunity to learn about how Notts Sport can help deliver and achieve world class sport & play facilities for their communities without any capital contribution required.

“Since 2013 we’ve completed FIFA & World Rugby compliant pitches, FIH compliant Hockey pitches covering the resurfacing of existing pitches, the construction of new pitches and even a major playground development.  These projects have been delivered with funding approvals for a range of customers across Academies, Academy Trusts, Catholic Schools, Independent Schools and Primary Schools.  

The Turnaround on Fast Track Funding projects can be expedited so as an example, in 2018 we took an enquiry from Stantonbury International School on 20^th December 2018 and had funding approval, the project tendered and as a result had the School’s condemned artificial grass pitch resurfaced & completed to comply with FIFA Quality standards by the end of March 2019.

Working with our partners such as England Hockey, Notts Sport provide valuable advice for customers to help maximise the external use of the new facility after completion.  This means the pitch can generate income from the outset & immediately start to pay for itself.  This will ensure the whole project delivers on a carefully developed business & financial plan to create a long term sustainable model bespoke for each of our customers’ requirements.”

Designing each and every facility to the specific requirements of each customer, Notts Sport has an unrivalled project portfolio illustrating the widest range of solutions. We will be showcasing a number of those recently completed projects including Liverpool College, The Hertfordshire and Essex High School and more; in addition to the world class sports grounds such as Lord’s Cricket Ground; and iconic brands such as Central Park playgrounds in New York.

The company, which has over 36 years of experience in the sports and play surfacing sector, also assures full quality control throughout the installation through its turnkey project management service.

To ‘attend’ our Fast Track Funding Seminars click on the link below:

BOOK YOUR PLACE NOW

To find out all they need to know about Notts Sport Fast Track Funding, staff from schools and local authorities can book their place at a free Fast Track Funding seminar online at Zoom. Further information is available by emailing markw@nottssport.com or calling 01455 883730.

Lawrence Dallaglio opens the new Warden Park 3G Pitch

Warden Park Academy’s state of the art ShockWave 3G pitch opened recently to crowds of eager children and local sports enthusiasts in West Sussex. The multi-use facility is ideal for both Rugby and Football, as the ShockWave jigsaw-like tiles that form the foundation for 3G grass are designed to absorb impact from high contact sports.

Legendary England player, Lawrence Dallaglio was there to cut the ribbon and gave a rousing speech about the future of sport to the school.

A sudden downpour of rain came down during the event to really put the ‘All Weather’ pitch into practice, as the kids demonstrated their commitment and continued to train on their new facility.

This pitch is one of many sports pitch projects funded by our unique Fast Track Funding initiative. To find out more visit our website.

ShockWave: From Lab to Pitch

ShockWave tiles, so-called because of their wave-like contours, slot together like jigsaw pieces to form a combined upper base and shockpad performance layer: the perfect foundation for Multi Use Games Areas (MUGAs).

Each and every ShockWave tile passes through a series of quality control tests to ensure it meets Notts Sport’s and our manufacturer’s stringent requirements.

As every tile comes out of the mould, the dimensions are recorded to ensure it is within the tight tolerances of +- 2mm, or +-0.17% of the total length of a tile. During production a sample of tiles are regularly weighed, to ensure the correct density of expanded polypropylene is maintained. The data is continuously analysed to determine if the machine’s settings need to be altered during production which minimises waste and downtime should any abnormalities occur.

The tiles are stored on trolleys when they leave the mould which are then wheeled into large ovens to dry the tiles. The drying process stabilises the tiles to ensure the dimensional stability and functional performance of the tile is unaffected by the environmental conditions (temperature, humidity) when installed and used on site, even in the more extreme conditions experienced outside of the UK.

Each trolley has a unique barcode which is scanned at every stage of the manufacturing process which details the product, batch & production numbers and the stage within the process. When the tiles are loaded onto the delivery vehicle, they receive their final scan which will ensure a tile never misses part of the well-orchestrated manufacturing process.

When the tiles are delivered to Notts Sports warehouse a random sample of tiles are run through a series of quality control testing. The size (length, width and thickness) and mass of the tiles are recorded as well as the functional performance. Force reduction, a measure of how absorbing the tile is compared to a hard rigid floor, i.e. concrete, is undertaken in three positions across the tile using an artificial athlete. The Head Injury Criterion (HIC) and Peak-G values are recorded using a Triax 2000. The HIC test is used in rugby and GAA sports and determines a severity value for head impact injuries. These values are compared against historical data held on the material to ensure it meets the tight tolerances accepted. The artificial athlete and Triax 2000 test devices are regularly calibrated externally and values are recorded before and after testing on known samples to ensure the repeatability and accuracy of the recorded data.

If irregularities are found, the volume and air flow of the material can be investigated at the manufacturing plant to determine the exact cause of the problem. Tiles found to fall short of the tight manufacturing tolerances can be chopped up and reused in other expanded polypropylene or polypropylene products.

All Notts Sport ShockWave Ecobase products are manufactured using virgin material to ensure the tight manufacturing requirements and the long term warranty offered against the product.

View ShockWave in action.