Basically, low winter temperatures allow for the freezing of any moisture present in the infill of the carpet. A vast majority of outdoor carpet will contain a sand component and aggregate at the base of the carpet is likely to retain moisture for some time, especially during the winter months. Low temperatures will allow this moisture and consequently the sand to freeze.
This can severely inhibit the playing and draining characteristics of the carpet and pose a health and safety risk to the users of the facility. The severity of the risk is something that will need to be determined locally and take into account the nature of the users and the types of sports – it’s worth remembering that where the infill fills the carpet completely then the risk to the users will be greater.
This is the less risky option, leaving the frozen surface along with the natural surface to thaw. Occasions of freezing weather have tended not to last long, and the synthetic nature of the fibre can hold residual heat and thaw relatively quickly.
This is only really effective on small areas such as tennis courts. Covers can be fitted across the carpet and this may be enough to prevent the surface from freezing in the first place.
If snow fall is experienced on the surface it can be removed by hand or by machine. Extreme care needs to be taken and this should be done in degrees and in the direction of the seams to help avoid damage. Space is needed at the edge of the surface to store the removed snow, and don’t forget to replace any infill that may have been removed when temperatures return to normal. The removal of the snow may reveal a frozen pitch beneath that may need to be thawed.
Agents can be sprayed onto the pitch prior to the freezing conditions arriving, usually taking the form of a de-icing liquid mixed with water and sprayed onto the pitch. Depending on the product used, this will have an element of de-icing exiting frozen infill as well as preventing freezing in the carpet pile for a pre determined time. Drawbacks of this are the cost and the fact that the product will only work for so long and only down to a certain temperature. These conditions may be acceptable to the operator of the surface if they have a specific important event at the facility.
If you would like advice and guidance on how to care for artificial grass this winter, get in touch with us here.
They wanted something unique to incorporate into their school grounds which would bring joy to the children, hence their motto ‘In gaudio serviamus’ which translates to ‘may we serve joyfully’.
The school made the choice to use Playrite’s Matchwinner Velour surface as they were amazed at all the things they could incorporate into their facility.
With guidance and help from Simon at ETC Sports and Playrite’s Steve Byrnes, the school came up with the idea of adding their crest into the surface showing their motto which gives a real personal touch for the school.
As well as the crest, the school added in hopscotch and a letter snake which makes the area bright and bold and also gives a learning prospective whilst having fun! This produced a very attractive finish.
The club was founded in 1860 and is located in the heart of Edgbaston in a picturesque setting next to the Botanical gardens.
As part of ongoing expansion and investment the club had been looking for some time to upgrade a block of 2 of their existing hard courts to a synthetic surface.
Working closely over several months with one of our Partner Tennis contractor ( Fosse Contracts Ltd of Leicester) who Playrite have worked with over numerous years, We were able to introduce our Grandplay Tufted synthetic Tennis grass to the club.
This Uk manufactured ITF certified category 4 Tennis surface was able to meet all the strict relevant criteria set out by the club, including performance , pace rating , durability and maintenance aspects.
Having carefully made the decision to proceed, the club appointed Fosse contracts to to install the material over an area of 1100 square metres in August 2020.
Playrite’s manufacturing process also meant that the club were able to choose a ‘striking’ Two Tone green colour arrangement on the courts, which added immensely to the overall aesthetics and appearance.
Playrite were proud to have supplied our synthetic tennis surfacing to this historic club venue and to have been part of this project.
The two new floodlit courts now being enjoyed on a daily basis, both during daytimes and evenings by club members and community and the the new facility has further enhanced this famous club.
Esher Tennis Club has a long history in providing grass-court tennis to the people in the Elmbridge Borough of Surrey and in 2017/18 they opened up a new stage in the development of tennis in the area.
Three of its ten courts have been converted to an exceptional all year, all weather Artificial Clay surface with two of these being floodlit by ‘state of the heart’ LED lighting for winter evening play. The club can now offer tennis players the opportunity to play throughout the year on three surfaces – grass, clay and tarmac.
Esher Tennis Club was able to do this due to considerable financial support from the LTA, Surrey LTA and from its own member’s contributions. The work on the courts was undertaken by ETC Sports Limited who despite horrendous weather conditions managed to deliver exceptional hard courts in 2017 and return in 2018 to install Playrite Specialist Surface’s “Clayrite MF Artificial Clay” on them. Luminance Pro Lighting Systems Ltd supplied and installed the floodlights working closely with ETC Sports. The light quality they delivered being significantly superior to older halogen systems.
The new clay courts and floodlights have been a massive success with ELTC members, guest and visiting teams. Juniors can now learn on a perfect surface winter and summer, and more mature members can play on a more responsive surface, playable daily even in British weather conditions.
As Mrs Clarke has 3 Children who play football more than any other sport, Mrs Clarke wanted to surprise her Children by arranging a new football surface.
Ken Smith from Playrite arranged to meet Mrs Clarke and survey the existing court. Ken advised that the existing tarmac court could be recovered and suggested Playrite Matchpad shockpad and Tournament MF with white lines for football.
With the family due to attend the World Rugby Finals in Japan, we had to work to a very short timeline and Ken invited Envirolawn to quote for the work.
In order to proceed quickly followed and the new surface was delivered and installed within 2 weeks to the delight of Mrs Clarke’s family.
Find out more about our garden surfaces, here.
A few weeks later, Ken Smith visited the club to meet with Kathy and colleagues to discuss their plans and then identified the most suitable Playrite product for their Multi-Use Games Area.
Playrite Matchplay 2 is a versatile synthetic sports surface manufactured from Polypropylene by Needlepunch method of construction. Kathy decided that Matchplay 2 was the ideal product with the addition of matchpad shockpad.
Kathy was delighted with the support from Playrite and particularly impressed that we made the effort to visit the club in the 1st instance to survey the existing court and then advise and present optional surfaces available from Playrite.
Ken then invited Synthetic Turf Management (STM) to provide the quotation for the work. Jon Bell, Director at STM visited the club to survey & quote.
The work was instructed in December 2018 and carried out during February 2019. Once fitted, STM applied the recommended sand dressing level of just 5 to 8kg pm2.
The images clearly show the visual impact of Playrite Matchplay 2 which has definitely enhanced the Sports Club with a safe, bright and functional surface.
A site visit was arranged with Steve Byrnes national sales manager for Playrite, discussions regarding the requirements of Eaton Bray tennis club.
Matchplay 2 was the most suitable surface, having local clubs with Matchplay 2, enabled Glenn and the other members of the club to have confidence in
selecting Matchplay 2, further meetings with Colin Lloyd from Outdoor carpets, a summer installation the date was agreed.
Statement from Peter Hale Treasurer and Glenn Wigley Chairman Eaton Bray TC.
Steve, it is now 4 months since 2 of our 3 hardcourts were upgraded to your Matchplay 2 product & following the swift & efficient installation by Outdoor Carpets Ltd. the general response of our playing membership is very favourable.
The slight downside is that we no longer have a small advantage over visiting Clubs who disliked our old, hard, unforgiving surface, but that is vastly outweighed by the benefit to the knees & joints of all members, young & septuagenarians (like myself)
Our players adapted to the new surface with minimal disruption but recently we had a morning competition that unusually needed all 3 of our courts to be used simultaneously. I played on the one remaining hardcourt & was amazed at how unpleasant the backward step was.
Within minutes the tennis balls were dirty, the knees were aching & it truly was a “Paul of Tarsus” moment when I realised just what an improvement the Matchplay 2 surface gave us. We had taken the new surface for granted after such a short period.
Fortunately, Glenn Wigley, our Chair & chief instigator of the change to Matchplay 2, myself & our two opponents managed to transfer to the new surface for the final set. Immediately the balls “cleaned themselves” & the quality of septuagenarian play improved beyond recognition – a situation mirrored by the change from tarmac to Matchplay 2.
On behalf of Eaton Bray Tennis Club committee & members, thank you.
Charterhouse School is an independent day and boarding school in Godalming Surrey. Founded in 1611 which was among a group of the first English public schools.
As part of the ongoing development and investment by the school in sports facilities, Artificial Grass maintenance Cambridge was approached with a view to totally overhauling and upgrading an existing 3 bay caged cricket practice Bay Area.
Cricket plays a very important part in the school’s sports curriculum and a high-quality premium performance surface with excellent durability was high on the list of requirements.
Playrite’s Practice Play Junior Cricket Material more than met these requirements and was chosen for the project.
The material was installed over a 6mm Interplay Shockpad and a surround Material of Playrite Matchwinner Velour in Autumn green colour was chosen to give a striking 2 tone effect.
The installation was completed in Mid – February 2018 and both the contractor and school were delighted with the outcome and the new facility.
Their main requirement was hockey, but as the available space was limited the pitch also needed to facilitate netball, tennis and football training. They also needed a low maintenance surface with low sand content, which would offer high quality and performance.
After discussing their requirements and suggesting a range of options such as Tournament 18, a dedicated tufted surface accredited to the FIH, it was decided that Matchwinner would be the ideal surface – taking into account the fact that they needed a low maintenance pitch that could be used for a wide variety of sports including hockey. Matchwinner is a high-performance vertical loop multi-sports needlepunch surface that caters for all sports at the community level. Suitable for indoor or outdoor use, Matchwinner comes with the option to have inlaid lines permanently added in white, yellow or red and meets the standard EN15330 Part 2.
Matchpad underlay was also installed to put less stress on knee and ankle joints and to lower ball bounce.
Eleven years later and the school is still incredibly happy with their pitch and Playrite still use it as a great example of how to incorporate hockey and other sports into one pitch, as well as showing how the local community can benefit from better facilities.
The school has a long heritage of delivering first-class learning and excellent educational facilities.
In 2017 the school approached Charles Lawrence Surfaces in Newark Nottinghamshire, with a view to constructing a new multi-use games area, which could offer a range of sports options to the pupils, including Tennis, Netball, 5 aside football and hockey training, to be used all year round.
Charles Lawrence Surfaces subsequently approached Playrite to see if we could provide a surface that could tick off the boxes.
As well as the multi-sport application intended, low maintenance and durability were also key to the choice.
After careful consideration by the school and close liaison between Charles Lawrence and Playrite, it was decided that Playrite’s Matchplay 2 Surface more than met all of these requirements and was by far the most suitable surface for the multi-sport requirements.
Matchplay 2’s high level of durability, low sand infill and high-quality all-round sports performance were also key to the decision.
The new facility was completed in the early spring of 2018 and is now being enjoyed for a variety of sports by the school’s pupils.
A key part of education is sport, it keeps the children active and gets them involved in team-building activities. Sarah Carr, Ashbridge Primary Schools headteacher, recognised this and together with Mike Slattery of Bramley And Pate Architects, they decided the school would benefit from having a new Multi-Use sports facility.
Following meetings with Playrite, the school chose Matchplay 2 for the area as it is ideal for 5-A-Side Football, Hockey and Basketball which was just what the school were looking for.
The school were on a tight schedule with the start of a new term fast approaching, Ken Smith from Playrite worked closely with Matt Davidson of MJD Groundworks to ensure that the surface was delivered without delay and also that the installation was completed to a high standard yet in a good turnaround to ensure the school could show off its new surface on the reopening of school.
The school and architects definitely chose well with the Matchplay 2 surface, it is an easy maintenance sports surface requiring minimal sand infill. With regular routine care, the new Multi-Use area at Ashbridge Primary school is a sound investment in the development of their children and they will enjoy their new facility for years to come.
The Sports Club was established in 1882 and moved to the heart of the Dukes Wood estate in 1912 when the Tennis Club was formed. Now into their centenary years, they proudly boast a thriving and friendly Tennis Club with six all-weather adult courts.
Four of the six courts had already been upgraded but the final two were still undecided. That’s when Playrite were there to help. Steve Byrnes of Playrite, met with Mike Twinning and a decision was made that the final two courts would be upgraded using Playrite’s Clayrite MF.
ETC Sports installed the new Clayrite surface and the project was completed in September 2016. The club captain, Mike Twinning, gave his comments ‘The Clayrite artificial clay surface has proved very popular with our members. It performs well in all weathers, including frost, and in our view is the best artificial clay surface available in the UK. Playrite has been very responsive and proactive in the installation process and aftercare, working constructively alongside the lead contractor and project manager.
Playrite couldn’t be more thrilled with this feedback and it just shows how passionate we are about our products, customers and service.
