Some great news reached us this week of England making it all the way to the final of the FIFA World Cup in 2018!
Okay, so strictly speaking not the England football team (we live in hope!), but it is true that England will have a guaranteed representative on the big day.
Cumbrian-based SIS Pitches announced it had developed a unique mixture of natural and artificial grass, SISGRASS, that’s been chosen by the World Cup for installation at Moscow’s historic Luzhniki Stadium. It’s the first time ever the final will be played on a pitch that’s anything other than all-natural grass, being impregnated with more than 150 miles of specially developed synthetic yarn.
According to the manufacturers, the surface is indistinguishable from natural grass and offers a safer, softer surface that protects players from injury, but with three times the playing time of natural grass alone.
“It’s like a dream for us as a company and a community,” enthused SIS CEO, George Mullan. “We have come so far to get this system to the pinnacle of world sport.”
“If God had wanted us to play football in the clouds, he’d have put grass up there.” Brian Clough.
You might think that playing on something other than grass brings the prospect of a World Cup being held indoors one step closer, but you’re already a little late for that. The United States versus Switzerland match on June 18, 1994, at the Pontiac Silverdome in Detroit, was the first to be played indoors. The dome featured a fiberglass fabric roof, held up by air pressure, although the stadium met with a somewhat deflating end, and is set to be demolished this spring.
Eight years on from that game, England defeated Argentina in the 42,000 capacity Sapporo Dome in Japan, a match played on a palletised pitch grown outside and moved inside for the game. Raised on a pneumatic system, the playing field at Sapporo can rotate and pass through a mechanized 90 meter opening of two moving walls. An artificial basin offers storage below the stadium or it can be transported outside where the grass can grow naturally. The whole transformation process takes five hours to complete.
Over the years, indoor pitches have become more established and accepted, and today, CopriSystems is involved in all manner of projects to help the Beautiful Game, and many others, to be played under cover from the elements.
Our bespoke football domes for indoor five-a-side and futsal pitches are now well established, as are our telescopic domes for outdoor grounds. Both are a great alternative to fixed buildings for indoor football facilities and provide total flexibility for clubs with outdoor pitches, offering weather protection and lighting for evening games. Fixed domes provide a cost-effective solution for outdoor small-sided football pitches, whilst for larger outdoor grounds, our telescopic football domes offer total flexibility. They can be pulled back quickly, manually or electrically, in less than a minute.
Designed in accordance with British Standards Building Regulations for snow and wind loadings, all our football structures provide a great training environment and can even be fitted with extra insulation in the form of second membrane. Made from high-tensile, hot dip galvanised steel, the domes are corrosion resistant and flame-retardant. Glulam wood frames are also available. Sliding side curtains are supplied as standard, but openings can also be fitted at the gable ends, to suit the aspect or prevailing wind conditions.
Who knows, a little extra training under one of our superb structures might make all the difference for tat team heading to the 2018 finals!
