Specialist sports pitch installers

Spadeoak carry out our own sports pitch installations to ensure that our quality pitches are fitted correctly for optimum performance.

Installing sports pitches is a specialised operation requiring a team of highly trained and experienced personnel. As well as manufacturing synthetic, natural and hybrid sports pitches, we also carry out installation to ensure that the quality of the pitch fitting matches the quality of our products.

SYNTHETIC SPORTS PITCH INSTALLATION

When installing an artificial turf pitch, it’s important to begin with a level site. The foundations and base construction follows as an essential process to ensure a level playing surface. The 3G pitch is then installed by our team of professionals and finished with perimeter fencing and the necessary sports equipment.

Spadeoak have constructed some of the nation’s most prestigious sporting projects which include numerous works at the 2012 London Olympic Park and Athletes Village; Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games, National Sports Centres; leading universities; private schools; MoD sites and top sporting clubs across all categories.

What’s the difference between a 2G, 3G and 4G football pitch?

Artificial football pitches can be referred to as ‘2G’ or ‘3G’, perhaps even ‘4G’, ‘5G’ or beyond, but what’s the difference?

The ‘G’ in refers to the generation of technology.

2G or 2^nd Generation pitches

Second generation pitches use a short pile height (the length of the artificial grass) combined with a sand infill, making them perfect for hockey pitches and multi-use games areas .

3G or 3^rd generation pitches

Third generation pitches utilise both rubber crumb and sand infill, and have a longer pile height, usually between 40-60mm. Third generation technology is approved for use by FIFA.

4G Pitches and beyond

There are new technologies emerging, which rely on the use of artificial turf without the need for rubber crumb infill – these are commonly referred to as 4G or 5G pitches. However, the lack of infill means that these pitches are yet to pass the safety and performance tests laid out by FIFA and cannot achieve FIFA Quality or FIFA Quality Pro certification.

So, the key difference between 2G, 3G and 4G artificial turf is that 3G football pitches are the only technology approved for use by FIFA and other football governing bodies.

Whilst 4G football pitch technology exists, it is still in the very early stages of development and is yet to be accredited or adopted by any major sporting body. If you’re looking to build a pitch to FIFA Quality Pro or FIFA Quality standards, you’ll need to construct a 3G Artificial Turf Pitch – so beware any organisation claiming to construct approved 4G football pitches.

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How much does it cost to build a 3G football pitch?

According to the latest Sport England Facility Costs, the average cost for a brand new, full sized, 3G artificial grass pitch (AGP) for football starts at £965,000 (inclusive of pitch fencing and floodlighting). However, overall, artificial football pitches can cost anywhere between £300,000 and £1.2m depending on a number of factors that include:

The overall size of the pitch
Scope of groundworks required
Chosen base, sub-base and shock pad
Chosen artificial turf system based on needs and standards (e.g. FIFA Quality or FIFA Quality Pro performance standard)
Environmental mitigation methods
Floodlighting, fencing and equipment requirements

Beyond the construction of the pitch itself, additional work is required in the form of ancillary equipment (team shelters, pavilions, spectator areas) and civil engineering (access pathways, hard standings, roadways and car parks), so this may need to be factored into your costs.

The cost for synthetic football pitch resurfacing is significantly lower, usually between £150,000 – £250,000 due to much of the infrastructure (foundations, floodlighting, civil engineering) often already being in place.

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Our experts

A key area where we differ from most sports contractors is that the majority of each project is carried out by our own directly employed resources; we have around 120 permanent employees and an extensive fleet of plant and machinery. All reflect our dedication to quality and enable us to build on our heritage of expertise, flexibility and commitment to be the best.