Circle of Life

When a synthetic sports surface ages, it is common to see a weakening in the playing and draining characteristics of the carpet, as the unavoidable need for replacement approaches. However, a regular maintenance programme does help to delay the inevitable, and can even add years of life to an artificial sports surface, generating additional revenue and enjoyment from the facility.

A recent example highlighting the benefits of a consistent maintenance regime is the synthetic pitch at Arun Leisure Centre, Bognor Regis. Instead of replacing the 15-year old facility when it started to display signs of a slowdown in its draining capabilities, centre staff were able to resolve the issue by bringing in specialists Technical Surfaces to carry out a deep-cleaning Rejeneration® which, when complemented by a renewed maintenance plan, should see the centre gain an extra five years of use from their sports pitch.

A regular client of Technical Surfaces since 1996, Arun Leisure Centre has long reaped the benefits of continuing maintenance and repair works (combined with their own in-house efforts), with the result that the surface has remained in good condition and outlasted its projected life expectancy by many years.

Even with regular care and attention, however, the effects of age and usage do catch up with a facility, and whilst resurfacing was considered, the cost of such an undertaking was too prohibitive for the centre, so an alternative solution was required.

Technical Manager Dean Shelfer explains his satisfaction that the pitch has now been restored to its former condition: "The recent Rejeneration® works that have been carried out have improved the overall condition and improved the drainage of the surface. This has offered a great alternative to the high costs of resurfacing".

Rejeneration® is a specialist process offered by Technical Surfaces to help combat issues such as standing water and mud / silt on the surface, which are symptomatic of poor drainage and deeper-seated contamination problems. As long as regular maintenance continues to be carried out on the surface, Arun Leisure Centre can now expect to receive at least an extra 5 years' worth of life from their facility as a result of the Rejeneration®. For more information on this or any other maintenance practices, please call Technical Surfaces' National Office on 08702 400 700 or visit www.technicalsurfaces.co.uk

Images: Before and After