Nottingham firm pitches in with World Cup wins
Six of the 12 stadiums to host games at next summer’s FIFA World Cup in Russia will have a hybrid pitch in place manufactured by a Nottingham firm.
SISGrass, brainchild of global pitch specialists SIS Pitches, will be installed at both the Mordovia Arena and Samara Arena later this year; marking the fifth and sixth high profile stadiums in Russia to receive a SISGrass makeover.
SISGrass is an advanced hybrid pitch technology featuring patented fibre injections, which SIS Pitches says offers increased pitch stability and delivers “considerably” more playing hours than 100% natural grass surfaces.
Although neither high technology pitch will be laid for a few months, SIS Pitches is managing both projects from concept through to construction, and has already finalised designs.
Work to install Mordovia Arena’s hybrid pitch, host of June’s group games, will begin this July and be completed for handover in just four weeks. The stadium will also host FC Mordovia Saransk of the Russian Premier League, replacing the Start Stadium.
SIS Pitches will then install the hybrid football pitch at the Samara Arena in August, which is also anticipated to take four weeks. The stadium will host the Russian Premier League’s FC Krylia Sovetov Samara, replacing the Metallurg Stadium.
SIS Pitches recently revealed its world record returf of Qatar’s Khalifa International Stadium.
Ilyas Kobal, SIS Pitches’ Eastern European managing director, said: “The quality of SISGrass will make sure that the pitches at Mordovia Arena and Samara Arena are resilient in all conditions, and we’re confident that our pitches will exceed expectations for players, officials and fans alike.
“As we’re seeing both projects through from start to finish, the team has put in a lot of work already. We’re looking forward to seeing that realised and have teams play on the best playing surface in the world.”
