Polytan Sports Surfaces (UK) Ltd.

Germany’s first synthetic turf baseball field with Green Technology at the Paderborn Ahorn BallparkPILOT PROJECT LEADS BY EXAMPLEIn the direct vicinity of the Ahorn Sportpark in Paderborn is the Ahorn Ballpark, where we installed Germany’s first synthetic turf baseball field – a pioneering project in many respects, of which we are especially proud.The Ahorn Ballpark is one of Germany’s first baseball fields and is home to the Untouchables Paderborner Baseball Club e. V., also known as the Paderborn U’s. The reason for its particular location is not least due to computer pioneer Heinz Nixdorf, who not only initiated the construction of the Paderborn sports facility and provided land from the company grounds for it, but also brought his enthusiasm for baseball to Paderborn from his time in the USA. The first men’s team of the club, founded in 1990, has played in the Bundesliga since 1996 – and very successfully too, with a total of six championship titles. Heinz Nixdorf’s love for the American ball game has been passed down the generations: today, his son Martin Nixdorf is the second chairman of the U’s, and his grandson Lasse Nixdorf plays on the U18 team. As well as the successful men’s team, the club also runs a youth and softball division.The Untouchables play their home games at the Ahorn Ballpark, which was built in 1997 and, by all accounts, is the best baseball field in Germany of its time. The facility has three playing fields, and the stadium itself has space for around 1,200 spectators. One of the three playing fields has now been converted from a natural grass and gravel pitch to a purely synthetic turf pitch. The pitch is used as a multifunctional playing field for youth softball and baseball, both for training and matches. The chosen surface was our LigaTurf Cross, which combines straight and textured filaments. The benefits of both turf types come together in an ideal turf surface for various kinds of ball sports. According to the division of a baseball field, one part of the surface is coloured red, while the other features a BiColour design in lime green and field green. Incorporated in the turf is the logo of the Untouchables, which is also used by the women’s softball team.The users of our LigaTurf Cross benefits from the use of straight filaments, which look and feel almost like real turf and have already been used successfully worldwide. What’s more, the textured filaments of the LigaGrass Pro CP provide low and easy maintenance, greater infill stability and increased turf volume: characteristics that benefit both youth and adult players in Paderborn.The PolyBase GT ET base layer provides the ideal, i.e. elastic, substrate. A synthetic turf system typically consists of the artificial turf surface, infill granules – such as the mineral filler (sand) used in this project – and an elastic base layer or elastic layer. In the right combination, they guarantee the desired playing characteristics, toughness and durability. The elasticising layers in particular help protect players, dissipate force and maintain the playing characteristics. The elastic layer not only ensures the athletic functionality of the pitch, but also guarantees consistent, reliable drainage – as the water-permeability of the system helps to prevent surface sealing.The PolyBase GT ET in our Green Technology product range combines the well-known functional benefits of the in-situ, prefabricated Rubber Mat with the ecological benefits of a recycled product and a revolutionary new technology for the climate-friendly utilisation of carbon dioxide. This allows us to further improve the already outstanding environmental footprint of our elasticising layers. In this regard, switching to a purely synthetic turf pitch is not just a pilot project for baseball in Paderborn, but for the green future of sport in general.In Germany, baseball is inarguably still a niche sport – unlike in the United States or Canada, where baseball is immensely popular and attracts millions of fans from gigantic stadiums or on screen. With the first synthetic turf baseball field in Germany, we want to help rapidly boost its popularity here in our home country too. This not only means providing suitable training opportunities, but also intensive, well-organised youth work. In this sense too, Paderborn is ahead of the curve, as since 2013, the U’s have drawn from their own youth talent pool, instead of bringing in professional players from other baseball-playing countries. Since 2011, the U’s have also managed a baseball department at the Sportinternat Paderborn, a boarding school that specialises in sport. For its dedicated youth work, the club has twice been awarded the “Green Ribbon for Commendable Talent Promotion in Sports Clubs” by the Commerzbank and the German Sports Association (DSB).

AUSTRIA’S FIRST CARBON-NEUTRAL SYNTHETIC TURF IS INSTALLED IN VORARLBERGThe Austrian market town of Bezau in Vorarlberg has just over 2,000 residents and subsists predominantly on agriculture and tourism to the Bregenzerwald region. Football is a big deal in the small community: for almost 50 years, the Bezauer Kickers have been active on the local scene in Bregenzerwald. However, the original sports pitch was suitable for youth games, at best. A new sports facility was built with the founding of the sports association “Verein für Bewegungsspiele” (VfB) in 1987. Since then, the Auto GEMO Arena has been home to the “Wälderhaus VfB Bezau”, situated directly on the banks of the Bregenzer Ach – a location that almost became the club’s downfall, as the sports facilities were periodically flooded and silted over by devastating floodwaters. The first ever synthetic turf pitch was installed in the course of the necessary renovations.16 years later, in spring 2022, the pitch was in urgent need of renovation or replacement, due to intensive use. For example, around 160 children use the pitch three times a week. The decision was made all the more urgent by the fact that the recommended usage period of the existing synthetic turf had already been exceeded by two years, and the number of people renting the pitch was declining due to its terrible condition.The original idea to revert the pitch to natural grass was scrapped by the Bezau municipal council due to numerous drawbacks – such as high maintenance costs, the short playing season, fewer playing hours per year, and lack of winter utility. Instead, the council opted for a modern synthetic turf pitch, which consistently provides a useful space all year round. In summer 2022, on behalf of SP Sportanlagenbau Ges.m.b.H. from Mautern an der Donau, we realised Austria’s first ever carbon-neutral synthetic turf with LigaTurf Cross GT zero by Polytan at the Auto GEMO Arena in Bezau.LigaTurf Cross GT zero is the world’s first climate-neutral football turf for professional and amateur sports. It combines environmental friendliness with sustainability, without compromising on durability and functional properties, and meets the highest standards, even with frequent use. Polytan LigaTurf Cross GT zero is based on sustainable, organic PE raw materials, sourced from non-recyclable sugar cane. In Bezau, our climate-neutral synthetic turf is combined with environmentally friendly cork infill and Polytan PolyBase GT, our elasticising layer with the ecological advantage of a recyclable product and revolutionary technology for the reuse of carbon dioxide. This combination fulfils the requirements of both municipal and private investors, as well as the high standards of players and users.A critical factor in the Bezau municipal council’s decision was that the synthetic turf could be sustainably and ecologically integrated in the facility. Another contributing factor was Bezau’s admission to “e5”, the Austrian programme for energy-efficient communities. The programme assists and supports communities in modernising their energy and climate policies, saving energy and thus costs, and using renewable energy sources. By participating in the “Mission zero” process, the community wants to actively fight the effects of climate change in the coming years. The municipal council’s decision states that LigaTurf Cross GT zero is not only the most viable option from an economic perspective, but is also climate-neutral, sustainable, and contributes to “e5”. Here at Polytan, we are proud to support Bezau in this ambitious, pioneering role with our products, and provide the kickers at VfB Wälderhaus Bezau a solid, long-lasting foundation for their sporting activities. Currently, the facility is used by nine team with around 190 players.

The market town of Peiting has a little under 12,000 residents. Villa Rustica, a stately Roman estate, shows that settlers were attracted to the current town’s geographical situation on the banks of the Lech as long as 2,000 years ago. Today, tourists and locals alike can find almost unlimited opportunities for physical activity, such as cross country, cycling or hiking tours. In the 40 different areas of the town, there are numerous sports facilities, including an ice rink, bowling alleys, a riding arena, tennis courts, football pitches and fitness trails.At the centrally located Birkenried Sports Centre, we have now replaced the previous tartan track – after an incredible 41 years of intensive use by athletes of the athletics club, TSV Peiting. Rekortan AS GT was installed on the running circuit. In the special colour Chili Red, our water-based spray-coated surface is visually eye-catching too. In one of the sectors, lines have been painted for a small, multifunctional playing field. In the opposite sector, are facilities for long jump and high jump. Our water-permeable Rekortan AS GT fulfils all the requirements for competitive running tracks and multi-purpose facilities, and is a viable alternative to conventional pour-coated running track surfaces, not least because it is quick and easy to install. Another advantage: the innovative multisport surface is yet another environmentally product from the Polytan Green Technology portfolio.A unique highlight of the running circuit track is the installation of Polytan SMART, our high-precision system for professional performance diagnostics. It is primarily used for classic running disciplines in athletics, as well as long jump and high jump. The Polytan SMART system consists of integrated, maintenance-free, magnetic timing gates that are permanently and securely installed in the ground. It is accompanied by a sensor weighing only 15 grams and the tried-and-tested diagnostics software from our partner Humotion. Amateur athletes simply use their smartphone, worn in a running belt on their person, combined with the free Smart Run app. The measurements – such as distance, time, number of steps and step frequency – are evaluated and analysed directly in the app. In Peiting, a total of 38 timing gates have been installed in the track: 18 in the two tracks of the hundred-metre sprinting track, 12 in the running circuit, and 8 in the long jump area. Thanks to digital measurement sensors, the renovated running track in Peiting is one of the most cutting-edge in Bavaria – alongside similar tracks at Augsburg University and TU Munich. There, athletes of the TSV Peiting athletics club can train under professional conditions. The club hopes that the highly modern track will attract young people to athletics and generate enthusiasm for the sport.Directly adjacent to the running circuit is a multifunctional, all-weather pitch, equipped with our durable all-round surface, PolyPlay SE. Its smooth surface and good ball bounce make the single-layer synthetic surface ideal for ball sports and a variety of outdoor activities. Its water-permeability helps the surface dry quickly, while also making it fully slip-resistant. As a result, our synthetic surface can be used year round as an all-weather pitch. Thanks to the colour scheme in bold Chili Red, the multifunctional sports pitch matches the neighbouring running circuit – an eye-catching sight against the scenic backdrop of the nearby Alps.

Polytan will be in on the action when the world’s top athletes pit their strengths against each other at international level this summer. The turf used for the hockey matches in Rio comes from Polytan, as was the case in London and Beijing too. Blue and green versions of the new Poligras Platinum CoolPlus synthetic turf system are being installed. The very same hockey pitch has also been available to the British hockey squads at Bisham Abbey National Sports Centre since last October. The pitch comes in an eye-catching colour combination: a blue playing field with a light green border. A higher stitch density and special texturing technology mean that even more accurate moves are possible when playing on Poligras Platinum CoolPlus. Sally Munday, Chief Executive of England Hockey: “We have enjoyed a fantastic relationship with Polytan for a number of years. The quality of their product is outstanding, the installation work went without a hitch and the feedback from the players has been excellent.” Kevin Burton, Head of National Centres, Sport England: “In order to ensure our Great British hockey players had the best possible chance of success in future sports competitions, Sport England took the decision to replace the hockey surface at Bisham Abbey with the exact same surface that will be installed for the international sports competition in summer 2016. We are delighted with the surface as well as Polytan’s first-class service.”

Polytan LigaTurf Cross at the Campo Municipal de Fútbol, SpainDURABLE AND SUSTAINABLE SOLUTION AT AN ANDALUSIAN LANDMARKOjén is known as a pueblo blanco – one of the “white villages” near Málaga that are typical in Andalusia. The village is located between the nearby Costa del Sol and the Sierra de las Nieves mountains, just a few kilometres from Marbella. The year-round temperate climate is not only enjoyed by approximately 4,000 locals, but tourists are also increasingly discovering this location. Lush greenery sparkles thanks to the rain which is abundant by southern Spanish standards. Unlike other coastal towns, Ojén has not committed any building sins in favour of mass tourism, thereby maintaining the typical Andalusian architectural style of previous centuries.The athletes training at the Campo Municipal de Fútbol, known as “El Arenal”, also have a magnificent view over the mountain village down to the Mediterranean Sea. The sports field is located on the opposite side of the valley, cut deep into the rocky landscape by the Almadán stream. It is part of a sports centre that also includes basketball facilities, tennis courts and a swimming pool.The football pitch has a covered stand and floodlights. In spring 2023, we installed our Polytan LigaTurf Cross there as part of modernisation works. This infilled synthetic turf combines straight and textured filaments, their respective benefits combining to create the ideal turf system. The straight filaments provide a look and feel that is almost reflective of a real football field, while the textured filaments guarantee low and easy maintenance, greater infill stability and generally increased turf volume.What’s special about the Campo Municipal de Fútbol is that Polytan installed the first synthetic turf there back in 2005. This time, only the turf itself had to be renewed, since the elastic base layer can still be used.

Constructed in 2009, Cardiff International Sports Stadium is the most important athletics stadium in Wales, with capacity for 2,553 seated and 2,400 standing spectators. It serves as the headquarters of Welsh Athletics, the organisation governing Welsh athletics and which is part of UK Athletics, the national umbrella body for sport.The stadium has been given a new look in 2019, with the running track as well as the sprint sections and sector surfaces extensively renovated by Polytan. The choice for the new synthetic surface fell on the “professional among sports surfaces” – the Rekortan M from Polytan. It features in many large athletics stadiums around the world, where its outstanding acceleration and tread elasticity have proven the worth of the surface in international elite sport. For the retopping in the Cardiff International Sports Stadium, the complete renewal of the tartan top was accompanied by a change in the colour of the surface: the athletes are now training and competing on a Rekortan M in “Hertha blue”. Hertha blue is an intensive blue shade that became famous the world over when it was first used in the Olympic Stadium in Berlin in 2004. The sprint sections and the sector surfaces in Cardiff, however, remained in classic brick red, presenting a striking visual contrast with the blue running track and the blue run-up tracks in the sectors.The stadium operators decided to use the opportunity of the surface retopping to add a technical innovation, the Polytan SmarTracks time and data recording system. This is designed to enable comprehensive performance diagnostics of the athletes using timing gates embedded invisibly in the surface. The running time, speed, step length, step frequency and jump height of the users can be recorded and analysed. The system is installed not just on an inside lane but also on two sprint sections.

The city of Colchester in Essex, England, has a long, eventful history. It is the oldest documented settlement in Great Britain and was the first administrative capital of the Romans after they conquered Britain some 2,000 years ago. Today, Colchester has around 100,000 inhabitants and functions as a satellite city of London, around 100 kilometres away.In the nearby village of Tendring, the city has found a kindred spirit for local communal activities. Today, the village is home to both the Tendring-Colchester Borders Garden Community and the Colchester and Tendring Athletics Club. The latter defines itself as a family-friendly, inclusive club that wants to offer sports enthusiasts in the nearby and wider area the best possible opportunities at every performance level. For example, the club provides younger athletes with playful training programmes featuring elements of all the athletics disciplines to inspire a love of sports at a young age. Increasingly specialised training programmes are then offered to the athletes as they grow up. And successfully so: members of the Colchester and Tendring Athletics Club compete in the Eastern Young Athletes League, the East Anglian T&F League, the Southern Athletics League and the Eastern Masters Athletics Club.The home of the club is the Colchester Garrison Athletics Stadium, in the middle of the Abbey Field Park, aka the “Garrison Track”. The grass pitch, which is surrounded by an athletics track, is used for various sports, such as football, cricket and rugby. The running circuit was renewed in 2020 using our Rekortan BS synthetic surface in brick red, Polytan’s all-rounder for competitive tracks and training facilities in athletics. The structural spray-coated surface is primarily used for running tracks and run-up tracks. In Colchester, its eight lanes run right past the clubhouse, a typical English cottage-style building. Rekortan BS has a thick, water-permeable surface and is quick, easy and cost-effective to install.To ensure optimal training conditions for the athletes at the Garrison Track, the running track is also equipped with our Polytan SMART system, which provides professionals and amateurs alike detailed recordings of their training sessions. Polytan SMART not only enables precise time measurements and performance diagnostics for classic running sports, it can also measure an athlete’s approach in the long jump or when pole vaulting. The results help athletes to direct their training more effectively and ultimately improve their performances.There’s also a great deal taking place off the field of play at the club, which holds regular events for its members to give them the opportunity to spend time together in a more relaxed setting. Together they celebrate the successes of their athletes in and around Colchester, with our Rekortan BS providing the perfect foundation.It wouldn’t be a stretch to say, therefore, that our products are helping to bring the motto of the Colchester and Tendring Athletics Club to life: Striving for success and enjoyment through athletics.

The town of Saint-Siméon-de-Bressieux in the Département Isère is about 40 km away from Grenoble and has a little over 3,000 inhabitants. Among its points of interest is the former Girodon silk weavers’ school from 1873, which remains as a monument to early industrial culture. Today, the town is home to the Collège Marcel Mariotte, which provides adolescents with an education up to middle-school level. The sports field of the school was renovated in 2022 and the football pitch fitted with Polytan LigaTurf Cross, our filled synthetic turf that combines smooth and textured filaments. The benefits of both turf types come together in an ideal surface that can be used for various kinds of ball sports; in Bressieux, it will first and foremost be used for football during PE lessons.Unusually, the pitch has neither the standard football pitch dimensions of 105 x 68 metres, nor is it a mini-pitch. The reason for this is that the available plot did not allow for a bigger pitch, so the developers and pitch designers had to come up with a special solution. At the same time, there were the needs of middle-school students to take into account. By the way, our LigaTurf Cross is now available in various environmentally friendly variants, such as LigaTurf Cross R, which contains recycled materials, and LigaTurf Cross GT zero, the world’s first carbon-neutral synthetic football turf to be made from sustainable, organic PE raw material based on otherwise non-reusable sugar cane. Our flagship in terms of sustainability and future viability is the LigaTurf Cross GTR, which now contains recycled material in addition to renewable raw materials.However, the size of the pitch is not the only special feature of the sports facility at the Collège Marcel Mariotte. The running circuit around the pitch is also highly unusual in its design. Of its three circular lanes, not only do five branch off towards the long jump facility further out, but there is also an integrated sprint track – two solutions that offer maximum flexibility and versatility when it comes to the variety of sports that can be practised in such a limited space. What is most peculiar about it is the shape of the running circuit, because it is not actually round, as one would expect. It too has been shortened along the two opposing straights and its curves do not follow a circular arc, but each have an additional inward curve at the ends. This not only gives the entire sports facility an usual appearance, but a playful feel, thanks to the organic, almost flowing lines. One thing is certain: the runners won’t get bored in Bressieux, even during longer runs. And this example shows that there are alternatives to conventional solutions that generate interest and encourage participation.For the surface of the track, the developer and pitch designer opted for our tried and true PolyPlay S surface. The granulated, two-layered all-rounder is the perfect solution for school sports in general and various leisure activities. Its smooth surface is the ideal substrate for a multitude of outdoor uses. Since PolyPlay S is water-permeable, the surface dries quickly and can be used all year round. Another benefit of the low-maintenance surface is its slip resistance and high wear resistance. Given that PolyPlay S is generally installed flat over a base layer, the construction method ensures consistently good values for damping and deformation. Bressieux opted for Polytan PolyPlay S in the colour Hertha blue, an intense colour tone that further accentuates the unusual shape of the track.

The town of Filderstadt wanted to develop, upgrade and further develop the campus of two neighbouring schools in the district of Bernhausen. For the project, it hired Stuttgart-based, international architectural firm, Behnisch Architekten. The stunning piece of architecture features our special coloured synthetic surfaces – which we are immensely proud of!The guiding principle of the architectural design by Behnisch Architekten: a lively school campus in a pleasant environment for students. The result is a building with levels of different shapes and sizes, which appears playful yet balanced, and stands out perfectly from its relatively heterogenous surroundings with its free-flowing, organic design. The harmonious, vertically staggered horizontal lines and terraces around the circumference of the building make a striking impression.A facade consisting of a wood and aluminium construction with opaque wood elements reflects the idea of an open learning landscape. The central foyer, containing functional spaces and a cafeteria for common use, leads to all other areas on the levels above. On the upper levels, the building branches out architecturally and functionally. The daylight-flooded atrium, which spans all four levels, forms the vertical core of the building. From there, students can easily navigate the school and find their classrooms almost intuitively.Each level also has a small vestibule with niches and seating areas for sitting or relaxing. The third floor features a large terrace, which is easily the highlight for the Bernhausen students: it can be used to hold lessons outdoors – at least in the summer months.As well as thoughtfully planning the spatial structure, Behnisch Architekten specially designed the school to be experienced through the senses. To give the individual learning areas a distinctive character of their own, individual colour schemes were used on the walls, in which the colours not only indicate the respective year group, but create a lively, stimulating environment in intense orange, yellow, green and earth tones.Our durable all-rounder, PolyPlay SE, which is designed for ball sports and leisure activities on playing fields and school sports facilities, was used for the coating of the terraces around the circumference. The single-layered surface offers many advantages in Bernhausen: for example, it has a smooth surface, dries quickly thanks to its permeability, and is nevertheless slip-resistant at all times. Another advantage is its high wear-resistance and low maintenance – along with its colour scheme, which chimes perfectly with the design concept by Behnisch Architekten. It is installed in the colours light grey and pearl white, as well as three fresh shades of yellow.Our PolyPlay FS fall protection surface is used on the school’s playground. The shock-absorbing surface offers a clean and safe solution for various uses – usually playgrounds and parks. The bulk-coated, water-permeable covering is particularly easy to care for and, thanks to its cushioning effect, protects against injuries in the event of falls. In Bernhausen, the surface is installed in three colours and different thicknesses between 42 and 122 mm – coordinated with the respective fall height of the playground equipment.

The management of the Liverpool FC Academy have been relying on synthetic pitches since 1998. In 2009, further advances in product quality inspired them to fit out the academy’s training ground with Polytan LigaTurf RS+ – the world’s leading synthetic turf system with FIFA Recommended 2 Star certification. John Owens, a former manager of the Liverpool FC Academy, expressed his delight at this decision: “The LigaTurf 240 RS+ is even better than the tried-and-tested, high-performance LigaTurf 240 synthetic turf. The first time we played a match on it, we knew that the pitch was exactly what we required.”

The 20th Commonwealth Games were held in the Scottish city of Glasgow in the summer of 2014. Over 6,500 active participants from 70 nations competed in 17 disciplines. The Glasgow National Hockey Centre was constructed in Glasgow Green in order to provide a suitable setting for hockey players taking part in the competitions. Two pitches were fitted with the Poligras Mega CoolPlus complete synthetic turf system from Polytan, thus ensuring optimal training and playing conditions. The colour scheme is certainly eye-catching: the bright blue and bright green surfaces installed in the stadium match the colours of the stand. In contrast, the synthetic turf in the training ground consists of blue and purple areas. The unfilled Poligras Mega CoolPlus is particularly suitable for hockey as the compact and uniform structure of the turf does not distort the rolling behaviour of the ball, thus facilitating precise play.

LigaGrass Pro CoolPlus and Rekortan M at the Havkenscheider Park sports facility, BochumACTION ON THE WESTERN FRONT“Deep in the West” sings a drone of a thousand voices at home games of the VFL Bochum. “Bochum, I belong to you” is not only the official anthem of the Ruhr Stadium, but also the unofficial anthem for the entire city. Herbert Grönemeyer’s profession of love for Bochum is more than just a song – it is a statement for the entire region, for the “old” Ruhr area, which is not only famous for transporting coal and casting steel, but also its love of sport. VFL Bochum and its position in the first Bundesliga are only the figurehead for all the city has to offer: today, its sporting activities range from sports-orientated preschools and school sports to the “Integration through Sport” programme.Unlike its name, the “Laer’sche Fußballclub 1906 e.V.” is forging new paths. For 10 years, it has had a strong women’s and girls’ division with teams ranging from U9s to seniors – and in general, the youth division in Laer is of high calibre. However, the district club in the heart of Bochum has long been dedicated to more than just football, attracting gymnasts and athletes as well. More recently, trending sports such as lacrosse and disc golf have also been added.Strong interest in lacrosse not least prompted officials in the city council and the club to renovate the stadium on Havkenschneider Strasse from the ground up, not only to adapt it to the needs of the Bochum “Isotopes” lacrosse players, but to convert it into a complete district sports facility. In only eight months, three football fields were built: one large one and two mini-pitches.In total, 10,200 square metres of synthetic turf were installed there – specifically, our LigaGrass Pro CoolPlus with sand infill. The classic among our synthetic turf systems, the LigaGrass Pro filament and its triangular cross-section ensure even greater fibre stability and give the turf more volume and structure. As a crimped Polytan artificial turf system, LigaGrass Pro CoolPlus is also characterised by a BiColour design. The two-tone fibres help achieve a natural grass appearance with their lush green colour. The integrated CoolPlus function permanently reduces overheating of the turf in direct sunlight and is extremely effective, especially in the case of the textured turf systems, thanks to the large surface area for reflecting heat radiation.Our LigaGrass Pro CoolPlus is not only suitable for football training and playing facilities, but also for miniature playing fields and multisport facilities, e.g. for lacrosse. This team sport, which is played with a special stick and a hard rubber ball, originates from the east coast of America, where it is practised by indigenous people – the Haudenosaunee – and has a deep religious and identity-forming significance. Lacrosse is the oldest team sport on the American continent, and is by no means seen as only for white people, but as an inclusive, fun activity for women and men alike. Curiously, men and women today play lacrosse by completely different rules: in the women’s game, stick and body contact is limited – similar to field hockey – which is why little protective equipment is needed. In men’s lacrosse, on the other hand, helmets, rib and shoulder protection, and gloves are worn – similar to ice hockey. World championships for men and women now take place every four years, and the first European lacrosse championships took place in 2004. In 2028, Lacrosse is provisionally set to become an Olympic sport again, although the decision is yet to be finalised.In Bochum, the lacrosse field is located on Havkenscheider Strasse and stands out for its special ball catching nets – purely because it is the only one of its kind in the city. For athletes, the new sports facility also offers a 400-metre synthetic running track and four 100-metre sprinting tracks. It features with our Rekortan M in classic brick red, the fully fledged professional among our sports surfaces. It is representative of high-performance running tracks, not only in training and school sports facilities, but for international competitions as well. The poured in-situ surface is set apart by its excellent acceleration and high tread elasticity. What’s more, it is incredibly fast and offers impressively high shock absorption, as well as excellent advantages in terms of sports medicine.The city of Bochum spent 1.8 million euros on the renovation. The result is impressive: 1,300 metres of edging stones have been laid, and 2,000 metres of drainage pipes installed. 350 square metres of water-permeable eco-plaster and 5,000 tons of gravel used in the course of the renovation work. All in all, the conversion of the old stadium into the Havkenscheider Park sports facility supports Herbert Grönemeyer’s résumé: “Deep in the west / Where the sun gets dusty / It is better / Much better than you think.”

In May 2014, the “Lee Valley Hockey and Tennis Centre” was opened at the northern entrance to the “Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park”, marking the conclusion of the sustainable development of the former London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic sports venues on the Eton Manor site. Today, the sports centre is the headquarters of the English hockey umbrella organisation, ‘England Hockey’, as well as an important training centre for the “Lawn Tennis Association”. The hockey pitches are fitted with Polytan’s Poligras artificial turf system and therefore meet the highest professional standards, as shown by the fact that they were chosen as the venue for the European Hockey Championships in August 2015. Participants played on a synthetic turf system with an unusual design: A Union Jack was incorporated into the border of the London Blue pitch using red and white patches. In conjunction with the high-quality and modern architecture, the hockey and tennis centre therefore now has a supremely stylish appearance.

If a small town with fewer than 2,000 inhabitants decides to build a multi-purpose hall, special care needs be taken over money. The Swabian town of Altdorf has shown that this can be done. The municipality, located in the Esslingen district, chose an unusual way, one that was also unknown territory for the architect. The people of Altdorf opted for an industrial hall that was expanded into a multi-purpose hall. The challenge for the architect Werner Krepela was to equip this functional hall so that it complies with all current safety regulations and, in doing so, fulfils its new function as a sports and multi-purpose hall.At the centre of the 50 x 28 m hall is a football pitch measuring almost 1,000 m². An unfilled LigaGrass Synergy with mineral support grain was laid as turf. The 978 square metre pitch, the largest indoor football pitch ever built by Polytan, is surrounded by a system of boards and a piping netting system at the sides and above the pitch. The boards and nets can be easily removed to enable the hall to also be used for other public purposes.

Polytan UK in cooperation with Hunts Contractors Ltd, Playdeck UK Ltd and Premier Line Markings Ltd have successfully completed the new 2020 Track Refurbishment of the Manchester Regional Arena Outdoor Athletics Track at The Etihad Campus. The original track built in 2001 using Polytan M system now sports a very impressive new Dark Blue Polytan Rekortan M sandwich system.The athletics and events track are built to meet and hold High Level Competitions, including Diamond League Events, World Athletics Certification Level 1 and UKA. To meet the highest quality certification under very testing circumstances is testament of the quality to all involved in both workmanship and materials and commitment to achieve.

Ayr, a port town on the Firth of Clyde in the southwest of Scotland, attracts tourists with its picturesque sandy beaches, mild climate influenced by the Gulf Stream, and a view across the water to the Isle of Arran, the home of several popular whisky distilleries.For the Scottish, Ayr is particularly significant since it is where Robert the Bruce held the first Scottish parliament in the early 14th century. Today, Ayr is one of the locations of the University of the West of Scotland, which offers one hundred graduate degree courses at a total of seven faculties. In its direct vicinity is the Riverside Sports Arena, built in 2022, which is used by students of the university and serves as the training centre for the Ayr Seaforth Athletic Club. For over 60 years, this traditional club has offered almost every classic athletics discipline, as well as special programmes for juniors, seniors and disabled people.Following an investment of £8.5 million, the state-of-the-art indoor and outdoor sports arena now includes an indoor sprinting and jumping facility, a roofed stand with 250 seats, a changing pavilion, and a rugby/football field. Specially for track-and-field athletes, there is a 400-metre running track with eight lanes, an area for jumping and throwing disciplines, and a 60-metre indoor track with six lanes. All the tracks are equipped with Polytan Rekortan M in brick red, our globally established professional sports surface, which we offer in an indoor and an outdoor version. It is loved by professionals and amateurs alike for its excellent acceleration and high tread elasticity. In addition, Rekortan M is fast and offers high cushioning and excellent sport medical properties.Due to country-specific emission limit values for indoor spaces, Rekortan M is well-suited to indoor athletics facilities. Unlike the outdoor version, the indoor version contains 100% rubber granules.With 153 World-Athletics-certified installations worldwide, Rekortan M is the world’s most certified running track system. The synthetic surface celebrated its debut at the 1968 Olympics in Mexico – ever since, Rekortan has embodied high-performance running tracks for international competitions, training facilities and school sports facilities.Moreover, our digital performance diagnostics system Polytan SMART has been installed at the Riverside Sports Arena. It is suitable for both running tracks and synthetic turf system, and can be integrated into both new and existing facilities with very little effort. Once fitted, the permanently installed timing gates are available at all times for precise time measurement – in any weather and for multiple athletes at once. Developed specially for amateur athletes who want to optimise their training, the free smartphone app Smart Run by Humotion is available to download from the Google Play Store or the Apple App Store. The smartphone is worn in a running belt. This allows the app to make use of the sensors in the smartphone, and measure all the relevant parameters in conjunction with the SMART timing gates. The measurements are then evaluated and analysed directly in the app. These include distance, time, number of steps and step frequency, both as interim results and absolute values.For all professional athletes who want to train with as little weight yet as much precision as possible, we have made the DX5.0 sensor – weighing only 15 grams – available. This is attached to a special belt and worn on the body while training. In conjunction with the Polytan SMART timing gates, it records all the parameters, and displays and evaluates them either on the professional SmarTracks diagnostics software on a laptop, or directly in the Smart Run by Humotion app.We have installed a total of 80 timing gates in the running track, the sprint track and the long jump at the Riverside Sports Arena. Scottish Athletics Ltd, the national umbrella association for athletics in Scotland, will use the Polytan SMART-equipped facility in Ayr for national competitions in the future. Polytan is the official partner of Scottish Athletics Ltd, which is associated with World Athletics via UK Athletics. In turn, Scottish Athletics comprises 150 athletics associations that offer people of all ages the opportunity to try out various athletics disciplines, as well as train and compete – from casual jogging, all the way through to the Olympic Games and Commonwealth Games.

The “Schäl Sick” – for many years, this derogatory term was used by Cologners on the left side of the Rhine about the other side of the Rhine. The right side – or rather the “wrong” side of the Rhine – was home to Deutz, Leverkusen or even Düsseldorf. And Porz, which is now part of Cologne. On Humboldtstrasse, between the Cologne-Porz municipal secondary school and the sports club Gymnasial-Sportverein Porz e.V., is the school sports facility. In 2021/2022, a running circuit enclosing a natural grass field and a sprinting track with up to seven lanes were renovated with Polytan’s Rekortan M, allowing the facility to be used by the athletics club, the municipal sports association and school sports department at the same time. In the summer of 2023, the second part of the extensive project began. This includes a large synthetic turf football field, a soccer court, a multipurpose field for basketball and badminton, and a fitness and climbing area, as well as a sand pitch for beach volleyball and an electronic goal shooting wall.Various surfaces from Polytan were used in the design of the sports complex. The large playing field is surfaced with our LigaTurf Cross synthetic turf system, which combines straight and textured filaments. The benefits of both textile fibre types are combined in one ideal surface, with a look and feel that is barely distinguishable from real football turf and is used successfully in professional sport worldwide. Thanks to its textured filaments, LigaGrass Cross ensures low and easy maintenance, while providing greater infill stability and increased turf volume. The football pitch on Humboldtstrasse can be divided into two mini-pitches, allowing it to be used by two groups at once.The miniature playing field is laid out as a soccer court and features a digital goal shooting wall. Both areas are surfaced with LigaGrass Pro with CoolPlus function. This textured synthetic turf is the perfect solution for municipal sports, as well as school and club sports. It began its winning streak with the DFB campaign “1,000 Miniature Playing Fields for Germany”, which became one of the most popular and enduring projects after the World Cup in Germany, with the aim of enthusing young people for football. Alongside synthetic turf, Polytan’s soccer court complete system also includes goals, barriers and ball nets.The multipurpose field was realised using PolyPlay SE, our durable all-round surface, which at Humboldstrasse is used for basketball and badminton in particular. Thanks to its smooth surface and favourable ball-bouncing properties, this single-layered surface is ideal for ball sports in schools, as well as for a variety of outdoor activities. Its water-permeable surface allows the playing field to dry very quickly, so it can be used year-round in all weathers. Another benefit is its slip resistance, high wear resistance and low maintenance. The black lines on the playing field are for basketball; the light green lines, for badminton.The fitness and climbing area is surfaced with our fall protection surface PolyPlay FS GT in a special brown tone. This classic among fall protection surfaces is primarily used in various thicknesses as a shock-absorbing layer on playgrounds. The bulk-coated, water-permeable surface is extremely low-maintenance and, thanks to its cushioning effect, protects against injuries in the event of falls. Optimal resistance to weathering and decay guarantees a long lifespan and low maintenance costs.Today, the “schäl Sick” no longer has negative connotations; on the contrary, its residents are proud to live on Cologne’s “other side”. In the renovation of the sports complex in Cologne-Porz, the project clients are definitely on the right side in opting for surfaces from Polytan’s extensive product portfolio.

Home to England’s 27 national teams, St. George’s Park provides a world-class training environment for any team or athlete striving for excellence. St. George’s Park is the English Football Association’s national football centre. Polytan installed an 8,400 sqm indoor football pitch (LigaTurf RS Pro II 40 mm EPDM) at the facility for England team training and exclusive hire in 2018. Set in a single, secure location across 330 acres of Staffordshire countryside, the £105 million complex boasts a range of outstanding training pitches, state-of-the-art sport science and performance facilities, a four star Hilton hotel as well as an outdoor team building complex.

Our synthetic turf pitches are high-quality, state of the art, durable, and always an economically attractive alternative to natural grass pitches. And – if we do say so ourselves – we think they look beautiful. But sometimes even we must confess that they cannot compete against a far more beautiful backdrop. For example, in Antibes, where our LigaTurf Cross turf was installed. Meanwhile, an athletics running track Rekortan M stands out in brick red at the neighbouring Stade du Fort Carré. However, both of them are no match for the view, which involuntarily draws the eye towards the city of Nice, across the expanse of the “Baie des Anges”. The extraordinary “Bay of Angels”, the epitome of the French Riviera, has always captured the imagination.Its charm not only attracts countless tourists today, but also fascinated Pablo Picasso. He worked in Antibes for 60 years, a piece of history that is now commemorated at the Musée Picasso Antibes. An oft-overlooked fact amongst the rich cultural and historic past of the ancient city, is that together with the seaside resort Juan-les-Pins – one of the most popular holiday destinations on the Côte d’Azur – it is one of the most “athletic” communes in France. More than 18,400 athletes are registered in Antibes Juan-les-Pins – more than 22% of the population! 162 clubs and associations offer a wide range of sports to an enthusiastic public – with over 200,000 m2 of sports facilities.One of them is the Stade du Fort Carré, built as a football stadium and inaugurated in 1912, one of the largest stadiums in France in its day. It hosted one of the quarter finals of the FIFA World Cup 1938. Today, it is predominantly used for athletics. The circular running track was renovated in 2018 and fitted with Polytan Rekortan M, our professional sports surface that stands out for its speed and high shock absorption. It also offers excellent acceleration and step-elasticity.At its head, the eight-lane running track in the Stade du Fort Carré – where some of the historic stands are still standing – borders on a synthetic turf football pitch, installed in 2021. The chosen surface was our LigaTurf Cross, which combines two filament types into the perfect football pitch and resembles real football turf in terms of both look and feel. The pitch is used by players from the Football Club Antibes, which has 13 teams – ranging from juniors to seniors – and currently plays in the sixth division, the Division d’Honneur. Perhaps even better, the players get to enjoy the breath-taking view of the Bay of Angels. And, of course, our synthetic turf – another little gem on the Côte d’Azur.

In the wild heart of Sardinia: LigaTurf RS+ with CoolPlus function in GavoiThe small town of Gavoi, which has only 2,500 inhabitants, is located in the “wild heart of Sardinia”, and from an altitude of 800 m, offers phenomenal panoramic views hemmed by holm oak, downy oak and chestnut forests. Its local delicacies include Fiore Sardo cheese, which is made of pure sheep’s milk and is exclusively produced in Sardinia.The Stadio Maristiai, built in the early 1970s with a breath-taking view of the Lago di Gúsana, 10 km away, is proof that even the smallest Italian communities have a big passion for football. This is where the amateur players of Taloro Gavoi train and play their home games. The club plays in the “Eccellenza Sardinia”, a local league with 16 teams from across Sardinia. Taloro Gavoi was founded in 1958, and expanded with a youth division in the late 1960s. In the decades that followed, the club has continued to engage in youth work and achieved numerous victories in various championships.Now, the playing field in the Stadio Maristiai has been fully renovated and equipped with Polytan’s LigaTurf RS+ synthetic turf system, including CoolPlus function: our worldwide leading system with FIFA Quality Pro accreditation. LigaTurf RS+ is loved by professionals and amateurs alike, as the rhombus-shaped design of the approx. 360-μm-thick turf fibres, combined with the innovative Polytan ENTANGLEMENT technology, fulfils the highest requirements in shock absorption, ball-roll and ball-bounce characteristics. The exclusive Polytan CoolPlus function permanently reduces overheating of the turf and is extremely effective, especially in the case of the textured turf systems, thanks to the large surface area for reflecting heat radiation. As a crimped Polytan artificial turf system, LigaGrass RS+ also features a BiColour design. The two-tone fibres help achieve a natural grass appearance with their lush green colour.note: In this case we represent the LigaTurf RS+R with pictures from the LigaTurf RS+ CoolPlus, as they are nearly identical