Durham University’s huge sporting programme is set to expand still further this autumn with the unveiling of its second 3G synthetic turf pitch.
The Rugger 65 pitch, laid alongside the first one installed in 2009, boosts Durham’s capacity to stage college, community and national fixtures across rugby, football and lacrosse.
Sport England has match-funded the 3G facility under a performance partnership that will see Durham deepen its involvement with community sport under a mission to extend the University’s prominence and outreach throughout grassroots and top-flight sport.
Dean of Experience Durham Peter Warburton once again specified SIS Pitches for the second Rugger 65 facility, which includes floodlighting, perimeter fencing and dugouts, after witnessing major success for its first 3G pitch, which has created a sporting hub for clubs, the community and elite squads.
Working under senior project manager Ian Tubman for both 3G schemes, Will Roberts, the university’s Projects and Technical Assistant for the Estates and Building Department, said: “The second 3G pitch is going to be tested to IRB and FIFA Gold Star standards, allowing top-flight rugby and football, as well as lacrosse, to be played on it.
“The design and build engineering package that SIS provides has proved to be very efficient, bringing plenty of betterment value to the pitches and site as a whole.”
Durham’s first Rugger 65 rubber crumb full-size floodlit facility has become one of the most intensively used pitches in the country and the university expects the latest installation to emulate that level of use.
Under his term as Director of Sport for Durham University, Peter Warburton oversaw a meteoric expansion of the sporting programme, introducing club and community partnerships and forging links with governing bodies of rugby, football, hockey and lacrosse to encourage national squads to train there.
Now, Durham is ranked second only to Loughborough in the league table of British university sports provision, running 34 rugby teams, 36 hockey sides and 66 football (23 of those, women).
“We’re one of the biggest university sports providers in the UK,” said Peter Warburton. “The new Rugger 65 pitch will enable us to stage match back to back games from 9am to 8pm throughout the weekend, as well as every lunchtime and evening in the autumn. Meanwhile, clubs and squads can use the 3G pitches on weekday mornings and afternoons.”
Demand for synthetic surfaces for rugby is set to grow strongly, said Phil Blackwell, Director of SIS Pitches. “Saracens is showing the way forward [the Aviva Premiership champions chose the Rugger 65 surface for its Allianz Park new home earlier this year]. Over the next ten years, the future for rugby will be on mostly synthetic surfaces.
Rugby played on the Rugger 65 turf is said to encourage a faster, more entertaining game while reducing the toll of postponed fixtures due to boggy, waterlogged natural grass surfaces.
Jon Turnbull, SIS Pitches Contracts Manager, added: “Working with Durham University for a second time has been a really positive experience. They have been very accommodating of our team and are delighted with the end result and the new pitch has surpassed expectations. This will be the pitch for the first team, and is a really positive facility for the university but also for the wider community, who will have opportunities to use it too.”
Serving a 15,000 student body, Durham also runs two full-size synthetic hockey pitches, eight natural turf rugby pitches, innumerable football areas and four cricket squares (one all-weather).