‘Our new surface is excellent’

Harrogate Town FC, Tamworth FC, Maidstone United, Eastbourne United, Haringey Borough FC and Slough FC all now play on state of the art 3G artificial turf systems installed using high performance construction technology and delivered by S&C Slatter’s fast-track project management team.

So what do these clients think about their new FIFA 2 Star Performance Standard facilities?

Irving Weaver Chairman of National League North Harrogate Town

“The pitch looks and plays remarkably well. So much so that all the teams that have played on the pitch to date have been really impressed. Once the rubber crumb had settled into the filaments, within a couple of weeks during pre-season, there is no discernible difference from the best of grass pitches.

Our first team squad trained on a new 3G pitch during last season and they confirm that our new surface is excellent.

‘Willingness to please was outstanding’

The installation has overnight changed our business model, with immediate high demand for usage by local and district teams. The additional revenue and cost savings, further enhanced involvement with the community, and the reassurance that we are developing a sustainable football club, will project the club forward.

We were delighted with the performance of S & C Slatter. The contract was completed on time and to budget. The quality of workmanship is there for all to see and, above all, their willingness to please was outstanding”.

Paul Maynard Chairman of National League South Eastbourne Borough FC has this to say,

“We are delighted with the end product.  It looks magnificent and plays totally true – our playing and coaching staff are entirely positive about the surface.  For the first time in our history all of our numerous youth teams will be able to play and train at the same site – and they are thrilled to be playing inside the main stadium.  We were able to negotiate an advance long term contract with a national soccer league, which in conjunction with enhanced community use, should bring significant new revenue to the club.  As with most football clubs our main asset is our stadium.  Now, instead of using the stadium once a week or once a fortnight we can use it every day of the week.

‘Utterly professional’

We identified S & C Slatters as our preferred pitch supplier some time ago and they have worked closely with us throughout our planning process.  They have been utterly professional and delivered on time and on budget.  I cannot praise them highly enough.”

At newly promoted National League Maidstone United, Chairman Oliver Ash is equally enthusiastic.

“We found S and C Slatter to be most professional and helpful throughout the process, from the moment we approached them to tender to the period of installation. It was like having a dedicated, specialist in-house team.”

“The FieldTurf pitch certainly looks the part and the first few games have shown it to play really well.”

Tamworth FC play in the National League North and Chairman Bob Andrews is very pleased with their new 3G football turf pitch.

“From our first meeting with S&C Slatter Commercial Director Jason Douglass and our visit to the pitch they’ve installed for Sutton United, I had full confidence in their ability to deliver what we wanted. 9 months later and with the necessary financing in place, we were able to commence the construction of our own 3G football turf pitch.

‘We would recommend the company’

Right from the very beginning of the project we found the S&C Slatter staff good to deal with and they were very pro-active in getting to grips with our slightly unusual stadium and our specific requirements. The whole process went very smoothly and we would recommend the company from top to bottom as very efficient with a very good end product.”

There’s nothing really for us to add other than to say how much we enjoyed working on each of these projects. As is often the case, a strong client/contractor partnership was key to achieving the high quality standard of these outstanding new stadium pitches.

The importance of this approach now, if anything, assumes even more significance with the forthcoming changes to FIFA performance standards. Clubs will need to fully understand the implications of these revisions and decide whether the FIFA Quality Pro or Quality standard is the most appropriate for them and their stakeholders (community and other external users).

While FIFA Quality Pro is geared specifically towards the demands of the professional game, FIFA Quality is orientated to the durability and safety for more intense use at community level.

‘Like having a dedicated, specialist in-house team’

But it doesn’t stop there. You need to ensure that having chosen the correct route on performance, the specific artificial turf pitch system you are considering is equally the right one – particularly in achieving the consistency and longevity demanded by both new standards.

This has practical consequences for clubs, for instance placing even greater emphasis on the need for programmed specialist maintenance and after-care.

S&C Slatter can help your club work through this process by acting as specialist advisor and technical expert, comparing your vital project and business plan criteria against the relevant standards and site parameters. By analysing and reporting on the practical impacts and consequences of these, the company can support delivery of a successful project.

As Oliver Ash of Maidstone United said earlier, “It was like having a dedicated, specialist in-house team.”

And as we know, teamwork always wins.

Mad Dog’ Maddie Hinch, the GB goalkeeper who in the opinion of many gave the outstanding individual performance of the Rio hockey tournament in the final against Holland will be officially opening the new Bromley & Beckenham Hockey club artificial hockey turf pitch at Langley Park School for Girls this Saturday August 27th. The pitch has of course also been installed by S&C Slatter and features a Notts Sport sand-dressed artificial turf surface with in-situ rubber shock pad system.

The pitch provided by the company for Reading Hockey Club is the FieldTurf Hockey Gold water-based system with in-situ shock pad which plays to International Hockey Federation (FIH) Global Performance Standard.

S&C Slatter is an FIH Certified Field Builder and was the first globally to achieve this certification earlier this year. The FIH Certified Field Builder designation is an important part of the FIH Quality Programme for Hockey Turf, which is designed to ensure the sustainability, affordability and accessibility of hockey turf worldwide.

This internationally recognised quality-assurance programme recognises that a new hockey field is a major investment which demands that it meets the expectations of all stakeholders – hockey players, associations, clubs and schools. It looks to help in ensuring that good quality hockey fields are built for all levels of play from elite competition through to community development.

FieldTurf is an FIH Preferred Supplier.

At Holcombe Hockey Club, the brief was to refurbish and upgrade two existing artificial turf pitches and the club chose to appoint S&C Slatter as sports construction specialists. One pitch was engineered to FIH Global Performance Standard using a Notts Sport water-based artificial turf, whereas for the second facility, needing a FIH National Performance Standard level of play, a Notts Sport sand-dressed artificial turf was selected.

S&C Slatter joins everyone in congratulating the GB Women’s Hockey Team, and indeed all of our athletes, players, competitors and support teams, for a record-breaking Olympic performance. You should be proud of what you have achieved for yourselves and the whole Nation. You’ve given many hours of excitement, pleasure and inspiration to millions of people. Can’t wait for Tokyo 2020!

John Kinge, technical director of Safecontractor said, “Major organisations simply cannot afford to run the risk of employing contractors who are not able to prove that they have sound health and safety policies in place.”

“More companies need to understand the importance of adopting good risk management in the way that S&C Slatter has done. The firm’s high standard has set an example which hopefully will be followed by other companies within the sector.

Under the Safecontractor scheme, businesses undergo a vetting process which examines health and safety procedures and their track record for safe practice. Those companies meeting the high standard are included on a database, which is accessible to registered users only via a website.

Client-organisations who sign up to the scheme can access the database, enabling them to vet potential contractors before they even set foot on site. These clients agree that, as users of the scheme, they will engage only those who have received accreditation.

Over 210 major, nation-wide businesses, from several key sectors, have signed up to use the scheme when selecting contractors for services such as building, cleaning, maintenance, refurbishment or electrical and mechanical work.

S&C Slatter is already accredited by a number of procurement, supply chain management and risk management certification bodies including Constructionline, EXOR and CHAS. The company also recently successfully completed its ISO 9001 Quality Management System re-certification for the next three years; all emphasising its commitment to pursuing quality-based service delivery for it ever expanding portfolio of clients in the Education, Sports, Leisure and Construction sectors.

Earlier this year S&C Slatter achieved a global first; becoming the first International Hockey Federation (FIH) Certified Pitch Builder under the FIH internationally recognised quality assurance programme – the FIH Quality Programme for Hockey Turf. And in partnership with FieldTurf, we work on pitches under the Football Association, Football Foundation, Rugby Football Union, Sport England, English Hockey Framework.

The new surfacing system is the exceptional FieldTurf Vertex 3G artificial turf with an in-situ bound E-Layer Performance Base. Complete with permanent in-laid lines the upgraded facility will deliver FIFA 2 Star Performance.

As well as providing a first-class pitch for Maidstone United’s Vanarama National League programme it is a valuable asset for this highly progressive club and the wider community. The Academy will also play on the new system which will be available for hire by other clubs and organisations.

This latest stadium pitch project by S&C Slatter continues to emphasise the genuinely high play quality now available to clubs in the non-league football sector. Sutton United, also promoted to the National League for 2016/17 as Champions of National League South, have just completed their first year with an S&C Slatter-installed FieldTurf 3G football turf pitch.

The England C team recently played an International competitive match against the Slovakia U-21 team on Sutton’s 3G pitch and the England Manager, Paul Fairclough, commented after the game.

“Having played Slovakia U21’s and trained at Sutton United’s new 3rd generation pitch, it was the best surface I have seen, and this includes all those pitches I have ever come across in Eurpoe as well. It seems the e-layer sub base and choice of FieldTurf has given SUFC a fantastic pitch and one that I would be very happy for England C to use again in the future”

Sutton United’s Borough Sports Ground pitch will also be appearing soon on BT Sport when their League home tie against Tranmere Rovers is televised on 17 September.

S&C Slatter are currently completing new 3G football turf stadium pitches for a number of other clubs including Eastbourne Borough FC, Harrogate Town and Tamworth United. All clubs selected the market-leading FieldTurf Vertex 3G turf system.

The award, which recognises a particular high standard of commitment and effort, comes as Charlotte prepares to sit her final examinations and is a just reward for all her hard work over the last couple of years. The presentation of the Apprentice of the Year Shield and Certificate was made to Charlotte made at a recent Awards Evening at the College.

Needless to say, the whole S&C Slatter Team is very proud of Charlotte!

In her day job, she works alongside Michelle and Sally in the HQ Accounts Department contributing to the efficient operational management of the company’s financial affairs. This also includes a good deal of telephone interaction with clients which is something she particularly enjoys.

Before joining us Charlotte worked for a market research organisation following the successful completion of A-levels in Geography, Physical Education and Dance.

Charlotte likes keeping fit at the gym and often runs in support of charitable causes. When relaxing she enjoys a wide range of music.

S&C Slatter invests in securing the best people with the skills and commitment necessary to achieve the highest possible standards. We then encourage and work with them to develop personal improvement programmes which will grow them as individuals and enable the acquistion of new, additional skills and experiences.

A good deal of emphasis is placed on building the confidence and assuredness necessary for each Team Member to accept greater career challenges and interact to maximum effect with colleagues, stakeholders and clients.

It will therefore come as no surprise that the Company recently scored 100% for ‘Collaborative Approach’ and ‘Customer Satisfaction/Liaison’ in its 2016 Hampshire County Council Annual Review of Contractor Performance.

Hampshire County Council regularly monitors contractor performance, securing feedback from both clients and contract administrators upon completion of each project.

David Slatter, S&C Slatter Managing Director, comments ‘It is particularly pleasing to have independent recognition of the hard work and commitment we invest in every sports facility project. We’ve significantly grown both the number and scope of projects handled each year, and we’ve actually managed to develop still further our quality standards and customer service to even higher and more consistent levels.’

Assessed against 10 KPIs

Ten Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) were measured and assessed during the review to produce both individual KPI and average score percentages. These were:

Time Management

Financial Management

Health & Safety

Management of Sub-Contractors (where applicable)

Quality of Workmanship

Progress with Defects

Collaborative Approach

Contractor Performance

Contractor Design

Customer Satisfaction/Liaison

100% in two categories

In ‘Collaborative Approach’ and ‘Customer Satisfaction/Liaison’ we scored an outstanding 100% in both individual KPIs.

One of the projects covered by the review was the provision of a 7526m2 3G artificial turf pitch for Football and Hockey at Swanmore College.  The pitch delivers FIFA 1 star performance and was part of a challenging civil engineering project also featuring major landscaping and drainage works (including Sustainable Drainage System (SuDS) technology), new access routes, ancillary facilities and a natural turf rugby pitch.

Chris Loveday, Director of Community & Site Facilities, at Swanmore College told us ‘A really big thank you for the management of the project. Your team leader in particular has been brilliant and the works really have caused a minimum of disruption to us as a school and community site.’

Safecontractor accreditation

S&C Slatter has also been awarded accreditation from Safecontractor for its commitment to achieving excellence in health and safety. Safecontractor is a leading third party accreditation scheme which recognises very high standards in health and safety management amongst UK contractors.

The company is already accredited with ISO 9001, EXOR, CHAS and Constructionline.

An England football team playing a home international match on a 3G football turf pitch doesn’t now attract the kind of media comment and coverage it might have done a couple of years ago. Even allowing for the increasing excitement and juggernaut effect of the impending Euro 2016 Championship; even though it was an England C v Slovakia U21 International Challenge Trophy fixture; despite it being at the end of school half term, surely one would have expected some examination of why such a game was being played on 3G?

Actually the post-game reports quite rightly focused on what was a really exciting football match decided in the favour of the visitors with literally the last kick. The 3 – 4 scoreline was testament to an enthralling game in which the England team played very well and certainly didn’t deserve to lose. But absolutely no mention of how the pitch played. Did the players seem comfortable on it? Did it inhibit or encourage creative play? Nothing. Oh sorry, except for a Tweet to the Sutton United groundsman congratulating him on how brilliant the surface looked.

The lack of reference to the pitch is, I feel, because at long last, there is a growing understanding and acceptance that you can and indeed should now expect to play a genuinely good game on a top of the range 3G football turf system. Sure some pitch specifications are better than others, as with all things, but the days of ‘ping pong’ football on a synthetic surface tend very much to be a thing of the past.