Aberystwyth Town's Tigerturf Pitch Shortlisted at the Stadium Business Awards 2017

Following the installation of a TigerTurf 3G pitch at Aberystwyth Town FC’s Park Avenue Stadium in September 2016 by GEO Turf Consulting and McArdle Sport Tec, it was recently announced that the facility has been shortlisted in the Community Award category at The Stadium Business Awards 2017, to be held at Croke Park, Dublin on 22 June.
 
During a complex 3-year project, Aberystwyth Town FC worked closely with Jonathan Smith of GEO Turf Consulting to overcome substantial challenges, including contaminated ground, risk of total settlement and high construction costs.
 
The development and launch of Ecocept, an innovative, environmentally-friendly new base layer, provided a solution for these challenges and allowed the project to finally progress and be completed.
 
The new facility has already brought added value and new benefits to the club. Through having an all-weather, 3G pitch, Aberystwyth Town FC has been able to increase playing hours available at the stadium, opening the pitch up to teams throughout the club as well as to the wider community. In addition, with no reason to cancel games due to poor weather, the club has seen increased attendances at their First Team fixtures, bringing in additional match-day revenue.
 
The Stadium Business Awards received their highest number of award entries from around the world this year. The recognition and acknowledgement from the judging panel to include Aberystwyth Town FC on the Community Award shortlist alongside some of the largest football and sports clubs in the world reaffirms the impact that the 3G pitch has had for the club and local community.
 
Paul Langford, Managing Director at TigerTurf, said: “We are extremely proud to have been able to help deliver a solution for the project at Aberystwyth Town FC. And, we are delighted that the pitch has created new opportunities for the club and community which have been recognised by The Stadium Business Awards.”
 
Thomas Crockett, Club Marketing Director at Aberystwyth Town FC added: “We are delighted with our new state of the art 3G surface, which has transformed us from a semi-professional football club to a full-time business open seven days a week. Almost 1200 supporters attended the Official Opening of the 3G pitch and, since its opening, it has been extensively used by the First Team, Youth, Ladies, Disability, Academy and supporters’ sides, as well as by local community and university football leagues and individual clubs. Even the local rugby club signed up and came down to train in the snow!”
 
The Stadium Business Awards
Launched in 2010, The Stadium Business Awards are the first industry awards for the stadium sector, by the stadium sector. Ian Nuttall, Founder of The Stadium Business, said: “The Stadium Business Awards is about recognising leadership, innovation and achievement in the delivery, operation and management of sports facilities globally. Since 2010, we have given awards to some of the top venues from around the world and this year will be no exception. Our expert panel have come up with an amazing shortlist of nominees for each category.”
 
COMMUNITY AWARD (2017 Shortlist. Winner decided by: Decision by Judging Panel)

• Fort Bragg Field ballpark for Independence Day and beyond (MLB/US Military/Populous), US
• Albion in the Community (AITC) at AmEx Stadium (Brighton & Hove Albion FC), UK
• Sons of the West Men’s Health Program (Western Bulldogs Community Foundation), Australia
• Augmented Reality for Disabled Supporters at Allianz Arena (Bayern Munich FC), Germany
• Community Events at Everbank Field (Jacksonville Jaguars), USA
• Open Camp at Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys, Spain
• Bespoke tours and visitor experiences for the Chinese market at Old Trafford (Manchester United FC), UK
• #ClubGOTM community video programme (Cardiff City FC), UK
• Community Teams on 3G Pitch at Park Avenue Stadium (Aberystwyth Town FC), UK