At the end of May, Hockey Prato Città del Tricolore conquered its entry among the top 8 teams in Italy, achieving promotion to the Elite. It does so at the photofinish, in the most beautiful and at the same time unexpected way, placing the overtake at the very last match.

The current pitch, dating back to 2008, is fully functional, planar and with a turf still in decent shape, but the management believes that playing the Elite championship, with international prominence, is an opportunity to equip itself with a new pitch, using water-based “technology” without clogging.

Having found that the elastic subfloor is still in perfect condition, despite 15 years of operation and the use of the area also as a sports field for the nearby school complex (allowing the investment to be contained), and following a discussion with the provincial administration that gave the area as a concession, the Company decided to call for a tender for the resurfacing of the turf and fencing, inviting 5 companies from the sector.

In this gallery, cutting and removal of turf.

It was a race against time, wanting to get everything done by the end of September, in order to be able to use it in the Italian Cup and to make it usable again at the school complex on Makallè Street.

The size of the field is m. 97.40 x 59 (playing area 91.40 x 55 m), and the intervention consisted in resurfacing the synthetic turf, replacing the existing curled fiber open-structure sand-logged turf, with a new water-based synthetic turf approved Global Category 2 by the International Field Hockey Federation.

In this gallery, removal and stacking of the old turf, and the arrival of the new rolls on dedicated trucks.

The choice of the turf fell on the S-Tec Solution Xperience IS 15 water-based system produced by Lano Sport BV at its factories in Harelbeke, Belgium, which is FIH Global Category 2 homologated in dark green for the playing area and light green in the perimeter of the field.

The subfloor has a vertical drainage made of asphalt on which, in the resurfacing of the field carried out by Vaneton in 2008/2009, an elastic layer (shock pad) made of recycled rubber cast in place in a thickness of 15 mm had been installed.

The evenness of the surface and the uniformity of the elastic layer made it possible to maintain the existing subgrade, replacing only the pavement, with significant savings, both economic and in time.

On the left, the existing shockpad, still in perfect condition after 15 years; on the right, the welding installation of the new turf.

The auction base was set at 325,770.00 euros + vat and the award at the highest bid was formalized on August 12.

Vaneton, also thanks to the long-standing partnership with Lano Sport BV, was able to schedule the start of the work on time and carry out all the work in less than 3 weeks!

The field is therefore ready to be inaugurated with a first game as early as September 24, as this issue of TSport goes to press!

(News by Vaneton Srl)