Location :

Melbourne, VIC

Client :

City Football Group (Australia)

Year :

2014-2015

Sector :

Hybrid Turf | Soccer

Constructed in 2015, the Melbourne City Football Club training pitch is still Australia's premier natural turf playing field. The field is part of the club’s training facility located at LaTrobe University’s Bundoora Campus.

The club is owned by the City Group, whose brief to SPORTENG was to develop Australia’s most elite playing surface in line with those facilities utilised by fellow owned side; Manchester City Football Club.

THE CHALLENGE

The club ultimately wanted to develop two elite pitches to enable them to rotate the high wear usage. However, the site constraints meant that there was insufficient available space to design two pitches.

THE SOLUTION

SPORTENG designed a square 117m x 117m flat turf tablet which consists of Australia’s only hybrid turf playing surface with the proprietary hybrid product installed being DESSO Grassmaster. The irrigation supply is drawn from an adjacent stormwater basin and is treated before use.

 

The natural elevation of the pitch enables ease of stormwater discharge back to the stormwater basin which results in re-using the stormwater run-off for the pitch irrigation.

THE RESULTS

The perfectly square pitch enables the club to rotate the pitch orientation 90 degrees and shift it sideways to help rotate high-wear areas. The pitch consists of a blue perimeter synthetic grass (matching the club colours) to enable the club's elevated coaching platform to be positioned in different locations. Being one of Australia’s elite turf playing surfaces, it has been utilised by several international soccer teams visiting Australia as a training pitch.

 

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