FORTIS SIMO

Playing on a heated pitch

In Norrland, in the north of Sweden, the snow can stay on the ground for more than 150 days a year. Given that the layer of snow can be an average of 80 cm thick, you will agree that the installation of an ingenious heating system under the turf of the Gammliavallen stadium football pitch was not a luxury, but a definite necessity.
THANKS TO THE HEATING SYSTEM, THE PITCH IN GAMLIAVALLEN IS NOT COVERED IN SNOW.THE SWEDISH WOMEN’S TEAM UMEA IK: CHAMPIONS ON ARTIFICIAL GRASS The Gammliavallen stadium in the Swedish province of Västerbotten is the home ground for the Umeå men’s and women’s football clubs. The women’s team is among the best in the world . Since the foundation of the club, the female side has already played eight seasons at the highest level of women’s football in Sweden, and has won the title no fewer than five times. The Swedish team has also left its calling card at the UEFA Women’s Cup. The club won the Cup twice, in 2002-2003 and 2003-2004. In addition to Swedish football stars, Umeå also has internationals from Norway, Finland and Brazil in its black and gold clad squad.

Year-round football

The team from Umeå had had enough of cancelling home games and practice sessions due to bad weather. In 2003, Desso Sports Systems, and its Swedish partner Spentab, joined forces to renew the pitch of Gammliavallen stadium. For the artificial grass surface, Desso Match was chosen and a modified heating system was installed underground. This made it possible to play football in Umeå throughout the whole year. Since it’s too cold to play outside from December to April, we train indoors. The field, however, remains in good condition. “There is an advantage in always being able to train and play on the same pitch,” says Roland Arnqvist, General Manager of Umeå IK. “It is great that Gammliavallen can be our home base on all occasions and in all conditions. We are sure that training and home games can go ahead. And, maybe even more important, since the pitch was laid, injuries to our players have been reduced considerably,” Arnqvist concludes.

Total solution

The Spentab heating system, in combination with the Desso artificial grass pitch, offers a total solution that makes it possible to play different sports at one and the same location . For example, Gammliavallen, a 10,000 spectator capacity stadium, is equipped for athletics (track and field) and football. Even cross-country skiing competitions finish here.

Groundsmen win top awards with Desso pitches

‘There’s no doubt that the Desso GrassMaster system helped us through a difficult period when the fixtures were coming thick and fast and the weather was absolutely atrocious.’ Earlier on this year when the weather was against him, the last thing on Tottenham Hotspur groundsman Darren Baldwin’s mind was the Premiership’s Groundsman of the Year award. He was focused on maintaining the pitch for another succession of fixtures in a short period. Fortunately for Darren though he had more than just an able team on his side, he also had the Desso GrassMaster system. As Darren says Despite these adversities, Darren Baldwin was voted Premiership Groundsman of the Year and in another coup for Desso, Gary Kemp of Norwich City won the equivalent title for the Championship Division for his work at Carrow Road, a pitch also incorporating the Desso GrassMaster system. The adjudicators at the Sports Turf Research Institute credited the pitch as having an
© Action Images excellent surface despite heavy use and said that the overall standard of the pitch was outstanding . Both pitches, originally built by Hewitt Sportsturf, are reinforced by the Desso artificial fibres which protect the roots and ensure a stable, level playing field throughout the year. With J. Mallinson (Ormskirk) Ltd installing the Desso GrassMaster system into Bolton Wanderers’ Reebok Stadium this Summer 2007, almost half the Premiership clubs now play on this system, reinforcing Desso GrassMaster’s position as Europe’s leading natural grass reinforcement system.
DARREN BALDWIN (L) RECEIVES THE AWARD FROM GARY HOFFMAN (R) FROM BARCLAYS. 3