In a league of its own
Rising in the shadow of England’s spiritual home of football is a similarly impressive new grassroots development that will allow amateur and professionals, young or old, from all walks of life, to perform against the backdrop of one of the world’s greatest football arenas. The Lucozade Powerleague Wembley City project, officially unveiled in mid-April, is Lucozade Powerleague Fives Ltd’s fourth site in the capital and offers both 5 and 7-a-side football on leading edge artificial turf. This latest, and most high profile, of the company’s football centres, boasts 3G rubber crumb pitch technology, as well as attractive bar/lounge area and changing rooms, plus patio, laid with sand-filled artificial grass.
Established originally as ‘Pitz’ in 1988 in Paisley, seven miles east of Glasgow, Lucozade Powerleague has become the largest operator in the world of small-sided pitches and the self-confessed `Champions of 5-a-side`. A world away from its pilot first generation small-sided artificial pitch of the late 1980s – the first of its kind in the UK - Lucozade Powerleague has burgeoned to a bustling national network. Its portfolio now numbers 45 state-of-the-art football centres across the UK, including the biggest of its kind in Europe – Lucozade Powerleague Trafford with 23 pitches. It is Lucozade Powerleague Wembley though that is the feather in their cap in a sport whose participants have now overtaken 11-a-side football in Britain in terms of player numbers.
Strong partnerships have played a pivotal role in Lucozade Powerleague’s success – no better exemplified than in its nine-year relationship with Support in Sport (SIS) the manufacturer, supplier and installer of every one of its developments over that time. SIS were to extend their service involvement still further with the Wembley project, however, as the remit for the build was to make this one `a little bit special`, with vibrant colours and key sponsors ensuring that each of the seven pitches (six 5-a-side and one 7-a-side) carried its own unique identity and character. 
“Given the profile of the site and the fact that players were competing in the shadow of Wembley stadium, meant that we felt it important to create a unique experience,” explains Tony Scott, Lucozade Powerleague’s Development Manager.
“Part of this experience was set around our key sponsor partners, headline sponsor Lucozade, Nike, Nivea for men, Carlsberg and SIS, who each had their own pitch with their own designs,” he continues.
“We liked the idea that visitors could play on the Nike pitch, or the Lucozade pitch, with on-pitch sponsorship adding to the atmosphere and excitement and sense of occasion. It’s about creating a strong brand that would do justice to such a fantastic location.” Each of the sponsors has a bespoke designed surface with logos and colour schemes of their choice. 
Lucozade Powerleague’s confidence in SIS’s design and installation know-how has proved longstanding, says Support in Sport’s Chief Executive Officer George Mullan. “We have installed or renovated every one of its sites and we enjoy an excellent working relationship with the company, one founded on the depth of knowledge and quality of build that we can deliver as part of our one-stop-shop service.
“Everything is UK manufactured, including the bespoke surface that is designed to stand up to intensive use, and our fencing system, robust enough to soak up heavy usage.”
Location is everything as they say, and Tony Scott is expecting the new site to be hugely popular, not least because of its Wembley Stadium backdrop. Yet, as was witnessed with real turf at the home of English football, if the bread and butter of the development – the pitch – isn’t right, all the good work elsewhere can be compromised. This latest venture challenged the expertise of longstanding partner SIS, whose credentials would be put to the test with the desire from Lucozade Powerleague to have not only the latest 3G rubber crumb pitches but also an imposing sponsor focus.
SIS rose to the challenge and the project is now complete, with the construction of a two-tiered pitch layout, which also saw the installation of a UK-first demountable fencing system that has been specifically designed for the site utilising removable modules to provide a more open plan profile to pitches during events.
SIS Group has a proven track record in producing world-class natural and artificial sports surfaces throughout the world including for the African Nations Cup 2010, World Cup 2006, five UEFA Champions League final venues, and for such illustrious football clubs as Real Madrid, F.C. Porto and Sporting Lisbon. 
The association with the Wembley City development, however, marks a high point in Lucozade Powerleague’s relationship with SIS. “We can’t stress enough how important it’s been for us to have a company in partnership who can offer the full turnkey service,” states Scott. “From the manufacturer stage through to installation and aftercare maintenance, having the product delivered on time and on budget has meant all developments have been overwhelming successes and we expect Wembley City to enjoy similar if not even greater popularity.”
Planning permission was granted at the tail end of last year for site work to proceed on what was an existing storage ground for Wembley Stadium. “The levels were all over the place when we started, so the first job in hand was to bring them up to a standard and establish the two tiers, with four lower pitches and three upper,” explains Simon Mroczek, Contracts Manager for SIS.
“There needed to be as little excavation work as possible as we didn’t want to dig up too much of the existing concrete. Instead, we imported 3,000 tonnes of recycled infill to prepare the levels for laying drainage at 10m centres,” he adds.
Designed and manufactured in Support in Sport’s UK factory in Maryport, Cumbria, the Superior 50, long-pile fibrillated carpet is claimed to be the most technologically advanced available.
Its non-sand, rubber filled surface is designed to be skin friendly, allowing for the best footballing experience without many of the painful pitfalls of earlier synthetic designs. “Older models were often extremely hard on the knees and could be detrimental to players in tackles and when the skin met the carpet,” Mroczek continues. “The 3G pitch negates against these issues and replicates the natural turf experience far more effectively.” 
The design stages on this occasion also drew in a third party to accommodate the extensive logoing that adorns each carpet. A Dutch company was tasked with the job of weaving the logos and signage into the synthetic turf. Once the carpets were manufactured, they were shipped to Holland with each of the sponsor’s designs, then returned to the UK for final installation by SIS. Wembley marks a first for SIS in sponsoring one of its own Lucozade Powerleague pitches to this scale.
“The Old Street London project saw us installing sponsored pitches for the first time, but only on a small scale,” he explained. “The grandeur and profile of the Wembley project was such that we wanted to do something special with our pitch, so we went for a vibrant purple carpet with our logo woven large and central in the pitch,” says Mroczek.
As with other Lucozade Powerleague projects, the relationship with SIS will continue long after the work is complete - the installer offering continuing maintenance that will ensure any repairs to the carpets completed and allowing the footballing experience to remain as impressive in time as it is now.
In tandem with this, a regular maintenance regime will be conducted by Lucozade Powerleague’s in-house team, following care guidance, based on regular brushing, set out by SIS.
Side by side with Mroczek worked Marie Cooksey, Contracts and Marketing Manager for SIS.
“The Wembley project was the first occasion that I’d moved out from the purely construction side to the design team. Simon and I were given the responsibility for generating ideas for the SIS pitch design. The creative problem-solving task was a great challenge for me, being involved in arguably Lucozade Powerleague’s most high profile site.” Cooksey led the way on branding the SIS pitch, which marked a first for the company in terms of sponsoring one of its own pitches.
As probably the UK's first and only female pitch constructor, Marie was keen to take the chance to work with the finished product and be involved at the business end of the relationship with Lucozade Powerleague.
"I've spent all my career building pitches so it has been a valuable experience for me to see how the branding elements work, and now I've acquired a real taste for it, I hope to fulfil this role in future projects."
Perhaps the final word should go to Sean Tracey, CEO for Lucozade Powerleague Fives Ltd. “SIS really understand synthetic turf and respond at short notice with a professional approach. They are clearly experts, offering a full design and build package. SIS’s small-sided football systems have, over time, demonstrated durability, functionality and ease of maintenance.”
