Barenbrug’s BAR 9 sports grass mixture has been used in the construction of sports grounds at Ifield College, in Crawley (pictured), plus two other newly-built schools in West Sussex.
Thomas Bennett Community College, Oriel High School and Ifield Community College have each had football, rugby and cricket pitches, plus baseball and athletics facilities, built on site by specialist contractor Bourne Amenity, as part of a £1 million construction project.
Bourne Amenity managing director David Kirby takes up the story. “We used BAR 9 throughout because it’s specially formulated to perform under heavy duty wear and requires only very low maintenance,” he says. “The inclusion of Bardessa perennial ryegrass means is has a lovely appearance and can be cut quite close without compromising the wear tolerance.
“The performance of the grass has been remarkable. We had a very tight construction window overall, and inclement weather to deal with such as knee-deep snow, but the grass established very quickly. Oriel was finished in August 2004, Ifield last year and Thomas Bennett is very close to completion.
“The pitches have needed very little attention – just Verti-draining, an application of sand and minor overseeding – but otherwise they have taken care of themselves and look great. The schools are delighted.”
Greg Moore, of HBG Facilities Management, contracted Bourne Amenity to construct the new sport grounds and is very impressed with the results. “The pitches look fantastic,” he says. “They get some pretty harsh use, as the community uses them after the schools have closed for the day. The turf has stood up to this treatment well and I’ve had nothing but compliments from the schools.”
