Artificial grass breathes new life into underused student pitch

Work hard, play hard. After an intensive day of running from class to class in diverse London universities, the students residing at Netherhall House deserve some time off to have fun, socialize and play football. Their outside recreation area didn’t feel very inviting, so they were driven elsewhere for their much-needed relaxation. Until Turfgrass changed the students’ outdoor experiences for the better.

Netherhall House, a long-established university residence hall in London, houses ninety bright thinkers from all over the world, all studying at diverse London universities. The residence hall takes pride in offering students a fully catered academic, cultural and social environment with a wide variety of facilities, including an outdoor sports pitch. After many years of intensive use, however, the condition of the pitch’s surface fell short.

“Our students used to play all kinds of sports on the pitch. But when the rubberised surface became badly worn out, they started going to the park instead,” Alex Jordan, director of Netherhall House, explains. “I can’t blame them. The yard simply wasn’t fit for purpose anymore. Especially after yet another of England’s infamous rain showers, the rubber was very slippery and covered in puddles.”

Sound advice for a weather-proof surface

As football is the students’ preferred outside activity, Netherhall House began to explore flooring solutions best suited for this sport that could withstand England’s fickle weather conditions. Alex: “Because of its wear resistance, shock-reducing capacity and excellent drainage features we knew artificial grass was the surface we needed.”

After contacting four artificial grass suppliers, Alex decided to team up with Turfgrass. “The service Turfgrass provided stood out from the very start. Their experts came to Netherhall House several times before we even signed the contract: to document the outside area’s features, to show us multiple artificial grass samples, to explain both advantages and disadvantages of each product, and so on.”

“All Turfgrass experts were very helpful from start to finish – from their proactive pre-sales advice, to the flawless installation process and into their customer service afterwards.” - Alex Jordan, director of Netherhall House

“The puddles on the pitch’s surface clearly pointed out some drainage issues. Turfgrass immediately helped us to find a solution. Their proactive expert advice reassured us that they would guide us through the entire process.”

Highest-quality artificial grass, hassle-free installation

Netherhall House found the perfect artificial grass for their pitch in Turfgrass’ specialised sports collection[IDC1] . Alex: “When comparing other vendors’ samples with those from Turfgrass, the superior quality of the latter was noticeable in touch, appearance and durability. As opposed to other grass products we looked at, a Turfgrass artificial grass pitch doesn’t need regular infill refills – not even after heavy rainfall. A big advantage, implying both time and money saved on maintenance.”

As soon as Alex and his colleagues chose the artificial grass they wanted, the next steps were smooth sailing as well. He confirms: “Our sales advisor immediately arranged for Premium Artificial Grass to do the installation, after which installer Justin Brown handled our challenging project gracefully.”

“Turfgrass has a wide network of local, certified installers, which is very convenient. I didn’t have to look for a trustworthy installer myself. Our sales advisor took care of everything.” - Alex Jordan, director of Netherhall House

“Getting access to the site was difficult, because the sports pitch is surrounded by buildings. Other companies told us they would have to bring in cranes to get the job done – which would significantly increase costs. Justin, however, figured out an alternative method that was quick and efficient, and the result is flawless.”

Radical change in the students’ outdoor experiences

A year and a half later, the artificial grass sports pitch has been tried and tested extensively – and has proven to be a great success. Alex is happy with the results: “The promise of a low-maintenance surface is panning out as we hoped. The only thing we need to do is clear the leaves and brush it every now and then – that’s it.”

But the most telling improvement the new artificial grass pitch brings is the students’ regained love for their residence’s outdoor recreation area. “They don’t go to the park to play football anymore. Come rain or shine, we find them enjoying the new pitch every day now. They even organise football tournaments and invite friends over.”

“Turfgrass has changed our students’ outdoor experiences radically – that’s definitely worth the investment.” - Alex Jordan, director of Netherhall House