SIS hybrid pitch in place at Iceland national football stadium
Global sports surfaces provider SIS Pitches has completed install of a bespoke hybrid pitch at Laugardalsvöllur, Iceland’s national football stadium in Reykjavik.
Full design and construction of the pitch “will maximise elite-level football in Iceland”, where the subpolar climate has made high-standard playing surfaces difficult to maintain. Project completion follows SIS’s successful construction of FH Hafnarfjorour’s pitch in 2023.
Laugardalsvöllur’s hybrid system aims to be play-ready year round. It features a 95% natural grass surface reinforced with polyethylene fibres “to deliver significantly more playing hours than a fully natural pitch” – key, given Iceland’s harsh temperatures, high rainfall and limited daylight.
Set below the pitch is SIS’s Aqua pop-up irrigation system and its Heat undersoil heating to “optimise rootzone temperature, encourage better root growth and reduce risk of long-term damage”.
Part-funded by the city of Reykjavik, the project was completed in three months, despite the challenges of snow, ice and temperatures down to -16°C. Access to the site was also limited in December – a time when good daily daylight there can be just two hours.
After excavating the existing playing area 450 mm down to a formation level, the new drainage, irrigation and undersoil heating systems were installed, then lower and upper rootzones and the playing surface itself, “which benefits from the structured profile underneath”.
Long-term durability
Hybrid grass fibres reach a depth of 180 mm and are stitched at 2 cm x 2 cm spacing, “increasing the long-term durability of the playing surface”. All materials used through the profile of the pitch were tested before being independently verified by leading sports agronomists OBI Sports to ensure conformity with industry standards and high performance over their lifespan.
Support by SIS Pitches’s team of specialists to the stadium’s grounds team during grow-in stage ensured no issues were encountered during the quick turnaround from seeding to the first competitive fixture, SIS confirms.
Configuration of the hybrid pitch “will power more play all year round, helping the country to further grow its footballing profile on the international stage”, SIS states, adding that although Iceland isn’t necessarily conducive to the effective growth of natural grass, the hybrid system “will mean a pitch free of discrepancies, promising uninterrupted play for the national team”.
www.sispitches.com