It is only in the last two decades that stadia design has changed from the concept of single or dual-use capability and functionality.

The blueprint for modern design is to create flexible, multi-faceted arenas, incorporating a commercially active foundation that is encouraged to develop and thrive.

After all, the very essence of football stadia design – and its tremendous enterprise potential – is in taking the basic concept of a pitch (and with it as little as ninety minutes’ use a week) and to enlarge its branding potential, through indirect means; for example: shops, restaurants, hotels, museums, concert arenas and residential developments.

The benefits are obvious; longevity, versatility, efficiency, community, though most importantly and with no hint of an apology: revenue.

On paper, and in the hands of chairmen, accountants and potential investors, this is an effortless extension of the football club brand. Yet, while the scope is wide and the opportunities commercially expansive, there is an important underwritten duty of care which insists that by the time the firstteam again takes to the field, there remain the basic yet polished foundations of what a stadium is designed to offer – quite simply, somewhere to play sport, regardless of whatever else it may have temporarily become.

This summer, our football grounds will play host to a huge number of concerts and events where, in years gone by, hundreds of thousands of revellers would unwittingly have inflicted widescale damage to pitches.

In pursuit of eliminating the stress and anxiety that might be felt by sports venue managers and event organisers (not to mention groundsmen), the premise has been on companies at the cutting edge of pitch protection to develop comprehensive, efficient, yet highly-versatile systems that ensure that pitch-level events don’t translate into ground-level damage.

Back in 1991 Terraplas plc, based in Castle Donington, United Kingdom, sold their first pitch protection system to Wembley Stadium. Since then they have undertaken extensive research both in the UK and abroad, which has evolved into a comprehensive range of unrivalled, high quality, turf and ice protection products.

With over half a million square metres of products sold to date, and installations on both sides of the Atlantic as well as Australia, Asia and Europe, Terraplas products have provided a performance base for a huge number of events, protecting everything from football pitches to golf courses and ice Arenas.

After extensive market research, Australia’s Major Sports Facility Authority (MSFA) recently invested in a large quantity of Terraflor to protect their fields during non-sporting events, at their multi-functional Queensland Sport & Athletic Centre, The Gabba, Suncorp and Gold Coast stadiums.

Grounds manager Peter Cronin’s remit was to provide a system of protection that would allow concerts of mass appeal, by the likes of U2 and Robbie Williams, to be held leaving no lasting impact on the grass or soil. He saw Terraflor® – made from high-density polyethylene material – as a slick, efficient solution.

The panels are injection-moulded using a blowing agent to produce an engineering quality, structural foam moulding, with a strength-enhancing cellular core. In real terms, a large helicopter could land on the flooring without damaging either the panels or the grass surface.

The tiles – which have a life expectancy of over fifteen years, are pinned into panels of six prior to leaving the factory. These panels are extremely light, weighing only 30kg (66lbs), something that enables quick and easy installation, like a giant jigsaw puzzle, with each panel being locked to its adjacent panels via a camlock system. Every panel measures 2.25m (7’5”) x 1.5m (5’) and is easily handled by two people.

“The Major Sports Facilities Authority purchased 11,500sqm of Terraflor® to protect the fields of play at both the Queensland Sport and Athletics Centre (QSAC — field of play area 109m x 72m) and Suncorp Stadium (field of play area 133.5m x 80.5m),” Cronin told Football Business magazine.

“This purchase allowed these facilities to operate as truly multi-purpose venues by hosting concerts and sporting fixtures with a very short turnaround time between events.”

“No protection system had previously been used at QSAC and this had resulted in tremendous damage to the turf as a result of major concerts.

“The Terraflor system was installed three days before the U2 concert, allowing for the ‘bump-in’ [build up] of the stage and concert infrastructure. It was down for a period of five days and was removed in around six hours. Football training was held less than 24 hours after the Terraflor system was removed.”

At Suncorp Stadium, the Terraflor system was laid four days prior to consecutive Robbie Williams concerts and was down for a total of eight days before it was removed. The ease of installation and removal meant that across the two venues, a combined total of 38,000 revellers were catered for on the pitch.

Despite the heat and humidity at both of the concerts, neither playing surface was adversely affected, and no turf was damaged or lost.

In addition, there were no health and safety issues relating to the security of the structure, leaving behind stadia seemingly untouched by the huge invasion of visitors just hours before.

The success of the Terraflor® system serves as a marker for enhanced stadium usage irrespective of size or location, with the MSFA already reaping the benefits as Cronin continued.

“This will allow MSFA venues to pursue major events in the future without having concerns over damage to the field of play.

“This is not only good news commercially, it is also excellent for the operation and maintenance departments, who have to handle these extra events without affecting the quality of the playing surface.”

Terraplas plc now offers seven different protection covers within the company’s ever-increasing product range for all types of field, and budget.

The extensive opportunities on offer through the use of pitch protection products such as those by Terraplas plc are now being examined by clubs at all levels through the world. And once more, for all simplistic virtues of the game, our football industry furthers its long-running pledge to place itself at the forefront of commercial and technological awareness.