Hednesford Town’s Keys Park becomes the home of one of the most advanced pitches in the world

A best in class pitch

When the ambitious owners of Hednesford Town FC were looking to install a new playing surface at the club’s Keys Park home, they didn’t just want a modern pitch capable of outperforming other grassroots clubs in the region – they set their sights on one of the best hybrid pitch systems in the world.

Craig and Amanda Gwilt completed their takeover of the Staffordshire-based club in March 2024 and soon laid out a bold vision for the club’s future. As well as strengthening the club’s community connection, the new owners wanted to build on their background in gaming and technology by investing in cutting-edge solutions to support the playing side of the club, from player recruitment to infrastructure.

At the top of their list of planned investments was a new, elite-level hybrid pitch that could attract usage from teams much higher in the football pyramid, from neighbouring Premier League clubs, to visiting European teams. This vision was for a facility capable of generating additional revenue to support the region, while keeping sustainability at its core, all of which would be in keeping with the owners’ lofty ambitions.

A premier league blueprint

The Gwilt family and the club’s board appointed SEL Environmental as the project’s main contractor, who approached SIS Pitches, having previously engaged the industry-leading pitch specialists to deliver the new, state-of-the-art hybrid surface at Everton’s Hill Dickinson Stadium. Noting the ambitions for Hednesford’s 6,000 capacity Keys Park, the vision was to install the same pitch system as Everton’s, bringing a world-class playing surface to English football’s seventh tier. This would also see the introduction of advanced aeration, drainage and water management capabilities through the revolutionary SIS Air AquaCycle system, a joint development between SIS Pitches and FORMA – SEL’s own water management systems brand.

The partnership between SIS Pitches, SEL Environmental and FORMA again brought together several critical aspects of forward-thinking sports pitch design, construction and installation, just as it had at Everton: industry-leading hybrid grass stitching, advanced drainage and aeration capabilities, plus strategic water management.

Sub-surface sustainability

The installation of the SIS Air AquaCycle system beneath the pitch at Keys Park combines pioneering drainage and aeration technology with FORMA’s revolutionary 525,000-litre-capacity Formavoid® raft system. This raft system effectively acts as a water storage layer, allowing water to be captured, retained and recycled close to the turf’s rootzone.

During periods of heavy rainfall at Keys Park, activation of the system’s powerful vacuum fan draws excess water through the pitch profile and into the raft system where it can either be harvested and fed directly into the pitch irrigation system – drastically reducing the club’s reliance on mains water – or used to temporarily store excess water, which is later discharged a controlled rate.

The specialist fans at the core of the SIS Air AquaCycle system can be run either on vacuum mode; which draws moisture and carbon dioxide (CO₂) from the rootzone, while simultaneously bringing in fresh oxygen (O₂); or in pressure mode, which promotes gas exchange, as well as decompaction of the rootzone to improve the movement of water, air and nutrients through the pitch profile. The healthy air transfer promoted by the system’s pressure mode pushes oxygen through the rootzone, past the undersoil heating and into the roots of the grass, replacing CO₂ and promoting better microbial conditions for plant growth.

As with many non-league stadiums, space to build in additional infrastructure at Keys Park was at a premium. With that in mind, the delivery partners created a custom-built 40-foot containerised plant room, which was fabricated offsite before being installed in time for the system to be commissioned. With water and air pressure levels both fully controllable by Hednesford’s grounds staff via any connected smartphone, tablet or computer, the club is expected to see a favourable payback period as well as significant environmental gains.

“By integrating our Formavoid® raft system with SIS Air AquaCycle technology, we’ve created a solution that not only enhances pitch performance but also significantly reduces water usage and environmental impact. The system’s ability to manage water and air intelligently means the club will benefit from a resilient, high-quality surface that supports increased usage and long-term cost savings, both of which are key goals for clubs throughout the football pyramid.”

Jack Shuttleworth, Founder of Forma

Advanced hybrid pitch technology

The most visible element of the new Keys Park pitch, of course, is a pristine SIS Grass Hybrid playing surface installed by SIS Pitches. The new pitch was created with synthetic fibres stitched into the natural playing surface to give the natural grass roots a stable anchor to entangle with – ultimately maximising playability and durability even during the busiest periods of the season. A secondary benefit of the fibres stitched into the pitch system is the creation of a channel, which helps to promote the free movement of water and results in a stronger root formation just below the surface.

“Using our advanced hybrid stitching technology in tandem with our aeration and water management systems allowed us to bring a raft of benefits to Keys Park. A protected and optimised rootzone guarantees a resilient pitch capable of recovering within days, which means it can withstand significantly more play than a non-hybrid equivalent. Not only does this help to ease the time and maintenance burden on the club’s ground staff, but it also enables players to benefit from a consistently stable playing surface. The new Keys Park pitch will remain extremely healthy and durable for the long-term, which will help the club to balance its commercial goals with aspirations on the pitch.”

Michael Walker, Operations Manager at SIS Pitches

From a commercial perspective, the benefits of the new hybrid pitch have already become clear. Keys Park can withstand up to three times the usage of a standard natural pitch, enabling Hednesford Town to make its pitch available to local Premier League academies, women’s teams and even as a potential training venue for major international tournaments in the future.

“We set out to install one of the most technologically advanced pitches in the world here at Keys Park and certainly feel like we’ve achieved that goal. Feedback from our own coaching staff and players, as well as from opposition clubs has been overwhelmingly positive so far. We certainly feel like we have one of the best facilities in the region, if not the country, here in Hednesford, which really helps to put the club on the map and allows us to forge partnerships with some of our neighbouring Premier League and EFL clubs. “One of the most satisfying aspects of the project is that we’ve not only introduced an asset that will benefit the club commercially, but will also minimise our environmental impact too. For us, balancing those two has always been of paramount importance.”

Craig Gwilt, Owner and Chairman at Hednesford Town

Further ambitions

The Gwilt family’s ambitions for Hednesford Town don’t stop here. Plans are underway for a new training ground, with discussions surrounding additional facilities, including a hotel, already underway. Combined with LED advertising boards, solar panels, and upgraded infrastructure, the pitch is viewed as the first stage of a transformation that could redefine non-league football.