SIS Pitches has now installed the pitch for the much-anticipated 2018 World Football Cup Final in Russia!
In all, SIS Pitches was selected to design, construct and install 6 of the 12 pitches to be used at the World Football Cup finals, including at the Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow.
WORLD FootbalL CUP HISTORY
The Luzhniki Stadium will host the opening game, the opening ceremony, a semi-final as well as the World Football Cup Final itself. This is the first time that a World Football Cup Final has ever been played on anything but all-natural grass. The tournament starts on June 14 – one month from today!
This underlines SIS Pitches position as a world leader in synthetic and natural sports surfacing and of one of the world’s largest sports pitch companies.
Our sophisticated reinforced natural turf system, SISGrass, alongside revolutionary aeration technology, SISAir, will make the Luzhniki Stadium the most technologically advanced pitch in World Football Cup history.
We are now in the process of having each pitch independently certified to international quality standards before formally handing over three of the pitches to stadium management, who will handle all of its maintenance. Otkritie Arena, the home of Spartak Moscow, and Rostov Arena have already been handed over and SIS Pitches will continue to maintain the Luzhniki Stadium throughout the World Football Cup, with a crew of five people based at the stadium for the tournament.
HONOUR
SIS Pitches Founder and CEO George Mullan said:
“It was an absolute honour to have been chosen to not only design, construct and install the pitch at the Luzhniki Stadium but at six of the 12 World Football Cup venues – working on more pitches than any other company.
“It’s the first time a World Football Cup Final has been played on anything but all-natural grass. SISGrass was only launched in 2015 and already it has been installed at a number of world-class stadiums and now the 2018 World Football Cup Final will be played on it. The quality of SISGrass will ensure that the pitches are resilient in all conditions, and I am sure the 2018 World Football Cup finals will be one that we will always remember.
“We are delighted with the decision and that our investment in setting up an office in Russia five years ago, combined with completing new stadium pitches for Spartak Moscow and Krasnodar in the last few years has been rewarded. Our Russian staff have done a superb job.”
stars on sisgrass
As well as Luzhniki Stadium, the other five pitches which have been installed — or are in the process of being installed — by SIS Pitches are:
- Otkritie Arena; home of FC Spartak Moscow, this 45,000-seater stadium will host Lionel Messi and his Argentinian teammates in their opener against World Football Cup debutants Iceland.
- Rostov Arena; the 45,000-seater stadium, which will host five World Football Cup encounters including Brazil’s opening game against Switzerland on June 17, is located at Rostov-on-Don.
- Kaliningrad Stadium; the 35,000-seater stadium will host four group stage games, including England’s final group game against Belgium on June 28.
- Samara Arena; Built specially as a venue for the World Football Cup, Samara has a capacity of just under 45,000 and will host four first round games, one round 16 match and one quarter final.
- Saransk Arena; located in Mordovia, Saransk Arena has a capacity of 45,000 and will host four of the first-round games including Peru v Denmark on June 6.
SISGrass has been installed at all pitches with SISAir at Luzhniki, Otkritie and Rostov.
Some 30 of the 32 teams will play on SISGrass during the first-round games, with Serbia and Demark playing all three opening games on a SISGrass surface. Sweden and Egypt are the only two teams who will progress to the knockout stages without playing on SIS Pitches hybrid technology.
SIS Pitches also installed three training pitches at Luzhniki, one at Samara and one in Tolyatti, which is being used as a base by the Swiss national team.
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