Irish-owned SIS Pitches has made its name as a one-stop shop in the design, construction and installation of sports pitches at high-profile venues across the world.
Now, the company is doing the same in Ireland and has just installed its first SISGrass hybrid surface at the Aviva Stadium, with Ireland v Italy due to play the first game on the new pitch on Saturday (August 10).
It will be the first game on the new pitch as part of the Guinness Summer Series; the first of four warm-up matches to be played by Ireland prior to the Rugby World Cup.
The new surface at the Aviva Stadium took four days to complete with two machines working 24-hours a day. It is the first time the Aviva has changed its pitch in six years.
Other major Irish stadia have also recently engaged SIS Pitches, which has just started work on the new pitch at Páirc Uí Chaoimh in Cork. Construction has just started and the new SISGrass hybrid surface will be installed in September, with the pitch due to be ready for the start of the 2020 Allianz Leagues.
SIS Pitches has also completed the surfaces at Sport Ireland’s National Indoor Arena in March 2019 with the facility officially opened by An Taoiseach Leo Varadkar in June.
Some 16,554 square metres of SISTurf synthetic surface and shock pads were installed. The surfaces will be used extensively by the Ireland international rugby and soccer teams and elite GAA teams at the National Games Development Centre. They are World Rugby Certified, FIFA Quality Mark Compliant and GAA performance Compliant.
SIS Pitches made headlines in 2018 when SISGrass technology was installed at six stadiums in Russia which were used during the World Cup. The final at Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow was the first time the World Cup final had ever been played on anything but all-natural grass.
SISGrass is a 95% natural grass pitch, with synthetic fibres inserted into the turf that helps to provide more playing hours and faster pitch recovery.
Only a small number of companies are capable of doing this type of work and SIS Pitches is highly renowned inside and outside the country.
We believe that when the work is completed and the pitch is ready for use again, it will be second to none. This will be a pitch for the future that we serve this county and country very well.
Tracey Kennedy, Cork County Board Chairperson
This is the first time SIS Pitches has worked with the Aviva Stadium and we were delighted to do so. We installed SISGrass in just four days at the stadium and we are really happy with the way the pitch is settling. The surface will be in perfect condition for the big game on Saturday.
Our installation at the Aviva was quite unique, we used our SISGrass machine as well as our SISGrass Universal machine. There was other work happening at the stadium, so we were able to complete the main area, and then come back to the stadium to complete the project at a later date with the smaller machine, this flexibility makes us quite unique on the market and it’s great for the client as we can be adaptable to their needs
Phil Blackwell, SISGrass Director
We are absolutely thrilled to have installed surfaces at two of the most high-profile sports venues in Ireland and now to be working at the legendary Páirc Uí Chaoimh. SIS Pitches has worked on a global stage for many years and only opened our first Irish base in 2017.
We are delighted that the decision to move into the Irish market has been so successful. Our Irish staff are doing a fantastic job and, as an Irishman, this is particularly satisfying for me.
George Mullan, CEO at SIS Pitches
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