Venues will be pitch perfect for european showpieces thanks to SISGrass

Two of the most prestigious matches in the European football calendar are set to be staged on revolutionary SISGrass surfaces.

The impressive Olympic Stadium in Baku has been chosen to host the 2019 UEFA Europa League final on May 29 – the first such high-profile fixture to be played in Azerbaijan.

Later that year, the 2019 UEFA Super Cup will be held at Beşiktas’ spectacular Vodafone Arena in Istanbul on August 14.

Both stadiums boast pitches fit for games of such magnitude thanks to the award-winning SISGrass hybrid pitch system.

The brainchild of UK-based SIS Pitches, SISGrass is a reinforced natural turf system featuring patented fibre injection technology.

Both venues were selected at a recent UEFA Executive Committee meeting in Nyon.

Ivo Lamot, SISGrass Director, said: “The magnificent stadiums in Baku and Istanbul are fitting selections for such prestigious matches and with our award-winning SISGrass system installed, we can guarantee the fixtures will be contested on world-class pitches to match the occasion.

“With SISGrass featuring at six of next summer’s World Football Cup venues in Russia, the Europa League final and Super Cup will be another chance to showcase our advanced hybrid turf technology to a global audience.”

SIS Pitches have helped the Baku Olympic Stadium Complex become the face of Azerbaijan’s football and sport facilities, having also constructed the warm-up stadium pitch and training pitch.

It’s a similar story in Istanbul, where SISGrass technology was used to reconstruct the Vodafone Arena’s training pitch before being introduced inside the stadium, including a synthetic installation around the pitch perimeter.

The Vodafone Arena was also the first venue in Turkey to feature SIS Pitches’ patented SISAir, a ground-breaking undersoil aeriation system.

SISGrass’ laser-guided installation combines a 95% natural grass pitch with 5% of specially-designed PE yarn stitched into the ground, offering unrivalled durability, improved pitch recovery time and increased playing hours.

SISGrass has been installed at many other prestigious venues across the globe, including the iconic Luzhniki Stadium, which will host the Russia in 2018 final.

SISGrass has been introduced at Premier League duo Newcastle United and AFC Bournemouth, Serie A side Verona and a quartet of Türkish Super Lig clubs.

It also features at Championship clubs Birmingham City, Derby County, Reading and Fulham and at the training grounds of FC Barcelona, Chelsea, Swansea City, Hull City, Fulham, Derby County and the National Football Centre at St. George’s Park, home of the English FA.