Zaun‘s sports fencing were selected as part of the new sports facilities installed at Hartpury University and College.
With funding received from The FA Foundation and the Premier League it has been opened as part of a much-needed regeneration of the previous pitch. Inaugurated by Exeter City Manager, Matt Taylor, the pitch meets stringent FIFA quality criteria and will be used to train athletes in an advanced educational environment. Made and installed by SIS pitches in the UK, it raises the bar for sports facilities in Gloucestershire as well as further supporting Hartpury’s reputation as an institution that supports athletic education in England.
The 3G format of the pitch means that it will be used exclusively for football, requiring specific safeguarding around the perimeter of the pitch in order to contain play. The level of play inside this area will be such that a strong and resistant fence will be required in order to effectively contain play, allowing for any impact with the perimeter to be effectively redirected and the impact absorbed by the material. This is particularly pertinent when considering that Hartpury required the entire pitch to be up-to-scratch against FIFA quality checks, legitimising their position as a leading national training centre for young athletes.
The products installed from Zaun were the Spectator Railings, Duo Sports and Super Rebound fencing systems. One of many sports fencing solutions, these two fences were chosen for their robustness which absorbs the impact of high velocity ball sports such as football and discreteness, both in the aesthetic and sonic aspects.
The Duo Sports system was particularly well suited for football as it helps to reduce noise by ~29%, which any resident that lives near a MUGA will tell you is a great improvement. This was achieved through increasing the number of wires in the fence in order to reduce movement and, by extension, kinetic energy that would otherwise be radiated as noise. The fence on the Hartpury pitch is expected to last, making it a great investment for the University and College as well as for the athletes that may attend there.
The serious nature of football at Hartpury requires a perimeter system that will return the ball to play without serious interruption. The Zaun solution to this is the Super Rebound system which was installed in order to cope with these exact challenges. Much like the Duo system, it too uses rubber noise reduction inserts to reduce noise, making it another great investment for the University and College.
Many athletes and staff at Hartpury will enjoy the new pitch for years to come and players that use the pitch will utilise it as a springboard to further their careers and rise to become professionals in their own right.
Zaun has multiple fencing solutions to many different scenarios and is proud to be able to have taken part in such a transformative local project that will help Hartpury and Gloucestershire foster a generation of athletes now and in the future.
