Product Solutions and Case Studies for Sportsfields
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SOILCO Services
Sportsfields are valuable assets for councils and their communities. They need to be properly constructed and maintained to provide safe playing environments that withstand high use.
Our custom products are designed to meet the needs of different soil profiles and playing surfaces. From construction through to top dressing maintenance, we have the range, installer relationships and technical support to meet all Sportsfield requirements. Access to raw materials and over 35 years of combined blending expertise has resulted in a diverse and wide range of products that suit the needs of any market application.
Our range of sportsfield products include:
- Sportsfield Blend – Custom products designed to meet drainage and nutrient requirements for the construction of sportsfields.
- GO Compost Premium™ – High quality certified compost for added organic matter in site soils. Finely screened and used in renovation and maintenance projects.
- Organic Top Dress – High performance top dressing. Finely textured, featuring organic inputs for improved soil health and sustained turf growth.
- 70:30 Top Dress – New to SOILCO’s range, a sand-based blend with added organic matter used for levelling and smoothing turf surfaces.
Our Sportsfields products are used for:
Construction
Renovation
Top Dressing
Choosing the best products and solutions for Sportsfields will extend playing time, prioritise safety and improve turf quality.
SOILCO Products
SOILCO has developed three key product lines for Sportsfield markets. We are also capable of manufacturing custom products that combine sand loam, compost and soil amendments to meet unique specifications for all applications.
Sportsfields have specific performance measures relating to quality and safety. Adding organic matter to soils produces numerous benefits to soil health and turf cover which lead directly to improving the performance measures of playing surfaces.
The following table shows improvements to sportsfield performance measures that can be achieved by increasing organic matter through the incorporation of GO Compost PremiumTM (AS4454) or the application of Organic Top Dress.
| Sportsfield Performance Measures | Improvements Achieved with added Organic Matter |
| Surface Evenness | Finely screened, SOILCO’s GO Compost PremiumTM (AS4454) and Organic Top Dress can be easily spread and incorporated manually or with mechanical spreaders and cultivators. |
| Surface Hardness | Surface hardness is usually due to poor turf coverage and reduced soil moisture. Added organic matter improves % ground cover and increases soil moisture, so can be effective in reducing surface hardness. |
| % Ground Cover/Species |
Products have an open texture with superior water holding, this encourages root establishment and early growth. Provide a regular supply slow releasing organic-nutrients for healthy turf. Increases effectiveness of fertilisers by reducing leaching. Improvement in soil porosity means GO Compost Premium and Organic Top Dress are suitable for use with sprigging or seed, providing good seed to soil contact. |
| Level of Compaction | Incorporating GO Compost Premium encourages the soil to aggregate increasing pore spaces. This leads to improved drainage and eases compaction in clay soil. |
| Root Zone Depth | Improved structure gives better texture, chemical and physical properties and increases root zone depth |
| Soil Health | Increases organic matter in the A Horizon of the soil. Compensates for the detrimental effects that inorganic fertilisers have on soil health by stimulating microbial activity. |
| Maintenance Costs | Cost savings can be achieved through reduced reliance of fertilisers and irrigation. |
Product benefits
- Increase water retention
- Supply macro and micronutrients
- Reduce artificial fertiliser requirements
- Increase turf resilience to environmental stresses
- Increase grass cover in winter
- Promote long term soil health
- Provide safe and level playing surfaces
- Extend the playing season
- AS4454 and AS4419 compliance
Construction and Renovation
The construction of new sportsfields can be achieved using engineered product blends or by renovating existing site soils. When considering construction or renovation, the primary criteria is that the turf has to be able to handle heavy traffic, even after substantial rain. As sports grounds are level water does not run off quickly, so rainwater needs to easily drain through the soil into the subsurface drainage.
As well as providing resistance to compaction and ability to drain readily, the growing media needs to be able to hold moisture and nutrients in order to sustain turf growth.
SOILCO’s products are designed to meet the needs of different soil profiles and playing surfaces. From construction and renovation through to top dressing maintenance, we have the range, installer relationships and technical support to meet all sportsfields requirements.
SOILCO understands that budget and time constraints are critical considerations when designing product solutions for Sportsfields.
Top Dressing
Top dressing is an integral part of turf management.
Top dressing with a sand/soil mix levels the playing surface, and when used in conjunction with aeration practices, it can ease compaction. Organic top dressing blends also improve soil health by providing nutrients and increasing water and nutrient holding capacity.
Top dressing of Sportsfields usually starts in Spring. Applications typically continue throughout the growing season. SOILCO’s top-dressing products are applied to a depth 10mm so that the tips of the leaves of the grass show through and are watered in to move organic matter into the root zone of the turf.
Not top-dressed
Top-dressed
Not top-dressed
Top-dressed