British firm wins World Cup Final turf contract

With the news that the next World Cup Final, to be held in Russia in 2018, will be played on artificial turf, a number of bids were entered in order to win the main prize. In the end, it was British company, SIS Pitches, that won the contract and will lay the surface at the Luzhniki Stadium where the final, as well as the opening game and one semi-final, will be played. This is a stadium that they have worked at before after laying the grass surface for the 2008 Champions League Final between Chelsea and Manchester United.

The contract, thought to be worth millions of pounds, was won by SIS after impressing with their ‘SISGRASS’ innovation which combines 95% natural turf with plastic. The company, based in Cumbria, fought off stiff competition from a number of international firms as well as companies from Russia itself. The contract also includes a two-year maintenance period after the initial turf has been laid.

The 2017 Confederations Cup will be the first competition to experience the turf as it acts as a warm-up for the World Cup the year before. The stadium’s infrastructure and facilities will be tested and then the doors will be closed until the opening day of the 2018 World Cup.

This isn’t the first big contract that the British company has won as they have previously laid the turf at the Football Association’s (FA) headquarters, St Georges Park, in Burton. From this, they also completed Chelsea’s Cobham training ground as well as Cottingham centre belonging to Hull City.

They now boast some of the biggest clubs in the world on their books including Manchester United, Chelsea, Barcelona and Juventus.

George Mullan, SIS Chief Executive, has said “It’s the first time a World Cup Final will be played on anything but all-natural grass and it’s like a dream for us as a company and community. The strengthened structure of the surface means that more games can be played on it, while players are less likely to become injured due to the pitch’s consistency and greater traction. We keep our heads down but sometimes you have to shout a little and winning the World Cup Final for SISGRASS is one of those moments.”

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