The New Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow chooses world beating Terraplas Products to ensure the very best solution for protecting their turf
As the prestigious Host Venue for the Opening match and the Final of the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia™ it was vital for the Stadium Operators to not only achieve the highest standards for their facility and hybrid turf playing surface, but to also meet the stringent requirements demanded for legacy / sustainability.
To minimise any risk, considerable evaluation was carried out of all the turf protection products available. This was followed by discussions with a number of manufacturers, testing in various scenarios, and ultimately cost negotiations.
The quality of Terraplas’ products, together with the Company’s unbeatable experience and status in the turf protection market worldwide, were totally dominant. So, in spite of not being the cheapest option, the decision was made to purchase a combination of Terraplas products: terratrak plus (drivable stadium access), terratile (pedestrian cover) with various accessories.
To mark its “Grand Opening” Luzhniki Management wanted to host a high profile event for “Unity Day” – including Political Orators, musicians and other presentations.
FIFA had reservations about this, as a ‘friendly’ international soccer match was planned for just 7 days later.
They [FIFA] were not confident the pitch would be up to standard following the rigours of the Unity Day celebrations.
However, following this inaugural event, when fitting of the system had been supervised by Terraplas’ turf expert, Steve Tingley, together with supplier RS Components, the pitch was in great condition to receive the Russian and Argentinian national teams, with everyone concerned being very happy with the playing quality of the pitch.
Notes:
– terratrak plus was down for 3 days Grand Opening 4th November
– terratile was down for 4 days Russia vs Argentina 11th November
TIMETABLE: Wednesday evening 1st November
Fit terratrak plus® to allow access for the production trucks & crew to construct the stage in the centre of the pitch.
TIMETABLE: Thursday 2nd November
Fit terratile® to cover the remaining pitch area – while Stage Construction continues
TIMETABLE: Saturday 4th November
Unity Day Celebrations over 100,000 patrons – with around 20,000 on the pitch area and a further 40,000 outside watching the big screens
TIMETABLE: Saturday 4th – late evening/Sunday 5th November
Lifting of the terratile® and breakdown of the stage commenced immediately after the Unity Day event finished. By midday on Sunday the pitch was completely clear.
STATISTICS:
- The Stadium endured heavy rainfall prior to fitting;
- The temperature for fitting and during the event was between +4ºC & -5ºC;
- They utilised their Sub-Air system;
They were able to reduce their pitch heating to 14º rather than the usual 18º
The terratile® was lifted first, while the stage & equipment was removed.
Only the indentations from the feet and underside of the terratile® were visible.
By the time the terratrak plus® was lifted, it had been in place for 4 days and as you can see from the photograph above, there was no damage or discolouration to any of the pitch.
After lifting the cover and on the advice of Terraplas, the pitch was allowed to rest for 12 hours prior to cutting and normal maintenance. As can be seen from the photographs below, by Monday 6th November everything was on target for the International football match on 11th.
All Ready for Russia vs Argentina!
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