Since Autumn last year, Smith Construction have been completing their largest project to date; a £5.2million contract to transform Monks Brook Playing Fields into a new football Sporting Hub.
This development is part of The FA’s Parklife project and is supported by Eastleigh Borough Council, the Premier League and Sport England. Smith Construction was awarded this project via the National Framework of The FA, The FF, RFU, Sport England and England Hockey.
Once complete, the Eastleigh community will benefit from two third generation (3G) training pitches, a 3G Stadia pitch, three full size natural pitches, two seven-a-side natural pitches and an 8-changing room sports pavilion with clubroom, café and coaching rooms. To provide easy access to the new sporting hub, the contract includes the construction of two car parks, which will be fully DDA compliant and will provide the facility with 370 parking spaces.
It has been all hands-on deck to deliver this fantastic new football hub for Eastleigh Borough Council. After stabilising the ground to create an optimal base for the artificial pitches, both 3G training pitches have been completed.
All ground and base works have been completed on the full-size stadia pitch and it is soon to be carpeted with Limonta Due Shape P 50+. This is the same surface installed on the training pitches. Limonta Duo Shape P 50+ has a revolutionary two-shaped, non-twisted grass fibre for thickness and support giving optimal player interaction and performance. The product has a 50mm pile height and a highly resistant yarn with an excellent elastic memory. With an infill of sand and rubber granules, this surface is conceived to suit players of all standards including world class professionals and has been tested to meet the requirements of FIFA Quality and FIFA Quality Pro. The turf is manufactured by official FIFA preferred producers of artificial football turf, Limonta Sport.
To the west side of the sporting hub, Smith Construction has completed extensive earth works, including cutting and filling; and shaping banks, ready for the natural pitches to be established.
Stabilisation has commenced on the car parks and numerous ancillary works around the site have been largely completed including multiple tarmac areas, path ways, spectator areas and the installation of water tanks. Earlier in the contract, Smith Construction completed the foundation works for the new pavilion, which has allowed Western Build to assemble the building.
Smith Construction are delighted to announce that Monks Brook Playing Fields has been registered with The Considerate Constructors Scheme, which demonstrates our willingness to aim for standards beyond statutory requirements. Monks Brook Playing Fields received ‘Considerate Constructors’ registration, achieving at least five points in each of the five sections of the Scheme’s Code of Considerate Practice: Care about Appearance, Respect the Community, Protect the Environment, Secure everyone’s Safety and Value their Workforce.
The Considerate Contractors Scheme suggests that ‘the construction industry has a huge impact on all our lives, with most construction work taking place in sensitive locations. If all construction sites and companies presented an image of competent management, efficiency, awareness of environmental issues and above all neighbourliness, then they would become a positive advertisement, not just for themselves but for the industry as a whole’.
Harry Lee, Project Manager from Eastleigh Borough Council said: “This fantastic project has been a number of years in the making. It’s great to see the project coming to fruition as the construction programme progresses and we are delighted with the quality of the facilities provided by Smiths to date. It’s now all hands on deck to complete the project, so it can be enjoyed by hundreds of local junior and adult football teams in the coming season.”
