Courtstall Services, a specialist in tennis and sports courts construction, has completed an innovative outdoor court project at Stockton Football & Cricket Club (Stockton FCC). Courtstall replaced an ageing court – used for tennis, netball and five-a-side football – with a new surface, using a groundbreaking new product designed to provide better, long-lasting grip for netball players.
The project cost around £40,000 – which took less than a month to complete – and also included the installation of new fencing.
What makes the surface special is its ability to provide durable grip without the need for paint.
Carl Page, director at Courtstall, says: “England Netball outlines performance standards for outdoor courts – which include slip resistance, ball rebound, shock absorption and vertical deformation.
“The slip resistance is one of the main criteria and there is official guidance for the grip quality of the surface, to avoid players slipping around. This has traditionally been achieved thanks to paint manufacturers, who have developed products with grip properties that match the official requirements.
“The difficulty, however, has always been that the grip quality deteriorates over time.”
Page says that the new, black surface has been designed to prevent the reduction in grip quality. The secret to its long-lasting, non-slip properties are in the way it has been manufactured – and particularly the use of a different type of stone.
“The surface is produced using a different type of granite in the aggregate for asphalt,” Page explains.
“As soon as the court has been laid, it meets all the slip resistance requirements outlined by England Netball – without the need for adding paint.
“We believe this is one of the best outdoor netball surfaces out there – and clearly so do Stockton FCC, as they hired us to install the “black court” after experiencing the benefits of it during away games at Leamington Netball Club.
“After witnessing it first hand, the club didn’t hesitate to invest in one for themselves, when the time came to replace the ageing court.”
Stockton FCC has now become the latest facility operator to have chosen the new, innovative surface. Others include the prestigious Marlborough College, where Courtstall has installed 13 “black courts”.
“We’ve now delivered nearly 30 of the black, high-grip courts around the country and the feedback we get from all of the facilities has been amazing,” Page adds. “The players absolutely love it.
“And ultimately, that’s what the most important thing is – to deliver players a surface which is safe and great to play on.”
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