DENMARK | Ceres Park is the main stadium in the city of Aarhus (with a capacity for about 19,500 spectators), and it is home to the historic club AGF Fodbold. After having had to play on a pitch at the lower limits of suitability for several weeks due to continuous rainfall in the Scandinavian peninsula, the city and the team chose Mixto® System reinforced natural grass technology to solve their problems and to return to playing on a top-division pitch.
TECHNOLOGY.
Mixto®, the Italian-made hybrid system, consists of synthetic and natural components. The artificial substrate is specifically designed to encourage the germination, growth and development of the natural part.
PREPARATION.
Heavy rain in early March made “standard” removal of the previous turf problematic, and as a result the team opted for a more drastic solution. In the first stage of operations, the top layer of the old turf was removed, and the existing substrate was stabilised. Correct substrate preparation ensures greater stability of the playing surface, and it is absolutely necessary in order to guarantee better turf aeration, which in turn improves drainage quality and efficiency.
INSTALLATION.
When the substrate had been stabilised, installation of the Big Rolls, prepared specially at the nursery, could begin the following day. 2,500 sqm of Mixto were laid on the first day, and 5,000 sqm on the second day, so that the whole pitch was ready in just 3 days.
RESULT.
A pitch with excellent drainage performance, even in extremely cold and wet weather conditions; a mixed synthetic/natural turf with exceptional mechanical performance, indistinguishable from traditional turf. Growing Big Rolls of Mixto at the nursery made it possible to reduce the time necessary for transforming the pitch from natural to hybrid turf to the absolute minimum.
