Turftech unveils South Africa’s first world-certified synthetic rugby field at Curro Durbanville

Despite Turftech having installed numerous FIH- (International Hockey Federation) and FIFA- (Federation Internationale de Football Association) accredited synthetic hockey and soccer pitches around South Africa, it was only in the past year that the country welcomed its first full-size synthetic rugby field constructed to world rugby standards.

Durbanville Curro, the flagship Curro Holdings Ltd school based in Cape Town, was the first site chosen for this innovative rugby field design, which was finally completed after delays precipitated by Covid-19 and the resultant lockdown. “The project was started in March last year, but with the arrival of Covid-19, we had to stop the project and re-start when allowed,” explained Len Ludick, Director of Turftech. “It was a challenging time to build this pitch, but we’re very proud with the final result, this being the first synthetic rugby pitch in South Africa.”

KLS Consulting Engineers – the primary consulting engineers to Curro Holdings Ltd – provided the overall design for the field which not only conformed to stringent world rugby standards, but also included a custom underground drainage and pavement system. Turftech, a leader in both natural and synthetic turf technology, were brought on board for this pioneer project, with partners, Rhino-Turf, brought in for their unique rugby turf product.

William Allan, Sales Director of Rhino-Turf, said: “We’ve used our superior VT60, which is the same product we’ve installed at a number of sites in the United Kingdom. This is a tried-and-tested system for rugby fields, and we’ve also installed them over in Singapore, the Middle East and in Italy.”

Although this is a first for South Africa, it’s not a first for the Curro Holdings Ltd. who also installed Africa’s first full-size synthetic rugby field at a school in Windhoek, Namibia – Curro Windhoek Gymnasium in 2017. Curro knows only too well the benefits of having a consistently lush grass surface to play on all year around, not to mention the environmental benefits of not having to constantly water the natural fields to keep them playable, especially in times of water shortage.

Andries Greyling, CEO of Curro, said: “We’ve established, over the years, that trying to maintain a rugby field in the Western Cape is quite difficult. By putting down a field like this, we are giving our learners better support, and a better field to look forward to. It’s been an amazing project that was well-managed and well communicated. The field is certified for international games, and I’m proud to be part of this project.”

Riaan Stroebel, Curro Durbanville Head, commended Turftech on the incredible work done: “This has truly been a great partnership with a company that is passionate about their product. The field has been a couple of years in the making, and it’s great to be standing on the completed project. We are very happy with the final product and our future stars are now getting ready to make use of this wonderful facility.”

Turftech is a leader in the construction, development and maintenance of natural and synthetic turf technology, with products successfully installed throughout South Africa. With access to full World Rugby, FIFA and FIH accreditations, synthetic surfaces are becoming a preferred choice across all professional, semi-professional, schools’ and social club levels.

Turftech is also the official Sports Maintenance Services supplier for synthetic sports fields in South Africa. With more than a decade of experience, Turftech is able to provide maintenance services for all types of hard and synthetic sports surfaces. To find out more about Turftech’s superior natural and synthetic turf services, visit www.turftech.co.za.

About Turftech

Turftech (Pty) Ltd is a specialist in the construction, development and maintenance of sport facilities including fields that have natural and artificial turf such as football and hockey fields, hard courts for tennis, basketball and netball, we also do athletic tracks. To find out more about Turftech’s superior natural and synthetic turf services, visit www.turftech.co.za.