MJ Abbott

Construction of training pitches

Reading Football Club, Bearwood Park Training Ground

Project summary

A brand new training ground for the Royals

MJ Abbott Ltd successfully designed and tendered the construction of pitches at Reading Football Club’s new training ground, Bearwood Park. Work was carried out for main contractors McArdle Sport-Tec Ltd.

Andy Cole of iTurf Management was employed as sports turf consultant, to oversee materials selection and monitor construction.

The project scope included:

  • Trimming of pitch plateaus provided by others
  • Installation of primary and secondary drainage systems
  • Irrigation system complete with underground water storage tank
  • Installation of pitch undersoil heating system
  • Import and spread new gravel raft, lower sand and upper rootzone layers including fibre on some pitches
  • Re-spreading of salvaged topsoils, complete with sand introduction for improvement
  • Preparation and seeding of pitch surfaces
  • Construction of landscaped perimeters
  • SISGrass stitching to first team pitches
  • Provision of grow in maintenance.