Ballard School 'Astro'
Ballard School are now the proud owners of a quality sand dressed hockey pitch, 3 hard tennis courts and a two lane artificial grass cricket practice nets. Completed in just 12 weeks, click here to see how we did it.
"We have been delighted with the quality of the work undertaken and the utter professionalism by which all was accomplished. When we put in our second 'astro' we shall know where to come."
Alastair Reid, Headmaster, Ballard SchoolDescription
Set in spacious grounds on the edge of the New Forest, Ballard School is an independent, co-educational school with a strong track record in both academic and sporting achievement. We are delighted that the school have chosen Verde Recreo to play a part in their ongoing improvement of the school's facilities.
The new artificial grass hockey pitch will be surfaced with a quick and responsive sand dressed carpet, characteristics that will improve the hockey players experience, at all levels. The facility will be built and tested to the standards set by the International Hockey Federation (FIH). Ballard School have chosen the same carpet we installed at King's School in Bruton and have been able to get great feedback and experience of how this carpet will perform.
The pitch will be located in the corner of their existing playing fields and will comprise of a full sized hockey pitch together with a spectator area and a number of goal storage areas. The pitch is enclosed by a twinbar weld mesh fence with a foam backed carpet applied to the kickboards to reduce the sound from hockey ball strikes.
We are building this excellent facility during the school's summer holiday with a construction programme of 12 weeks.
Project Diary
We have set the site up and started stripping the topsoil which is being removed from site.
All the topsoil has been removed from site and the bulldozer has been levelling the pitch to the correct gradients.
The pitch area has been re-graded to a suitable level and compacted. We have been able to start importing our stone sub-base layer.
We've imported and graded out over 2500 tons of stone this week, and laid the 750 metres of concrete edgings to the pitch and footpath surrounds.
The tarmac team have started on site this week, re-surfacing the tennis courts and making a start on the footpaths surrounding the pitch. We have also begun to construct the artificial cricket wickets.
We have been continuing the tarmac works this week, with both the hockey pitches and artificial cricket wickets being surfaced.
With the pitches tarmaced, we have been continuing with the installation of the hockey pitch fence.
We have acrylic coated the re-surfaced tennis courts this week and started instaling the shock pad to the hockey pitch.
We completed the shock pad over the weekend, the artificial grass has arrived from Holland and we started works to the entrance to the hockey pitch.
We have started laying the artificial grass to the hockey pitch with its striking purple surround, and installed the grass to the cricket wickets.
We have cut the lines into the playing surface and started to put together all the hockey and football goals.
We have handed over the pitch, on time, to a delighted client today. They really were tickled pink!
