Lillieshall is one of the UK’s National Sports Centres and centres of excellence.
The centre is host to some of the country’s leading sports activities like Archery, Gymnastics and Hockey.
Within the 350 acre site are 2 synthetic pitches, a water based hockey pitch and a multi-sport surface.
Grounds Supervisor Peter Bolland, and his team of 6 including an apprentice, have their work cut out ensuring all the facilities meet their rigorous requirements and are kept performing at their best – which they do with the help of Replay Maintenance.
“The centre has a rich history,” explains Peter, “and having previously been on the English Heritage at Risk Register, but following a management plan set up back in 2013, the team are now working on a long term 21 year master plan, to bring the site back to the 1830’s when the Duke of Sutherland would have been prevalent.
"The majority of maintenance work, including pitch renovations, is conducted in-house and this is no different when it comes to the regime on the artificial surfaces.
"We do cleaning, drag-mat/brushing and removal of debris on a daily and weekly basis, but as a training facility for GB Hockey and other international teams alike we like to go that step further and have Replay in to conduct a deep clean at least once a year.”
Their most recent visit saw Replay utilising their unique AquaTrax process on the two synthetic pitches.This process combines pressure washing and vacuum extraction to dislodge and remove dirt and algae growth. The annual work also ensures that the surfaces pass the Centres twice-yearly audits.
Replay have been working with Lillieshall for a number of years and Peter says that, moving forwards, he has no reason to change that. “It tends to be the same guy visit each year.He’ll report in and, unless there are any issues, he’ll just crack on with the job – there are times we don’t even know he’s there! They do such a great job, right from the initial quote and advice through to the actual work - they’re knowledgeable, always really helpful and work together with us in meeting the standards for the pitches and our facility as a whole.”
