Almost 600m2 of Gerflor’s World class Taraflex vinyl sports flooring has been installed at Loughborough University.
The badminton performance centre decided to bring forward the like for like replacement of Taraflex to ensure they stayed at the top of their game when it came to facilities.
With over 100 years elite level sporting history, Loughborough University is synonymous with sports education. Its 4-court Badminton Centre is home to the Performance Badminton Programme, which is run in partnership with Badminton England’s Development team to provide the extremely specific training venue and coaching athletes require to develop badminton skills alongside studying for degrees. Amongst its notable Alumni is English badminton player and Olympian and World Silver medallist, Donna Kellogg MBE.
In 2018, Badminton England, the NGB (National Governing Body) for the sport of badminton, officially endorsed Loughborough University as an NGB England Badminton Centre. In doing so it formalised a long-term partnership which has benefited many national players in the England team through a joint education and training environment.
Loughborough University is also one of UK Sport’s six major Elite Training Centres in the country. As such, it delivers the required standards of the National Sport Governing bodies using the facility. Where NGB’s need a specific facility, venues like the Badminton Centre, provide first class training centres for target athletes who compete in world and international sporting championships.
Additionally, it is the training centre of one of the biggest clubs in the Athletic Union, which includes elite players at international standard, squad players in national, high county or local level leagues, and development squads comprising players of all standards.
Originally constructed in 2003, Loughborough University’s Badminton Centre was therefore built with Olympic specification in mind and upgraded in 2011 with Gerflor’s Taraflex as part of the specification. Taraflex is a renowned sport flooring solution having been used since 1947 at the largest international sporting events and selected for 10 Olympic Games.
Consequently, when it came to refurbishing the Badminton Centre once more, Taraflex was the automatic flooring of choice. Tim Oakey, Project Manager for the Facilities Department, Loughborough University, explains: “As Taraflex is a very good, approved surface for badminton with the right amount of flex and grip for our players, it was simply a case of ‘why change’.
“We were therefore careful to get Gerflor involved at an early stage and to use one of their recommended installers whose fitters are Gerflor trained. However, this time we chose Taraflex Evolution in colour ‘Mint Green’ to highlight the play areas and in colour ‘Blue’ for the outer court areas.”
