Engineering specialist SCX has been announced as the supplier for the retractable pitch at the new stadium for English Premier League soccer club Tottenham Hotspur. SCX will design, engineer, build and install the innovative dividing, retractable surface, which will see the under-construction venue become the first in the UK to feature two pitches within the same stadium bowl.
The grass surface will be used for soccer matches, with the artificial pitch underneath to be utilized for NFL matches, concerts and a host of other events. The dual system will therefore reduce the stress endured by both playing surfaces.
The turf soccer pitch will sit in three pitch-long steel trays, each weighing more than 3,000 tons. When required, the surface will split into three sections before retracting under the South Stand, revealing the artificial field underneath. SCX claims that the process to switch from one surface to the other will take approximately 25 minutes.
Crucially, the joins in the grass pitch will be invisible and undetectable – ensuring a Premier League-quality playing surface for gamedays.
SCX Special Projects – the bespoke precision engineering arm of SCX Group – is preparing to install the movable grass pitch over a 12-week period beginning in October.
The Tottenham Hotspur stadium announcement follows SCX’s successful involvement in contracts for the retractable roofs over Wimbledon’s Centre Court and Number One Court.
“We are pleased to confirm SCX as our official retractable pitch supplier,” said Matthew Collecott, director of operations and finance for the EPL club.
“SCX has a proven track record in delivering innovative solutions and this bespoke pitch mechanism will allow our new stadium to host a range of major events in addition to Tottenham Hotspur matches, as we strive to create a venue that is a hive of activity all year round.”
“We have a solid reputation for problem solving in bespoke circumstances that involve moving and lifting huge structures at sporting venues,” said SCX managing director Simon Eastwood. “All of the mechanical and control system engineering skills are in-house and genuinely world class.”
SCX lead engineer Danny Pickard added, “Our expertise and heritage enable us to push the boundaries of moving structures and precision engineering. This latest pitch technology embodies everything we strive for and care about – delivering precisely what the client needs, with the engineering flair that has become a hallmark of SCX. We are so very proud to deliver this engineering world first.”
September 13, 2017
