Edgbaston Stadium

Birmingham

When Warwickshire County Cricket Club were investigating the possibility of a synthetic grass project, they contacted Dura-Sport for help and advice. 

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Edgbaston Stadium, an International Test Venue in Birmingham, has been home to Warwickshire County Cricket Club since 1882. The cricket square and outfield are kept in immaculate condition by highly regarded Head Grounds man Gary Barwell and his team. 

The ground has naturally developed as a stadium with the most recent major construction being the South and West Stands completed in 2011. The large scale of these stands have meant that some areas of the field perimeter do not receive as much natural sunlight as they had done previously and this has made it difficult to grow and maintain the grass to the same standard as the remaining playing area.

With the imminent introduction of the ECB’s new flagship competition ‘The Hundred’ which will feature full LED perimeter displays as well as future international fixtures and Twenty20 finals day, the club wanted to streamline their match day preparations and the option of the synthetic perimeter would not only facilitate this but also help improve the difficult areas at the perimeter of the outfield and enhance the overall field drainage. 

Having previously worked for the Club on the excellent development of Edgbaston Foundation Cricket Ground, Gary had no hesitation in contacting Dura-Sport again to convert the perimeter of the outfield to synthetic grass. 

Dura-Sport prepared a detailed design solution tailored specifically to compliment the field and stand layout at Edgbaston and were delighted to be awarded the contract for the full works. 

The excavation and sub base preparation works were carefully completed by removing all the turf and topsoil, then importing 400 tonnes of graded stone, all without trafficking over the outfield. The existing sprinkler system was re-located by the club’s drainage specialist and Dura-Sport integrated the system within the new synthetic area. The edge detail was finished to the club’s exact requirements to provide a smooth transition to the outfield. 

The total area covered was just over 2000 square metres, Dura-Sport recommended a polyethylene two tone sand dressed grass with a crimped yarn which was ideal for its forgiving feel and excellent durability, the UV resistant dark green colour was chosen to provide an aesthetically pleasing transition between synthetic and natural grass.

All work was completed on time and on budget and, despite the delayed return of first-class cricket due to the Coronavirus pandemic, the new synthetic perimeter area has been very well received by the club. Players, officials and coaching staff have all provided positive feedback and we are delighted to hear that the club are so pleased with the outcome.

 Dura-Sport's Commercial Director Richard Key said: 

“We were delighted to be awarded such a prestigious project at Edgbaston, the first of its kind at an International cricket stadium in England. We are very proud to have delivered it for the client and believe the end product speaks for itself. Dura-Sport are celebrating our 25th Anniversary this year and this is exactly the type of high-quality project on which the company has built its reputation”.