Yes both yarn types have been around for many years. The principal difference is fibrillating yarns split and mono filament yarns resist splitting.This is very important when selecting the right type of product for your project. Tennis Hockey etc are fine on fibrillating grass because the surface is filled with silica sand. Soccer, Rugby and GAA are best served by hardwearing Monofillament products, which will resist fibre breakdown in high wear facilities.

No, macadam is used generally as a base for tennis courts or in conjunction with a rubber shock pad; this system is commonly used in construction of Hockey Pitches.  However, it is not necessary in construction of a 3G pitch suitable for Soccer, Hurling and Gaelic Football.

No, there are many different colours available.  The choice in most cases is cost driven.  The black rubber in use generally is selected from companies recycling lorry tyres this is called SBR.  High grade rubber such as EPDM is very expensive in comparison but is less prone to compaction.  New infill types are coming on to the market such as TPE, which also comes at a high price tag, but have improved performance characteristics.

With Thornton’s, never, we cut in permanent lines, which have the same warranty and life expectancy as the surface itself.  If you wish to paint on additional lines for seasonal games, regular top-ups will be necessary.

Many of our surfaces are multi sport, however, some sports just don’t mix. Contrary to what some suppliers may say, it really is not possible to perform at a high level all sports on one surface.  The secret really is to determine which is the primary sport and then try to facilitate others sports if possible.  An example would be Soccer, Hurling and Gaelic Football all play well on long pile grass however, it would not be possible to introduce Tennis into this arena.

Absolutely.  One of the greatest threats to sand filled carpets is the incorrect use of sand.  Typically a sand type 2EW should only be used to infill carpets.  Caretakers must ensure only the sand type originally used is also used to top up surfaces during maintenance.  Mixing sands will no doubt cause compaction and drainage issues.

Yes, such collaborations have been successful on previous projects, we do however have a fully trained in house Civil’s team boasting a full range of heavy machine and plant equipment including a CAT D3 Dozer fully equipped with laser levels.  All work carried out by us is supervised and inspected by one of our company engineers.  All works carried out by our staff are fully guaranteed.

It is the level at which light is measured, it is very important when planning your lighting, to ensure levels are suitable for the sport being played. Also that the distribution of light conforms evenly to the area of grass being illuminated. Poorly designed lighting will produce “hot spots” and can be expensive to run.

Yes, we recommend a regular maintenance system be in place from day one.  Once your project is complete Thornton’s undertake to give a one day training course to member(s) of your club/committee to ensure you receive the best results possible from your playing surface.  It is our experience that such training and adherence to schedule as detailed in our maintenance manual, will ensure your surface performs to its maximum potential, and increases your facilities life expectance.  We can also arrange for an annual service contract.

We provide a written warranty for all works carried out by Thornton’s.  The length of the warranty is dependant on the surface type selected and this would be discussed at contract stage.  Warranty for fencing and floodlighting range from one to ten years.        

Yes, application can be made to the Department of Sports & Tourism, where grants are available under the Sports Capital Programme.

Address

Sports Capital Programme
Sports Unit, Frederick Buildings
South Frederick Street
Dublin 2

Tel:01 6313914Email: sportsunit@dast.gov.ie

Please refer to this document issued by FIFA addressing the matter.