The cost benefits for Multi-Court Facility Owners investing in Regular Maintenance and Site Upkeep

Introduction

Sports Clean regularly inspects and works closely with multi-court synthetic grass Facility Owners & Managers across Sydney and the ACT.  In our long experience, the allocation of funds for capital development of such sites is often not matched with associated fund allocation for ongoing facility maintenance. 

There can be several reasons for this.

• Club Committee Members who have always provided general site maintenance in a volunteering capacity may no longer be available.
• Clubs are increasingly run as commercial ventures rather than Social Clubs.
• Increased User expectations from their playing experience at such commercial ventures.
• Increased overall running costs of sites – the cost of energy and insurance are examples.
• The management arrangements of sites – which stakeholder is responsible for scheduling and paying for maintenance?
• Increasing demand for a limited pool of available funds.

But the long-term financial return on a relatively small annual allocation of funds for site/court maintenance can be significant.

CASE STUDY – Caroline Chisholm Park Tennis Courts at Winston Hills for City of Parramatta

In September 2022 Sports Clean was asked to inspect, scope and quote for a Rejuvenation Programme of the four-sand filled artificial grass (SFAG) tennis courts at the Caroline Chisholm Park Facility by the City of Parramatta.  

The courts were generally in good condition but required an investment in specialist court maintenance and general facility housekeeping to bring them back to a high, safe standard to maximise both court usage and player experience. 

The programme of works included.

• Part washing the dirtiest parts of the tennis courts focusing on areas where silt lay on the court surface following landscape runoff during heavy rainfall,
• Brush up pile particularly at the court baselines and re-sanding to ensure infill is at the correct levels,
• Scrape to remove all weeds & vegetation from court edges to ensure the courts both drain as intended and present well,
• Insert baseline inserts at one end of Courts 1 & 2 to extend the life of these courts,
• Supply & hang tennis nets with centre straps to the correct heights,
• Removed and disposed of excess site furniture (umpires and plastic chairs).

For an investment much less than the replacement costs of the courts the City of Parramatta Council ensured a cost-effective site upgrade and presentation of a high-quality facility to their local Community to encourage use.

This site is now one site of a number under an Annual Maintenance Programme that Sports Clean is contracted by the Council to conduct.

Caroline Chisholm Park Tennis Courts – before & after court maintenance

GENERAL COMMENTS ON SYNTHETIC GRASS MAINTENANCE FOR MULTI COURT CENTRES

SYNTHETIC GRASS SURFACE OPTIONS:

• It all starts with choosing a synthetic grass product appropriate for purpose. There are many options available depending on Club budgets and estimated court usage. Careful consideration should be given when choosing the Synthetic Grass product.

INFILL & INFILL MIGRATION: 

• A key component of sand filled synthetic grass surfaces is the sand as it holds the synthetic grass pile in an upright position. Sand infill needs as per the manufacturer’s specifications
• A key objective of court maintenance is to keep infill evenly distributed, loose, clean and to the optimum level in the pile.
• Sand infill will migrate out of heavy wear areas generally from baselines to court edges more rapidly in heavily used commercial courts. Without support from sand infill the synthetic grass fibres will fall over and flatten very quickly accelerating fibre breakdown. (See Recommended In-house Maintenance Tasks).
• Base lines generally wear out more quickly than other parts of the court and it is imperative that sand infill is brushed from court edges back into the base lines regularly.

LANDSCAPING CONSIDERATIONS TO LIMIT DEBRIS & VEGETATION

• When planting large trees consider how tree roots may impact adjacent court surfaces over the long term.
• Keep overhanging branches from large trees trimmed to limit debris & vegetation falling and to maximise sun exposure onto the surface.
• Consider court drainage when landscaping

NET POSTS & NETS:

Tennis net posts that are leaning inwards is a common court maintenance issue Sports Clean is called on to fix.  Posts need to be dug out and re-set.

PERIMIETER FENCING:

Another common player safety problem frequently observed by Sports Clean at multi court facilities is curled up chain wire fencing at the base of perimeter fencing.  See more on this at https://sportsclean.com.au/tennis-court-fencing/

RECOMMENDED IN-HOUSE MAINTENANCE TASKS (to be completed as often as necessary)

Always refer to the Maintenance Instructions of the Field Manufacturer and Installer as a first reference point. 

The following is a general guide only…….

• Regular use of a drag mat to remove vegetation and leaf debris from the surface. DON’T USE A BLOWER (used too close to the surface this will blow valuable sand infill out). https://sportsclean.com.au/product/aussie-clean-sweep-acs/
• Hand broom sand infill back into the high wear court areas – baselines and court entry points are the most common. https://youtu.be/gJI–Ed-RHU
• Keep weeds controlled.
• Fence lines and drainage pits clear of debris to ensure efficient court drainage.  Water pooling on the court surface for an extended time can lead to moss & algae growth.
• Check and report tears and loose seams in the synthetic grass.
• Check if there is moss or algae are appearing and liberally brush in salt.
• Check tennis nets are in good condition, installed correctly and to the correct height (91.4cm).
• Rotate court usage and court entry points where possible.
• Have a good number of bins available and ensure they are regularly emptied.

CHECK ON YOUR ONSITE MAINTENANCE TOOLBOX

To ensure routine in-house maintenance tasks are undertaken, particularly by Club Volunteers, a well-resourced easily available on-site maintenance toolbox is invaluable.

Two of the most important tools required are a drag mat for debris collection and a stiff bristled broom for brushing sand infill back into synthetic grass pile. Some sites chose to make these readily available to court users by hanging them on a nearby fence.

Other Clubs that are heavily volunteer reliant (regional areas) have invested in small stiff bristle drag brooms, to assist with brushing court base lines.

See the Sports Clean Website link below for additional resources https://sportsclean.com.au/shop/

PROFESSIONAL SERVICING by Sports Clean

In addition to the steps above, Sports Clean should be engaged for Deep Clean Field/Court Servicing.  Based on court usage and age, amount of in-house maintenance undertaken, climatic conditions and Club/Facility budgets, Sports Clean will recommend tailored professional maintenance program.  Note: the less inhouse maintenance that is conducted will result in more professional servicing being required.

A Service Report is provided to the Client following each service identifying maintenance areas of concern for Clubs. This is particularly important as surfaces age.

HOW SPORTS CLEAN ADDS VALUE

Sports Clean has 25 years’ experience in the maintenance of synthetic sports surfaces.  We work to develop ongoing relationships with all Facility Stakeholders seeking to add value through our expertise in the maintenance industry.  The experience and knowledge of our Key Personnel is unmatched in Australia, we own a fleet of SMG Maintenance Equipment available for different types of facility servicing.  We provide Site Inspections with Feedback plus a Scheduling and Service Reporting programme with an emphasis on good communication and timely feedback.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

There are a range of online resources that can be easily accessed via our website:

https://sportsclean.com.au/tennis/

And an online shop for maintenance equipment and supplies like algaecide spray:

https://sportsclean.com.au/shop/

For further information or expert advice on synthetic bowling green maintenance, please contact Sports Clean on info@sportsclean.com.au or call 02 9420 1200.