12th August 2021
Located in the historic capital of the Anglo-Saxon kingdom of Mercia, Repton School has a strong lineage of both academic and sporting excellence, boasting a number of international and Olympic athletes amongst its alumni, as well as internationally renowned figures such as Jeremy Clarkson and Roald Dahl. Taking great pride in not just sporting excellence, but also the integration of sport into a well-rounded and rewarding education, the school has invested over £6 million in its sporting facilities since 2018 to lay the foundations for future generations of budding athletes and sporting stars.
Given the emphasis placed on sport at the school, it is no surprise that persistent waterlogging on their natural turf sports pitches – which was resulting in numerous fixture cancellations through the wetter parts of the year – was becoming increasingly burdensome to a faculty committed to providing the very best sporting experience for its pupils.
Although the school contacted numerous drainage specialists, Turfdry stood out from the pack thanks not only to its exemplary reputation for delivering efficient, tidy projects with minimal disruption, but also to its unique drainage system using Hydraway Sportsdrain. Having earned plaudits from hundreds of satisfied clients nationwide – not to mention recognition from bodies such as UEFA, the RFU, the FA, and the GMA – Hydraway Sportsdrain offers a technically superior alternative to conventional drainage solutions using perforated plastic pipe.
Installed at 3m spacing, the Hydraway replaces the perforate plastic pipe laterals used in traditional pitch drainage systems; however, thanks to its industry-leading water-intake rate, Hydraway drainage systems can operate without the need for a secondary drainage layer such as sand or gravel bands to feed the lateral drains. The upshot of this is that pitches can be drained far more effectively than with conventional perforated pipe solutions, without the requirement of maintaining a secondary drainage layer as in standard two-tier pitch drainage.
An additional benefit that contributed to the school’s decision to have a Hydraway system installed is the narrow trenches cut for its installation, which measure approximately 65mm in width – substantially thinner than trenches required for 80mm diameter plastic pipe drains. This reduces the impact of trench sinkage, and contributes to a tidy installation process, and a quicker recovery time for pitches.
With another new project delivered to the satisfaction of a new addition to Turfdry’s hundreds of clients nationwide, we are delighted to be returning to Repton next year to further expand the pitch drainage improvements to what is already an outstanding sporting campus.
Check back next year for updates on our drainage improvement project at Repton School, or take a look at some case studies from Turfdry’s hundreds of successful pitch drainage installations nationwide.
