Melbourne Rugby Club, in Derbyshire, had become increasingly resigned to disappointing winters characterised by cancelled fixtures and an empty clubhouse brought about by persistant waterlogging that left its pitches unplayable. With such desolate prospects however, the club resolved to take action with the aid of an RFU loan to make the necessary improvements to their pitch facilities in order to revitalise the club - both on and off the field.

A Turfdry initiative launched in 2017 to improve drainage for RFU-affiliated clubs represented the perfect solution; the RFU had spent seven years monitoring the installation of the Turfdry Drainage System at other clubs, which demonstrated not only its efficacy - but also its cost-effectiveness - in comparison to conventional drainage solutions offered by other drainage contractors. Unfortunately for all concerned, the ultimate delivery of this project was delayed by the absence of an appropriate outfall for any drainage improvements; however, subsequent to the constructiion of a new storm-water sewer for the Melbourne Sporting Partnership (MSP) site - of which Melbourne RFC is a part - new pitch drainage systems were able to be installed.

With transformative drainage having been delivered by the installation of Turfdry’s unique Hydraway Drainage System, the firm remains in contact with MSP & Melbourne RFC, with plans to expand the drainage improvements to other areas of the site. We look forward to updating this case-study with future developments, but in the meantime, why not take a look at the Turfdry RFU-Affiliated Rugby Pitch Drainage Initiative, or some more case studies from the hundreds of successful pitch drainage installations nationwide?

Testimonial

“Turfdry did an excellent job. They delivered the project on-time with very little disruption which was not easy given the cricket, tennis and football that were all operational. Stuart and his team were great to work with and always available for discussion. We will be contracting with Turfdry next year to carry out other works on our site.” 

Marcus Radcliffe -  Operations Committee Chair, MSP