Curro Langebaan’s 13 week project to redo their hockey field with an artificial turf playing surface has just been completed.
Initially the hockey turf was part of the overall sport strategy of Curro Langebaan, to become the focus point of hockey excellence on the West Coast, but the water crisis brought a new level of urgency to get the project completed.
The hockey pitch is a planned capital expenditure of the school and part of the overall business and 10 year growth plan of the school. There was no external donations, sponsorships or funding involved.
The civil engineering was done by a well-known local engineering company to ensure a stabilised base. Drainage was then installed as part of the school’s overall water retention and water re-use system.
The shock pads were installed on the base, which was followed by the imported (UK) artificial turf.
Special sand was then brushed in to lift the fibres. Along with it all, safety netting, according to international standards, was erected on the perimeter of the total pitch. Curro Langebaan used their own borehole water in the whole construction process of this new facility.
The drainage system is connected to the whole water retention and water re-use system of the sport facility. The sports field right next to the hockey pitch will be totally reconstructed in the next month, giving it a new water drainage system and subterranean irrigation system.
Curro Langebaan has a strong borehole which feeds the roofed and heated swimming pool. The backwashed water of the pool will run straight to two retention dams. The drainage water of the hockey pitch and the re-developed sports field, will run to a subterranean tank, where it will be pumped to the two retention dams.
Water from there will then feed the subterranean irrigation systems of the grass sport fields, wasting far less water through evaporation. The school chose the option of a sand based hockey pitch rather than water based, because of the water restraints. This hockey pitch needs no water, it collects water for use on the grass fields.
Except for a brand new sports field (rugby, athletics, cricket), three new netball courts as well as more rugby/hockey pitches are planned for the future.
