School Playing Fields: Planning and Design Guidance - VicSport

Polymeric surfaced facilitiesPolymeric surfaces are comparatively easy tomaintain, keeping the surface clean being theonly routine maintenance that the court surfaceshould require.Figure 17: Suggested maintenance forpolymeric surfaced facilities.ActionCheck facility, fixtures and fittingsRemove litter and debris asrequiredRemove dust, leaves, rubbish andother detritus from the surfaceWash the surface, removing stainswith a mild detergent and soft brushCheck lightingFrequencyDailyDailyWeeklyMonthlyMonthlyCheck the court surface carefully. AnnuallyCall in the installer if there is anycause for concern or if it is suspectedthat the surface needs re-coatingSynthetic grass surfaced facilitiesMaintenance of artificial grass courts is particularlyimportant. Neglecting the recommended schedulecould have serious long-term consequences evenif, in the shorter term, the court does not appear tosuffer. Maintenance need not be time-consumingor onerous, but its benefits are profound. To omitthe recommended processes may result in a courtceasing to drain at half-life or sooner. A typicalroutine maintenance schedule is shown opposite.Figure 18: Suggested maintenance forsynthetic grass surfaced facilities.ActionCheck facility, fixtures and fittingsRemove litter and debris as requiredClear leaves and rubbish fromthe courtDeal with any new weeds, mossor algaeBrush the surface to redistributein-fillMove sand which accumulates incorners etc and redistributeCheck sand levelsCheck lightingCheck for moss and algae growthetc and remedy as appropriateGroom with a rotary brush/vacuumFrequencyDailyDailyWeeklyWeeklyWeeklyMonthlyMonthlyMonthlyEvery six months(at least)Every six months(at least)Treat court with moss-killer/ Annuallyalgaecide. Call in the installer if anyaspect is causing significant concernNote: These are minimum recommendations. Cleaning,grooming and court inspection can always be done morefrequently.Polymeric track and field facilitiesBy their nature, polymeric surfaces are extremelydurable, being designed to satisfy arduousperformance test criteria whilst withstandingconstant spike use in varying climates. However,there is no such thing as a ‘maintenance-free’sports surface, and all polymeric track surfaceswill require a modest degree of maintenance.This basic maintenance is of vital importanceif the surface is to remain consistent inperformance, safe for the athlete to run andjump on and long lasting. Indeed, the installer’sguarantee will usually be conditional on therecommended maintenance requirementsbeing carried out with reasonable diligence.Maintenance procedures are designed toensure that:• the synthetic track and field event surfacesare kept scrupulously clean;• the surfaces are safe for all standards of user;• in the case of a porous system, the freedrainage of surface water is maintainedthroughout the life of the track; and• the facility looks attractive and well-kept atall times.These objectives are achieved by:• sweeping leaves and other detritus from thesurface;• washing the surface to remove contaminantssuch as grime, algae, moss, sand, etc;• applying prophylactic treatments of moss-killerand/or algaecide; and• periodically removing weed growth from theperimeter kerb lines.Leaves, tree flowers, pine needles and otherdetritus should not be allowed to remain onthe surface for any length of time. If this doeshappen, they rapidly rot down, forming acontaminating ‘skin’ on the surface and providinga growing medium for algae and moss. Amechanical leaf-sweeper or vacuum cleaner isideal for removing vegetation and other rubbish.Restricted areas may have to be undertaken byhand. At least once a year, it is advisable to washthe surface using high-pressure jetting apparatus.At all track venues, maintenance machinerywill require regular access to the central grassedarea. It is good practice to provide protection forthe track surface at regular pedestrian crossingpoints, e.g. from the dressing room on to acentral pitch. This protection could take theform of rollout matting to ensure that mud fromfootball boots does not contaminate the tracksurface. It is wise to provide plywood or similarsheeting to allow access to the central area forgrass cutting machines, etc.School Playing Fields 54School Playing Fields 55