Install a pitch in 24 hours? well normally no but for this years Sky One All Stars this was the requirement due to the tight schedule. The event was held at the David Beckham Academy in Greenwich London. The schedule was limited due to other commitments at the academy, and the time required to install 6000 sqm of plastic trackway to protect the Field Turf pitch below and install all the required seating, lighting and production equipment that only left a window of 24 hours to install the pitch before the producers required to start test filming and lighting tests.

The pitch surface had been specified by the production company and Evergreens were contacted to install the surface by the manufacturer and pre-make some of the pitch components using detailed cad drawings. This enabled us to install the complete centre circle in two pieces which included all the pitch markings, this also applied to each of the goal sections being delivered to site in two pieces each with all the marking and lines pre-installed allowed the fast installation.

Installation started at 6pm and our staff worked till 5:45pm the next evening using 10 of our own skilled fitting staff all of which have a high level of experience in installing large commercial flooring projects. During the week long live broadcast we were requested to supply one fitter to be onsite one hour before each match to walk the pitch to check for damage or sharpe objects on the playing area, also to provide instant backup during the live show.

One of the dilemmas with this installation was the fixing method. The pitch had to be firmly fixed down to allow full and realistic play without the pitch moving or ripping but had to be installed onto a plastic trackway without damaging it or any of the Field Turf pitch below it, also the requirement to remove the pitch without damaging the surface to allow for future installations. This was achieved using our unique locking system which can be used on many surfaces form plastic trackway to hotel carpets.