3G Sports Pitch Construction for Great Baddow High School

3G Sports Pitch Construction at Chelmsford’s Great Baddow High School

The opportunity to support school children’s education and physical health via a 3G Sports Pitch Construction at their school and the delight expressed by both teachers and children once a project is completed never fails to fill our team at ETC Sports with incredible joy and pride over a job well done.

We subsequently proudly report the completion and opening of a 3G Sports Pitch Construction for Great Baddow High School, a Sixth Form, Science and Specialist Sports College for 11 to 18 year old students, in Chelmsford.

3G Sports Pitch Construction for Baddow Sports College

Taking great pride in the high standards achieved by its charges, Great Baddow Sports College provides students with expert support at the highest level and training at pre-school, lunch time and after school clubs, as well as arranging Saturday morning fixtures.

As a result of their top level sports education, school teams regularly make appearances in finals covering a wide variety of sports not only at district and county, but also at regional and national levels.

The construction of our third generation (3G) artificial all weather pitch complete with indoor dome facility and perimeter fencing enables the college to provide pupils with top quality year-round training facilities.

3G Sports Pitch Construction and Air Dome Facilities

Made possible by an Inspired Facilities (Sport England) grant and fundraising efforts by teachers, parents and pupils, our job was to transform a dilapidated, tarmac-covered playground into a first class sports facility comprising of an air dome large enough to comfortably accommodate two 5-a-side 3G artificial all weather football pitches, as well as an artificial ‘needle punched‘ caged wicket practice area for the school’s budding cricketers.

Having started work on the dome and 3G sports pitch construction on February the 4th, we completed the bulk of the work on April the 30th, with the dome being ready a week before its grand opening on the 29th. Delighted with the results, the college entered a 12-months maintenance contract with us to ensure their new facilities remain in perfect condition for many generations to come.

About our Air Dome and All Weather 3G Sports Pitch Construction

Firmly attached to the ground by more than 100 anchors spaced at 1,500 mm intervals, the double-skinned dome measures nine metres at the highest point and accommodates two 43 m x 33 m five-a-side 3G Astro Turf football pitches. Great Baddow’s new air dome & 3G Sports Pitch construction, the only one of its kind in Essex at the moment, comes complete with hanging LED flood-lighting and a diesel-fuelled heating system.

The dome’s translucent membrane enables daytime use without the need for lighting. What’s more it is also possible to project images onto the domed ceiling, making it possible for this particular 3G Sports Pitch construction being used not only for football, rugby and other sporting activities, but also for other subject areas, like science, for instance.

What was said about our ETC Sports Air Dome and 3G Sports Pitch Construction

Joining delighted teaching staff, parents and pupils at the air dome’s official opening, West Ham United Manager Sam Allardyce, who was accompanied by first team players Reece Burke and Mark Noble, referred to the dome and 3G Sports Pitch construction as a ‘fantastic facility students will respect and make tremendous use of’.

He then went on to say: “Whether it’s football, rugby or tennis, physical education is so important for your whole life experience as you grow up.” and continued to express his personal hopes for the future of Great Baddow’s 3G Sports Pitch construction: “Hopefully, one day, we’ll have a Great Baddow High pupil running out for West Ham at the new Stadium!”

Expressing the school’s appreciation of their presence and willingness to talk to, work with and inspire students to Mr Allardyce, Mr Burke and Mr Noble, head teacher Carrie Lynch confirmed Great Baddow School’s delight with the dome and 3G Sports pitch construction by stating: “We’re absolutely thrilled to have this facility,” and, referring to students, said: “They’ve been dying to get in there.”

Our school contact, Mr Paul Draper, had this to say: “ETC Sports Surfaces have provided us with a fantastic facility. Everyone involved with the school is really excited about the Air Dome and 3G Sports Pitch construction and are looking forward to using it throughout the year. I would recommend ETC without question – working in a school environment poses a number of problems – but ETC were flexible and professional throughout the project.”

You can view more about the project here on our portfolio page or if you wish to watch a timelapse video of the dome construction then you can watch it on our youtube channel.