Turfcare were awarded the tender from Brimbank City Council to complete a full sportsground reconstruction on soccer pitch number 3 at Churchill Reserve Oval in St Albans, Melbourne. The existing soccer ground was in poor condition, so Turfcare welcomed the opportunity to improve the ground immensely and bring it up to the highest standard so local soccer clubs and the general public could make the most and enjoy this valued community asset.

Excavation works began in October 2015 and quickly discovered extensive rock base under the surface. Discussions were held between Turfcare and the client, to establish the best alternative and ways to work around the humongous rocks. As a result the original design and plans for the project were amended, and approximately 350 tonnes of rock was removed from the base so works could continue.

To allow for 50mm drainage blanket, 1000 tonnes of aggregate was trucked in and irrigation lines were installed ready for the new irrigation valves and system down the track.

Once our project manager was happy with the base it was time to bring in the sand. Over seven days, 121 trucks, brought in 4000 tonnes of sand, which was then spread, laser levelled and surveyed to ensure the base perfectly met the required designs and standards.

When the base was ready to go, more than 15 tonnes of organic fertiliser was spread in preparation to lay the 8,214m of turf. The new turf was allowed to settle in for two weeks with constant irrigation and supervision five to six times per day. Once the turf began to establish it was oversown with 300kg of custom blend seed.

The sportsground reconstruction took less than six months to complete, the final result is an ‘Industry Standard’ Accredited Ground ready for play in May 2016.

Churchill Soccer Pitch reconstruction gallery