SSL was selected as specialist sports pitch consultant by Chelmsford Hockey Club and Chelmsford City Council, for a joint project to resurface two synthetic hockey pitches.

Chelmsford Hockey Club boast 16 senior sides and the support provided by SSL throughout the project was vital. As Club President Spencer Wilcox explains: "From a hockey perspective, we're delighted with both pitches. They play consistently well and have drawn favourable comments not just from members, but also visiting sides. Our pitch is used by juniors aged five right up to vets in their 70s so it is genuinely supporting hockey across the generations!…We're also hosting the O40s regional finals for the second time in June – and hope to get the same favourable comments from the guys (some of whom are ex-internationals) as we got last year. Our pitch is also used by Essex HA for junior and development coaching. As for SSL, we and the council wouldn't have wanted to enter into this joint project without the support of a consultancy firm – and SSL did an excellent job for us at a sensible cost. So many thanks for that!"

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Having been engaged to carry out a condition survey on both facilities, SSL first provided outline costings for different possible design solutions before preparing a construction specification to enable a competitive formal tender process to take place.

Several tenders were received by contractors bidding to secure the contract. SSL completed a detailed commercial analysis of each bid to ensure like for like comparison before assessing each bid against quality criteria.

When works commenced onsite, SSL was on hand to complete a schedule of key stage inspections and also ensure material samples were collected and laboratory tested to confirm compliance with the specification.

With the performance of the shockpad layer being so critical to hockey performance, SSL ensured the existing shockpad layers to both pitches were thoroughly tested as part of the project.

The double pitch resurface provides another important hockey pitch project completed by SSL.

The firm is pleased to once again receive such positive feedback from a UK hockey club!