MAKING TURF MATTER
www.turfmatters.co.uk
RUGBY SCHOOL PITCH
New era begins A
fter almost 200 years of sporting legacy, Rugby School in Warwickshire has come to the decision that now is the right time to re-lay the hallowed turf of The Close – the school’s main pitch. The emphasis of the project is to lift the original soil-based turf, to make way for a sand-based, modern weather-resistant alternative that will deliver the very highest levels of performance in the years to come. The Close at Rugby School is perhaps one of the most iconic sporting sites in the world. When William Webb Ellis decided to pick up the ball during a game of football at the school back in 1823, the distinct handling game of rugby
Two centuries after William Webb Ellis picked up the ball at Rugby School and invented a new game, the pitch is being upgraded. The Close had remained soil-based for 200 years but now makes way for sand-based because of changes in extremes of weather and increased usage football was invented. The field on which this historic moment occurred stood strong until this year, when the school made the decision to re-turf the pitch. James Mead, Head Groundsman, has been leading the project and cited increased pressure on the pitches and changes in extremes of weather as the
foremost causes of the need for change. “Mr Ellis picked up the ball and ran with it in 1823, and from there on every pupil and teacher that has been to, and left the school, has carried the game around the world with them. We are proud to say that the incredible world rugby family that exists today all started } TURF MATTERS | JULY-AUGUST 2022 | 43
