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Glorious Grass

Sports stadiums are frequently in the news around Perth. There are the State Government’s plans for a major new sporting stadium for AFL and other sports at Burswood, there is the much anticipated Perth Arena (eventually) nearing completion, the world famous WACA and its plans for expansion and then there is the home of Perth Glory and the Western Force – nib Stadium.

We say the home of Perth Glory but as things stand, the old Perth Oval (now known as nib Stadium) looks like it may become the former home of Western Australian football (or soccer) as Glory chairman Tony Sage has suggested his club could have played their last game there.

This has arisen due to a dispute over the redevelopment of the nib Stadium which would reduce the capacity for Glory home games but interestingly Sage has suggested the new home for the Glory could be on synthetic grass.

It may sound like pie in the sky to many Glory fans – and Perth sports fans in general – but one idea Sage seems keen to explore is hosting his club’s matches indoors, in the Burswood Dome, which would need considerable renovations and alterations.

Sage reckons this would reduce the capacity from what Glory matches have been used to at nib Stadium, but believes the under-roof aspect of playing at the Dome could help create an electric atmosphere – which Glory fans have been renowned for regardless.

Burswood Dome was initially considered as a possible home for the Glory back in 2007, as the owners were still negotiating terms over staying at nib Stadium, and Sage obviously knows that synthetic grass sports surfaces have advanced dramatically in recent years.

Synthetic grass pitches can now be produced to the exacting standards of football’s world governing body FIFA. Even clubs in the world’s oldest league – the English Football League have stated a desire to install artificial lawn at their home grounds. There is hardly a lack of rain in the UK as there is in Perth but even in the wetter, cooler climes of England there are considerable savings available associated with the maintenance of synthetic grass.

So, is Perth ready for professional sport on synthetic turf? Why not? The Burswood dream is far from a reality for Perth Glory at this point in time but synthetic grass is starting to be used at tennis clubs, cricket clubs and bowls clubs around Western Australia. A major sporting stadium is probably the next logical step for synthetic grass, and at Green Planet Grass we believe a quality artificial football pitch will make a lot of people sit up and take note.

It Pays to Do Your Homework

We’ve said before that it’s important to be fully aware of your options when choosing synthetic grass products and installation.

Still a relatively new product on the Western Australian market, quality synthetic grass is a specialist product. Many start-ups have appeared in the Perth market recently making various claims about quality and price. We maintain that it’s vital to know what you’re likely to get for your money because artificial turf is supposed to be a long term investment.

But you shouldn’t take our word for it. These are the words of someone who did their own homework on synthetic grass and ended up rather satisfied with what he got:

“I competed a lot of research on various suppliers and decided that Green Planet Grass out of eight others, provided the best costing per square metre laid, provided Australian-made turf, were very professional in all their dealings with me, on time and completed the work as per their time frame and within budget. The final result is as I had expected and we are extremely happy with the final outcome,” says Don McLaren, who is a resident at Parkland Villas in Booragoon and the driving force behind our recent install there.

“The final finished course is very elegant, provides a good view from the surrounding areas, creates an added valuable asset to our village and will provide residents with additional outdoor leisure activities for many years into the future. New prospective residents on viewing the village are very impressed that we have installed a 9 Hole Putt-Putt Course,” he continues.

“Some of the Residents are using the facility during the week and at weekends with their children and grandchildren and as we intend to create playing teams between groups of residents, I expect the usage to increase over time with the extent of usage depending on the weather.”

We love the fact that the putting greens Green Planet Grass installed at Parkwood Villas are becoming a focal point for not only the residents’ leisure time but also time with their extended families. It is also apparent that the popular greens are helping to forge a sense of community.

That may not be the reason why Don selected Green Planet Grass as the best option for the synthetic grass installation, but we are confident that the artificial long pile Landscape Range grasses create a realistic fairway effect to enable chipping practise. And we know that the grass will have a long life because we only supply the best Australian-made products.

Village Manager, Denise Manning, is also very happy with the installation. “The residents love the new look green and the extra recreational facility it has created for Parkwood Villas,” she said.

We don’t want to sound like a broken record but if you do your homework when it comes to installing synthetic lawn and select a product and installation team you have confidence in, you shouldn’t be disappointed!

Forecast for greater savings

Western Australia’s synthetic grass specialists, Green Planet Grass, have pledged that synthetic grass products will produce greater savings for householders in the southwest of the state with water bills expected to rise by up to 30 per cent in the next three years.

Increased scarcity of water in WA’s warming climate has led the State Government to choose supplying residents with increased amounts of drinking water supplied by energy intensive desalination. The higher costs associated with desalination are likely to be passed on to consumers after the Water Corporation said that higher capital costs to expand the water network would flow through to tariffs in an Upper House committee hearing.

The Water Corporation had already seen a ten per cent increase in customers requesting more time to pay their bills in the last financial year.

“Synthetic grass enables householders in Perth to eliminate the need for watering their lawns, leading to significant savings over the long term,” said Jeff Dennis, Managing Director of Green Planet Grass. “We are used to living in a hot, dry climate but the pressure on our water resources is clearly growing and the cost impacts are being felt by more and more people in our suburbs.

“An upfront investment in synthetic grass enables Western Australians to make drastic savings on their water bills, and those savings will only increase as the years go by. In Perth the greatest proportion of household water consumption is usually outdoors as people endeavour to prevent their gardens becoming parched and dried out so it stands to reason that eliminating the need for lawn irrigation can play a major role in slashing water bills. This will become more and more important to householders as our water costs rise.”

Green Planet Grass believe that the projected price rises will mean the savings Perth customers can make will enable them to recoup the initial outlay required to purchase and install synthetic grass within two to three years.