Thursday 7 April 2016 16:29, UK
Worcester Warriors will become the first Aviva Premiership club to convert to the latest generation of Artificial Grass Pitch ahead of the 2016/17 season.
The new pitch will meet all World Rugby synthetic pitch guidelines and will be the first in the UK to feature an organic infill rather than the more widely used rubber crumb made from desiccated car tyres.
Fellow top-flight sides Saracens and Newcastle Falcons have made the switch to artificial surfaces in recent seasons, but the Warriors will make the move to play on the state-of-the-art, all-weather surface from Italian specialists, Limonta Sport.
The new turf will permit greater usage for the club's Elite, Academy and Community Rugby as well as providing commercial opportunities for events and reducing maintenance costs.
Warriors chief executive Jim O'Toole said: "Our stadium pitch is the single most under-utilised asset in the club, currently being used for fewer than 100 hours per season.
"The structure of our existing playing surface means that we have to allocate eight to 10 weeks per summer break to refurbish it, thus removing the possibility of summertime playing usage or commercial activity.
"This exciting development not only allows us to play more rugby at all levels on our biggest physical asset but also allows us to establish new commercial revenue streams such as concerts, festivals and other non-rugby events."
