Multi Use Long Jump Facility Installation in Essex

We recently carried out another long jump facility installation project at a high school in Upminster, Essex. The school wanted to transform an existing grass area with the addition of a new state of the art long jump runway and sand pit.

Specification and Construction

The specification for the long jump facility included a full runway in needlepunch synthetic surfacing with a sand landing pit, as well as a small practise area at the side of the sand pit. Installing the long jump facility began with excavation of the existing grass field to the required depth and area size which was specified by the school, and then installing edges for the runway and sand pit. Rubber safety edgings were used to create an impact absorbing surface around the perimeter of the facility in order to prevent injury and keep the area safe for the students. A stone sub base made up of lots of angular porous stones was then installed to create a stable and even foundation for the athletics surfacing to be installed onto. Once the groundworks were prepared and the sub base was laid out, the next stage was to apply the surfacing itself.

The school opted for the needlepunch synthetic turf specification for their long jump runway, this surface type is made up of woven yarn fibres and has a layer of silica sand infill installed within the synthetic grass. Needlepunch is an extremely durable and long lasting surface specification which provides a softer alternative to polymeric rubber which is typically used for athletics tracks. This particular school decided to have the main long jump runway installed in red, and the small practise area installed in a red and blue stripe design. The synthetic turf was rolled out like a carpet onto the stone sub base and secured at the edges and multi use line markings were applied in white.

Needlepunch synthetic sports surfaces are very popular with schools as they are safe for young kids to use and they can be utilised for many different activities and sports. As well as long jump and athletics track facilities, the fibre bonded turf can also be installed for multi use games areas where sports like football and hockey are played. The versatility of this surface specification makes it a great investment for schools and clubs as it enables kids to get involved in a range of sports all in one place.

The final part of the installation process for this long jump facility project was to complete the landing pit by filling it with washed and dried silica sand. Having the sand landing pit installed creates a safe area for the students to complete their jumps, as well as making it easy to record distances for competitions. We also supplied a sand pit cover as part of the installation process, this helps to keep the sand free from any dirt or debris and ensures that the long jump facility remains safe for use by the school.

The Finished Long Jump Facility

Once the installation was complete, the final product was a state of the art long jump athletics facility complete with a top-quality sand pit and an extra practise area. The school are very pleased with their new long jump runway and are keen to get all the students involved in new athletics activities. Having the long jump runway surfacing installed in bright red and blue colours makes the facility even more appealing and fun for the kids.

The school spoke of how please they were with the final long jump runway and sand pit facility:

“As a school we take pride in providing the best possible facilities for our students. We are currently investing in several areas in order to further enhance our national sporting reputation. Soft Surfaces have installed an impressive double-lane long jump pit, with practise side run-ups, to enable us to deliver high-quality athletics lessons and training. It will certainly be put to good use in the summer and, no doubt, serve to improve the jumping standards of our students in the future.” – Mark Duncan, Assistant Headteacher at The Coopers’ Company and Coborn School

If you’re interested in installing a long jump facility like this one at your school or club, please don’t hesitate to fill in our contact form and we’ll be happy to discuss your project with you. We can also help schools to find funding for long jump runways to help cover the cost of the installation process. If you’d like any further information about this and the other products we install, please go to our website at https://www.softsurfaces.co.uk/ where you can see our whole range of services and case study examples of our work.

Have you ever used an athletics track with needlepunch surfacing? What did you think about it?

Let us know your views on this topic and don’t forget to ask if you have any questions about what we do!

Long Jump Runway Installation in Colchester Essex

What was the specification? : MultiSport synthetic turf

What colours were used? : Red

What was the size of the job? : 108m²

How long did the job take?: 3 days on site

Long Jump Runway Installation

Check out our case study video below to see our team installing a long jump runway in Colchester.

Video Transcript
Hi guys it’s Dan here, and today i’m going to be showing you a Long Jump Runway Installation in Colchester, Essex.

So we got a call from the client explaining that they were interested in having a long jump facility built onto their school field. After a brief conversation breaking down what we could do for them, they booked us in to install the facility.

Here at Soft Surfaces we’ve become long jump specialists over the last 20 years, installing and maintaining these sports facilities across the country. We’re proud to be market leaders in the field, and believe we install the best product in the sector.

The surface type we largely install for long jump and triple jump runways is polymeric rubber surfacing. This is well known as being the best choice for athletics surfacing, as both running and jumping on polymeric feels so great under foot.

Not only that, polymeric is also the go-to choice as it can be fitted in a huge range of colour choices, from more neutral finishes to the vibrant multi-coloured designs, this really is the client’s decision. We can run through the many options available to you during the enquiry stage.

Here at Soft Surfaces we don’t just build the runway either, we also offer a full installation of a long jump sand pit and sand pit cover as part of the complete works. Again, like the polymeric runway, the sand pit cover can also be specified in a huge range of colours to suit, too.

You can see from these photos now that this particular job has been completed, and looks really great with the red lanes and blue sand pit. The client was absolutely buzzing with the work we did for them.

As we eluded to earlier we are a nationwide company, however as we’ve worked a lot in the Essex area over the years we actually show up in Google for the following key phrases:

Essex Long Jump Construction Company
Triple Jump Flooring Specialists Colchester
EPDM Rubber Surfacing in Essex
Best Long Jump Builders Colchester
Essex Rubber Long Jump Experts
And much more.

Thanks for checking out this installation guys, and if you’d like to enquire today, please just visit our website at https://www.softsurfaces.co.uk or simply just us a call at 01625 445 760

Thanks a lot for watching, and we’ll see you guys later.

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