STRI selects Everris seeds & controlled released fertilizers for Euro 2012 stadia
08 June 2012

Consultants from STRI (Sports Turf Research Institute), the organisation selected to prepare the pitches for Euro 2012, have chosen ProSelect 1 Premium Sport ryegrass seed blend from Everris to overseed four stadium venues.

STRI was appointed by UEFA to advise on the playing surfaces in Warsaw, Wroclaw, Gdansk and Poznan in Poland following international acclaim for its work at the Olympic Stadium in Kiev, Donbass Arena in Donetsk and The Metalist Stadium in Kharkiv, Ukraine.

A team led by Head of Stadia Services, Andy Cole, has been working tirelessly to deliver pitches that meet the highest international standards.

“Our confidence is in Everris and the company’s holistic approach to turf management called iTurf,” Andy explains. “It’s the company we selected for fertilizers, grass seed and plant protection products to get the Poland pitches ready for the tournament.”

“ProSelect 1 Premium Sport was used at the four venues in Poland to supplement existing turf. We were working to tight timescales and needed rapid, problem-free germination, which is what was delivered despite the low light levels created by the stadia environments.”

From pre-seeding at the venues through to the final whistle, the pitches will be maintained with Everris fertilizers, including SierrablenPlus, Greenmaster Pro-Lite and Sportsmaster WSF, as have the pitches at England’s Hutnik training camp. The majority of the Euro 2012 stadia in Poland and Ukraine use Everris fertilizers, while The Metalist Stadium was seeded with ProSelect 1 Premium Sport in 2011 and Kiev has used it as an overseeding mixture.

“I was impressed that Everris pulled out all the stops to deliver a lot of seed in a very short space of time,” Andy added. “When we’re preparing pitches for major tournaments, we depend upon the infrastructure of companies like Everris to help us deliver premium playing surfaces, on spec and on time.”

About ProSelect 1 Premium Sport

ProSelect 1 Premium Sport, a blend of four Perennial Ryegrasses, was launched in 2009. “It establishes rapidly to produce a deep rooting, dense sward with superb wear tolerance. It is proven to repair quickly from wear damage and is resistant to disease, cold and drought. But it is the rich, dark green winter colour that has caught the eye of turf professionals, particularly those preparing top-flight football pitches” says Ed Carter, National Sales & Development Manager at Everris UK & Ireland.” “When you’re preparing stadium pitches, aesthetics are important and definition and contrast are all key considerations for match preparation,” he adds. “Turf managers want their pitches to have rich winter colour, achieved without the excessive use of nitrogen or iron and these grasses make that possible.”

ProSelect grass seed is used in many top European stadiums like FC Barcelona, Olympic Lyon and the Olympic Stadium in Rome. Top events in 2012 for ProSelect are the recent UEFA Europa League final on 9th May in the Bucharest National Arena in Romania and the new pitch at Coventry City Football Club’s Ricoh Arena, where 12 Olympic football matches will be played this summer.

ProSelect is Everris grass mixture range suitable for sportfields, golf, sod producers and landscaping.