Wavertree Stadium Making a Sandwich
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Wavertree.qxd 28/07/2017 15:57 Page 1 Artificial Surfaces Wavertree Stadium Making a Sandwich... “Sports-mad” Liverpool is ven as Liverpool rises once more as proud to shout about. a Premiership force, and Anfield The home of Liverpool Harriers and bullish about its prospects for assumes its rightful place among Athletic Club was used as a training centre hosting the Commonwealth the nation’s top football venues, for London 2012 and has been the base for Games, a mood bolstered by the city is strengthening its bid for top track and field athletes, including Anyika Ethe right to stage the 2022 Commonwealth Onuora, GB bronze medallist 4 x 400m relay its newly upgraded athletics Games. in Rio, 800m and 1,500m Olympic runner centre of excellence. Greg A major element of that mission is the Curtis Robb, British record high-jumper Steve transformation of Wavertree Stadium into an Smith, 2012 pentathlete/heptathlete Rhodes reports on how the athletics centre fit for regional, national and Katarina Johnson-Thompson and David city is on the ‘right track’ for international competition. Devine, double bronze medallist at the 2022 games Over the last four years, track facilities at Paralympics London 2012. the stadium have been substantially CLS Sports was appointed by project upgraded, indoors and out, to create an administrators Sports Labs to replace the athletics venue that the city’s bid team is existing 8-lane 400m track with a new IAAF 104 I PC AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2017 Wavertree.qxd 28/07/2017 15:57 Page 2 Artificial Surfaces The new sandwich system comprises a rubber base mat laid on to the existing macadam sub-base with a polyurethane and red rubber crumb top surface all to meet current IAAF specifications ” Polytan non-porous sandwich system. surfaces and newly appointed CLS Sports On the back of cost-saving measures, Completed in early July, the new track Contract Manager. Liverpool City Council has approached the includes a 110m home straight, mirrored by David, 52, has experience of constructing Harriers about the prospect of them taking another on the back straight. synthetic sports surfaces stretching back over the day-to-day management of the For the specialist sports contractor, one of nearly thirty years and has travelled abroad facility, subject to the site being fit for the three divisions of construction to plant under that remit. Amongst his many projects purpose. Talks are continuing, with the club hire group Cleveland Land Services, the track are construction of two athletics training anxious to ensure the financial machinery is its most prestigious outdoor athletics tracks for the London 2012 Olympic Games, driving any deal is sustainable for them over surface to date. as well as a host of installations within the the long term. “The new sandwich system comprises a independent schools sector. Commenting on the shift in management rubber base mat laid on to the existing His responsibility covers everything from of athletics facilities nationally, David notes: macadam sub-base with a polyurethane and site surveying for feasibility studies to “Council-run athletics tracks are costly to red rubber crumb top surface all to meet managing the process from contract award maintain and seldom deliver the level of current IAAF specifications,” explains David to completion, signoff and aftersales return needed. The trend is to upgrade them Fearn, a world specialist on synthetic sports support. to become fit for purpose before leasing PC AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2017 I 105 Wavertree.qxd 28/07/2017 15:58 Page 3 Artificial Surfaces them to local clubs, who are then Arwel Williams is the longstanding responsible for running them.” Honorary Secretary of the club and has As a centre of excellence for athletics, witnessed a generation of athletes train and At around £500,000, Wavertree Stadium is expected to stage compete at Liverpool Harriers. this is a massive major track and field club and county events. A national athletics official, Arwel, 58, was The new surface is seen as a faster one than a member of the organising team for the investment in the its predecessor and hopes are high that IAAF World Championships in London (out of site and allows the competition on it will challenge national and stadium), held this August at Queen stadium to hold international records. Elizabeth Olympic Park, as well as the 2017 Part of a multi-million refurbishment, the Paralympic Athletics World Championships “enhanced events newly completed track surrounds augmented staged in July, where he was chief judge of such as heptathlons field facilities also constructed by CLS Sports. the field events. Extended high jump and pole vault areas He knows, perhaps more than anyone, the and decathlons, as allow competitions to be staged importance the upgrading means to what is well as club and concurrently. an historic sporting focus. “We are a top-end The expanded shot put zone includes both track and field athletics club,” he stresses, county competitions Redgra and traditional surfaces, whilst field ”the only one offering this scale of facilities capability has been further enhanced with a in Liverpool and are centrally based for the hammer cage and triple jump running city.” between two long jump strips to also allow With membership standing at more than side-by-side competition. 600 - “a good number for the size of the city” - Liverpool Harriers are poised for boom times in the wake of the refurbishment. The city boasts no fewer than three universities, so athletically-minded undergraduates would want to spend time at a quality facility, he adds. “We tend to see students who are just starting out at university - in September and October. “They start off keen as mustard, then their enthusiasm dies off later in the academic year.” That sounds like a warning note, but he adds quickly. “If they stay in the city, they join us.” The old track had been due for renewal for some years, Arwel notes. Although the clubhouse is ours, the sporting provision and 600-seat stand is council-owned. “Parties have ongoing discussions relative to an asset transfer option and it was the dilapidation survey that revealed the extent of the refurbishment needed before that option was truly on the table,” he says. Chris Jones, chief executive of England Athletics, viewed the project recently to check on the sports governing body’s new 106 I PC AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2017 Wavertree.qxd 28/07/2017 15:58 Page 4 Artificial Surfaces investment and was reportedly impressed with what he saw. “At around £600,000, this is a massive investment in the site and allows the stadium to hold enhanced events such as heptathlons and decathlons as well as club and county competitions.” Built in the mid-1980s as a regional centre of excellence, the site was “looking tired,” states Michael Kearney, acting Head of Sport and Recreation at Liverpool City Council. The new outdoor track is the final hurdle to the site’s bid to regain its former glory Natural & Synthetic after Sport England funding had allowed the 25-year old damaged floodlighting to be replaced to modern-day standards three years ago. Sports Pitch Specialists Indoors, the four-lane 60m training surface was deteriorating. “We’d thought about bringing the London 2012 warm-up track here,” says Michael, “but it was Design • Construction • Maintenance impracticable, so Sport England and England Athletics funded the relaying of the surface - a Mondo sandwich system. The indoor lighting was replaced too.” “The outdoor track is another example of our continuing partnership between Sport England and England Athletics - the former ploughing in £560,000 and the latter £65,000 under an £800,000 project to deliver a facility of national stature.” Athletics was not always the main focus of attention at Wavertree. Well before the centre had functioned as a training facility for London 2012, the stadium had hosted Football • Athletics • Rugby • Hockey • Tennis what is reportedly the first ever baseball Cricket • Multi Use Games Areas World Cup game, back in 1938. However, the stadium forms just one element of a multi-sport hub owned and run by the city council. Wavertree Sports Park complex is home to Liverpool Aquatics Centre, featuring 50m competition and 20m CALL community pools, 01642 488328 WEBSITE Liverpool Tennis Centre and Wavertree EMAIL Athletics Centre, plus other health and www.cls-sports.co.uk [email protected] fitness facilities, including a substantial PC AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2017 I 107 Wavertree.qxd 28/07/2017 15:58 Page 5 Artificial Surfaces Lewis Dougan, Ray Owens (Liverpool City Council), Arwel Williams, David Fearn and David Dickinson (Sports Labs) Lifestyles Gym, operated by the Council. gymnastics and boxing,” explains Michael. The six indoor acrylic tennis courts and “We’re up against Birmingham for the UK eight outdoor macadam courts, four of those nomination and the winner of that goes The new outdoor floodlit, mark a major focus - LTA, Sport forward to an international competition.” England and Liverpool City Council has The city’s bid was recently bolstered by our track is a significant recently funded the project and the venue strong partnership with Manchester to share investment in a has hosted major competitions, including the hosting duties by providing venues for Nike Junior International in 2013 and 2014. cycling, cricket and squash. sport-mad city and The full-size 3G floodlit playing surface was Responsible for day-to-day management, we are keen to constructed with Football Foundation Michael’s role also embraces liaising with “continue to protect funding. Set in a public park, the sprawling national governing bodies of sport and sports hub also numbers several grass supporting the Director of Community grassroots sport pitches and a community bowling club Services on high-profile events.