How Havant & Waterlooville’s new £500,000 3G pitch was laid in 10 weeks ...

The company who laid the pitch - S & C Slatter - insist it is the finest artificial surface available anywhere in the world.

‘It has passed the FIFA testing and is of the same standard you would find in the Champions League,’ said Jason Douglas, group director of S & C Slatter.

The artificial grass was manufactured in France, just outside Paris, and was designed by Canadian-based company Field Turf.

‘They basically invented 3G,’ said Douglas. ‘We are their exclusive partners in England and Wales.’

The artificial pitch technology is always improving, and cannot be compared to the plastic pitches of Queens Park Rangers and Luton in the 1980s.

‘They were basically poor quality hockey pitches which were being used for professional football games,’ said Douglas.

‘That’s why I can understand completely some people’s reticence about 3G pitches - they can remember the pitches in the 1980s.

‘This is a fast-moving market, the technology is changing every six months.’

It took S & C Slatter around 10 weeks to complete the installation at Hawks – around four weeks quicker than the process normally takes.

In layman’s terms, this is how they did it …

Once the grass pitch was ripped up, the area was levelled to create a much flatter surface then before.

A ‘lime and cement stabilisation’ process then created a solid platform.

A layer of aggregate was laid on top of that before a ‘shock pad’ system - basically rubber - was put down.

The ‘carpet’ of grass was then rolled out and fixed in place.

Douglas said a key difference between his company’s pitches and those laid by others is the inclusion of a shock pad.

Others have the carpet of grass basically laid on top of a concrete pass.

There are two different types of fibres in the artificial grass, and they work in harmony with the shock pad to hopefully create an ideal surface for playing on.

The pitch should last for around ‘8-10 years’ providing it’s well maintained.

The company have given Hawks a ride-on tractor with a big brush to regularly sweep the surface a few times a week.

Four times a year, S & C Slatter will visit Westleigh Park to conduct their own maintenance work.

‘You can’t really see the benefit of the pitch on a (sunny) day like this,’ said Douglas. ‘You need to see it in the middle of January on a winter’s day.

‘Rainfall is not a problem at all - the only thing that might stop a game from taking place is a foot of snow!’

Hawks are one of eight National League clubs who will be playing home games on a 3G pitch.

S & C Slatter have also just finished installing one at Billericay, which was used for the first time last Tuesday.