Roda JC – A world-class pitch at a low cost

Dutch Eredivisie football club Roda JC was faced with several problems.

The quality of the pitch had been poor for years. As a result, the media regularly published negative articles about the club. Roda JC was suffering from the high cost of maintaining the existing pitch, but little money was available to improve the situation.
Based on an analysis of the pitch’s chemical and granular composition Greenmaker B.V. drew up an action plan tailored to the club’s limited finances.

Greenmaker took charge of the full renovation of the pitch. In its plan Greenmaker B.V. guaranteed the club’s future pitch would always be of high quality, even in extreme conditions – including heat stress, cold stress, intensive use, extra events and excessive precipitation. The past two years of very severe winters have shown that Greenmaker has solved all of Roda JC’s problems. Even after major events at the Parkstad Limburg Stadium, such as the four-week World Music Concours, the pitch continues to be one of the best playing surfaces in the Netherlands. This has been achieved under the intensive supervision of the Greenmaker consultants.

At one stroke, Greenmaker’s unique granular composition has improved the soil structure, which was very poor before application. Mixing Greenmaker with the existing top layer produced the ideal pitch. A water-permeable, stable, level surface that survives warm periods with ease.
Greenmaker B.V.’s recommendations significantly reduced the amount of work the pitch demanded. Yet the quality was much higher than it had been in previous years. The application of Greenmaker slashed the cost of under-soil heating, an important consideration for professional football clubs after recent severe winters. The club achieved a 20% saving on energy costs and with the deployment of Greenmaker PSS (Pro Soccer System; full application of Greenmaker) the energy saving can rise to 40%. A significant amount, in the knowledge that a professional football club in the Netherlands will spend at least € 100,000 on pitch heating.

Greenmaker is also a completely natural, sustainable product.

Roda JC has enjoyed the benefits of Greenmaker for two years now. With good maintenance advice from Greenmaker N.V. the club can count on eight more years of pitch perfection.