University of Brighton

Set in the South Downs around four miles from Brighton city centre, the University of Brighton’s 32-acre Falmer campus opened in 1965 as the home of Brighton College of Education. Today, its extensive sports facilities include three outdoor grass football pitches used to support sporting activity at the university.

The natural turf pitches had reached a scheduled point in their seasonal maintenance cycle. Renovation was required below the surface, while the upper profile needed fresh rootzone and seed to support healthy grass establishment across each pitch.

Each of the three football pitches was first Verti-Drained, creating channels through the soil profile before the surface renovation began.

The team then applied 200 tonnes of 70/30 rootzone using a 3-tonne spreader. Once distributed, the material was worked into the surface from several directions using a drag mat to achieve an even application across the pitches.

The pitches were overseeded in four directions at a rate of 30g/m² using Barenbrug Elite Sport. This perennial ryegrass mixture is developed for high-quality winter sports pitches, with a focus on wear tolerance and recovery.

The rootzone was supplied by Bourne Amenity and delivered to Falmer by John Bourne & Co. The Bourne Sport team completed the renovation, bringing together the expertise of businesses from across The Bourne Group.