Real Madrid opts for SGL Concept

Real Madrid have expressed their total confidence in the SGL Concept. As from next season the pitch in the Estadio Santiago Bernabéu will be treated with the SGL Concept.

For the new Head Groundsman Paul Burgess the choice for the SGL Concept was an easy one. "At Arsenal I have worked with the SGL Concept since 2005 and the results have always been excellent. The Bernabéu is one of the largest and darkest stadiums in Europe, so it has serious problems with grass growth. To me it was obvious right from the start that I can solve these problems together with SGL."

In the last few years Paul was responsible for the pitch of Arsenal and not without success, he has won the Groundsman of the Year Award several times. We have every confidence that at Real Madrid Paul will also do a great job and we wish him every success in his new challenging role.

Allianz Arena expands after successful pilot

In December 2008 the Allianz Arena (Bayern München) started with a pilot of the SGL Concept in order to see whether the same good results could be achieved as in other large European stadiums and at the German colleagues VfL Wolfsburg and the Commerzbank Arena.

As a test, one third of the pitch, i.e. the part that normally speaking is worst, was treated with the SGL Concept. Although the pilot started in a middle of a strong winter, it very soon became obvious that also in the Allianz Arena the results were very positive. Within a few weeks the treated area had changed into the best part of the pitch. Beginning of March the decision was even made to replace only the untreated area of the pitch. The quality of that part of the pitch had deteriorated quite significantly, while the treated area was of excellent quality during the entire testing period.

For that reason Allianz Arena will start treating the entire pitch with the SGL Concept as from next season. Managing Director Jürgen Muth is looking forward to it. "The results of the pilot exceeded all our expectations and that's why we have every confidence that we will be able to keep the entire pitch in top condition throughout the whole of next season. "

New stadium Shakhtar FC taking off with SGL Concept

From coming season onwards, the winner of the UEFA Cup, Shakhtar FC, will play its matches in the brand new Donbass Arena. This prestigious project is the first stadium in Eastern Europe that was designed and built according to the Elite-Class UEFA standards (5 Star Standard). Everything in this stadium is focused on top quality. This also goes for the pitch and for that reason the decision was made to start working with the SGL Concept in the new stadium.

"We have been working on the preparations for a long time now and we leave no room for doubt", says the Operations Director of the Donbass Arena, Alexander Atamanenko. "Ultimately we have chosen the SGL Concept because of the impressive track record of SGL and the high quality standards. Furthermore SGL guarantees us that here at the Donbass Arena there will be a top quality pitch throughout the whole year and that is the major thing".

SGL congratulates champions

SGL may already count 44 stadiums worldwide as its customers and therefore the chance that every now and then a champion is amongst them is relatively big. However, last football season was very successful indeed. In practically every country where SGL is active, a user of the SGL Concept has become champion and on top of that the winners of the Champions League and UEFA Cup are SGL customers.

SGL is proud to congratulate following champions:
       - AZ Alkmaar (Dutch Eredivisie)
       - Barcelona (Spanish Primera Division and Champions League)
       - Manchester United (English Premier League)
       - Melbourne Victory (Australian Hyundai A-League, Etihad Stadium)
       - Olympiakos Piraeus (Super League Greece)
       - Shakhter Donetsk (UEFA Cup)
       - Standard de Liège (Belgian Jupiler League)
       - Wolfsburg (German Bundesliga)

Fulham FC expands SGL Concept

At the beginning of this year Fulham FC started treating a small part of their pitch. This meant that Craven Cottage was already the 7th stadium in London and the 21st stadium in the UK to work with the SGL Concept. The results were so good that Fulham has decided to expand.

Because of the small entrances and limited storage space, it is not possible to work with the MU360 at Craven Cottage. Therefore the MU160 is being custom made and two units of this type will be supplied to Fulham FC in September 2009.