The SU is delighted to have attended the opening of the new 3G pitch, having aided and supported its development over the past decade. This pitch is even more special as it is the first fully recyclable 3G pitch in the UK, meaning it can be reprocessed at the end of its life.
The implementation of this pitch is pivotal for The SU. It allows for the expansion of our sporting offer, providing many new session times for our sports clubs and better access to training and playing spaces in poor weather conditions. It will also continue to elevate the reputation of Bath for sport, a reputation which drives local pride and attracts the best of the best athletes to Bath.
This project has been long in the works. Talks about a new 3G pitch have been discussed since the turn of the millennia, and proper plans for development can date back all the way to 2010, in the Officer era of James Christmas! It then remained in the manifesto of Sport Officers onwards of 2013 and has been a staple duty of every Sport Officer since to ensure the development progressed
The SU initially posted the agreement, made by the University to develop the 3G facility all the way back in May 2018, a project that was on the Top Ten issues for the academic year of 2017/18. With push from the SU Sport Officer Will Galloway, and the Officer team, alongside a long-term collaborative effort between the student community of Bath and the sporting staff at the University and the Students' Union, it managed to make it to the CSSU (Council Senate Students' Union) meeting where it was thankfully approved.
Following slow development progress, it made its way into the Top Ten again in 2019/20, and the continued push eventually managed to get the project out of planning and into construction. Due to COVID, there was further delays, and the final delivery date was then expected to be November 2024. However, due to the winter weather, it was unable to be fully sanded until the Spring of 2025.
The SU input on the project has been valuable throughout every step of the process. Ensuring that the 3G would be utilised to benefit the students as much as possible was at the forefront of these conversations, which has proved to be successful as they will be heavily used by our sporting clubs from 2025/26.
The floodlit facility, which has taken multiple precautions to not disrupt the bat population nearby, should provide over 50 hours extra per week of facility space for sporting clubs and students, and should free up astro pitch time as well, meaning that training, competition and recreational session times should all be able to increase.
This year’s Sport Officer Olivia Warner has said: “The opening of this pitch marks a very significant and important milestone in the facilities at the University. It has been an honour getting to look after it on its last leg of development, and I am more than excited for the opportunity it gets to bring to our already incredible sporting offer. A massive congratulations to everyone who has had any input, whether big or small and let’s hope that the University can continue to work on the elite sporting facilities that we have here.”
Chair of Rugby Union, John Taylor, added: “It will be massive for us as a training facility, and with the fast nature of the pitch it will revolutionise our playing style”.
We are looking forward to all the opportunity this new 3G may bring for our ever-growing student population.