Muga Pitches are suitable for all educational and recreational requirements, whether you need more pitches than your school playing fields allow or regeneration of inner-city areas, there are myriad examples where Muga Pitches are an excellent solution.

School, college & university names and club logos can also be added to compound fencing gates.

Harling Security’s Muga Pitches comply with all relevant Health and Safety requirements. We offer a complete peace-of-mind service from planning through to completion. Make use of our extensive experience to ensure the best use of space and facilities.

We have completed compounds across the South of England at Schools, Colleges, Universities, Sports Clubs and Community Centres.

In addition, we offer a unique child safe, triple protection system for our Muga Pitch compounds to specially suit school environments.

We offer a complete peace-of-mind service from planning through to completion. Make use of our extensive experience to ensure the best use of space and facilities.

We have completed compounds across the South of England at Schools, Colleges, Universities, Sports Clubs and Community Centres.

MUGA Pitches

Most people may be familiar with MUGA pitches. Multi-purpose game areas also referred to as MUGA pitches, are multi-faceted, versatile game pitches that can be used for different types of sports such as hockey, football, netball or basketball and even in some cases, rollerblading. MUGA pitches are ideal for schools, colleges, and universities that have different co-curricular activities as they allow for far wider use of space in order to accommodate a wide range of sports activities.

MUGA pitches are an upgrade of the grass pitches that were common during the 70s and 80s only now technology has made them better. The material used to make the pitch is high-tech which ensures the underfoot has a soft surface allowing for the full range of sports to take place. Besides colleges and universities, MUGA pitches are also perfect for leisure centres, sports, park recreation and athletic clubs.

MUGA pitches can be installed in different locations regardless of whether the installation is needed for a proposed new pitch or an already existing one. Most companies that install MUGA pitches always advise their clients about the right way to go about it as well as suggest ideas to ensure that they fully understand what it entails and how the design will come out.

However, it is important to note that each MUGA pitch is different based on the requirements that each client puts across. The turf of a MUGA pitch also depends on the type of sport that is to be played as there are variable types of construction for MUGA pitches.

Different Types of MUGA Pitch Construction

As mentioned above, there are different types of MUGA pitch construction. These are tarmac, polymeric and synthetic turf.

• Tarmac

Tarmac is used in Type 1 and 2 MUGAs. They are built from open-graded, frost-resistant, porous macadam that is laid atop the free-draining stone. Usually, it’s advisable that the macadam be applied in two different layers – for stability and strength, a binding base and then a playing surface. If you opt for two layers, the binding base layer should have an average compacted depth of 40mm – and should never be anything less than 30mm at any given point – and 14mm or 20mm size for the nominal aggregate.

Single macadam layers are usually used on lighter MUGAs. Here, the tarmac will be open-graded, frost-resistant and porous with a compacted depth of 40mm and aggregate size of 10mm. Laser controlled paving machines can be used to install the macadam and top layer of stone and still achieve the desired level of tolerance with a single layer of tarmac.

When using macadam, the contractors need to ensure that the surface retains its uniform texture even in the hot weather and is durable. In regard to porosity, 15 minutes after the rain has stopped, it is expected that the water should drain from the surface.

• Polymeric

All Types 3 and 4 MUGAs are made of a polymeric surface that is built from SBR or EPDM rubber with slip-resistant materials and a polyurethane binder. One thing that makes polymeric a good choice is that they are available in different colors with red and green being the most commonly used. In addition, they are ideal for non-ball sports training areas such as athletics, ball rebound sports and wheelchair sports.

The major difference between type 3 and 4 MUGA is the slip resistant factor and the surface thickness. Type 3 MUGA tends to have a thinner surface that has a higher surface friction and less shock absorbency while type 4 MUGA has lower surface friction and greater shock absorbency due to a thicker surface. Type 3 MUGA is more suitable for sports such as tennis and netball as they don’t require any contact while type 4 MUGA is ideal for sports such as football, athletics, and basketball.

• Synthetic Turf

Synthetic turf are used in the construction of type 5 MUGAs. Artificial grass is usually used in type 5 MUGA surfaces. In type 5 game areas, we have type 5A, 5B and 5C. Type 5A game surfaces are made from a 2G sand-filled synthetic grass finish. Because of their versatility and stability, they are ideal for hockey and football sports.

Type 5B surface is designed with hockey as the primary sport and has sand dressed artificial turf finish. With type 5B, hockey is the primary sport as the surface’s quality allows for a smooth ball roll that is suitable for professional matches and recreational practice. Type 5C MUGA has a multisport needle punch that makes it ideal for community centres and sports such as hockey, football and athletic sports like running tracks.

There’s also the 3G sport surface that is constructed from high-quality artificial turf finish that has natural qualities for rugby and football. Rugby and football are the ideal sports for 3G MUGA sport surfaces because they have a sand and rubber infill that improves performance and safety.

MUGA Pitch Installation

When it comes to the installation of a MUGA pitch, the most important thing to do is to ensure that the work is done by a professional and qualified team. Why? Because you will be guaranteed that the facility will last for a long time and no issues will arise as a result of poor construction. Before a MUGA installation, a qualified contractor should be able to first inspect the ground and ensure a fitting sub base is placed.

The existing surface and stone will need to be excavated to the needed depths followed by the installation of a tarmacadam sub-base so as to lay a solid foundation for the MUGA surface. Once the sub-base and foundation installations have been done, the contractors can proceed to place the type of multisport surfacing as per the requirements of their client.

These can either be a polymeric surface, synthetic turf grass or tarmac surface. For schools or sports centers that opt for a macadam surface, it is important to also think about non-slip paint installation. After the laying and painting of the surface, your given facility can opt to have line markings done.

There are also different MUGA specifications that can be applied through different designs to achieve the desired multisport facility for a given establishment. However, when it comes to these specifications, the first order of business is to think about the sports that will be played on the area so as to result in the best surface spec for the facility at hand. Also, don’t forget to consider the exact specifications for additional features of your multi-purpose game area such as line markings, painting, floodlights, fencing among others.

Maintenance and Repair of MUGA Surfaces

MUGA pitches always need proper maintenance and repairs so as to ensure the area stays in the best condition possible. Depending on your contractor, there are those who offer both MUGA installation, maintenance and repair. However, it is important to note that maintenance and repairs may be charged separately from the installation cost. As such, it is important to ask your contractor about all these services and take into account overall usage.

For the maintenance of a MUGA facility, there are different types of services that contractors offer. These include drag matting, deep cleaning, drag brushing and the addition of sand infills where needed especially atop synthetic pitches. In addition, other services include chemical treatment, hard court painting and cleaning so as to maintain the area.

There is also what is known as reactive services. These services are offered in the event that MUGA facility needs repairs or gets damaged due to general wear and tear or heavy use. In such cases, your contractor may do minor repairs, resurfaces, rejuvenation and upgrades where needed so that your multisport facility can go back to its former glory.

In a similar fashion, repairs are also done so that the multisport facility can go back to how it used to be regardless of whether it’s a tarmac court or an artificial grass surface. Macadam surfaces tend to have cracks over time. For these, a qualified contractor can make use of an emerald stone and specialist binder to fix the cracks and make general improvements. If, however, the cracks can’t be repaired, resurfacing can be done. Resurfacing is basically putting up a new coating so at to repair the cracks.

Synthetic surfaces such as 3G pitches tend to be more sensitive and will need different types of surfacing repair. Besides the usual tears in the surface that can be repaired or go through a complete resurface, 3G pitches are more likely to flood if proper maintenance isn’t done over time. Flooding or waterlogging can be fixed through rejuvenation so as to boost the porosity of the surface.

Choosing a MUGA Contractor

For any construction project, failing to choose the right contractor could have a detrimental effect on your entire project. A good contractor is like a car’s engine. If the engine is good, you will be able to use your car with no issues whatsoever. However, if your car’s engine is faulty, you’ll constantly have issues and keep running late for important meetings. In this case, your important meeting will be the timelines for finishing the construction project.

That said, there are a few factors that you should consider when choosing a contractor for your multi-purpose game area facility. Because MUGAs need to be properly done, the first criteria for choosing a contractor for the project should be the experience. That means, don’t hire a contractor who has never done a single MUGA construction lest you end up disappointed. When looking at experience, consider the years they have been in business as well as the number of MUGA projects they have been able to do.

Secondly, consider asking for referrals and references. A qualified and honest MUGA contractor will not be shy to share with you past clients that they have worked with so that you can get a reference. In fact, if possible, you can even visit one of the facilities they did a MUGA installation. Besides that, consider asking for referrals from nearby facilities that have also installed a multi-purpose game area.

Another important factor is schedule compliance and good working relationship. Schedule compliance is very important as you are guaranteed that the project will be completed on time without you having to spend more. Also, if you have ever had to oversee the construction of a building, you know how hectic it can be especially if you don’t have a good working relationship with the contractor. So, ensure you have a good if not great working relationship with the contractor as this will also enable the work to get done within the agreed schedule.

Additional MUGA Features

As mentioned earlier, it’s important to have all the specs that you will need your multi purpose game area to have. For instance, if you plan to hold basketball or football tournaments at night, getting a floodlight is one of the features you can’t fail to have. In addition, a secure rebound fencing will also mean that the area is not only secure but safe to be used beyond daytime. You need to take into account the full width of the pitch when taking into account fencing for areas where space can sometimes be tight, such as city parks and other recreation areas.

Once you have settled on the type of sports that will be played on the pitch, the next step will be to have line markings done which will help the players. For polymeric and macadam pitch surfaces, a non-slip paint coating is important to ensure that players don’t slip and hurt themselves when playing. These additional features are especially important for a club or recreational facility as well as schools that will utilize this surface. City Council and schools can ill afford liability for a fault with the pitch.

Over the years, artificial turf for a multisport pitch has evolved with the most important aspect being that it can accommodate any type of weather. Today, thanks to technology, even an old artificial turf surface can be upgraded and get a synthetic surface. All weather MUGA pitches are becoming very common and their demand continues to grow given their multifaceted nature and the fact that people can enjoy their sport regardless of the weather. There are some stunning venues around the country that host special events on Muga pitches like these.

While MUGA pitches can be a source of revenue generation to organizations and so much more, without proper maintenance, the facility may not last long. Ensure that your facility’s MUGA pitch is regularly inspected and maintained. This will ensure the place stays intact and you don’t have to deal with costly repairs if the damages are discovered after a long period of time.