Central Coast Mariners’ home turf gets a makeover

‍It boasts one the most picturesque outlooks of any stadium in Australia and to accompany that it now also has one of the most state-of-the-art pitches.

Among Australia’s ever-evolving stadium landscape rests Central Coast Stadium, situated in Grahame Park, Gosford on the central NSW coast. The stadium is immediately recognisable globally due to its idyllic location and stunning backdrop.

Although various sports have been played on the site since the reclamation of land in the early 1900s, since 2004, Central Coast Stadium has been home to the Central Coast Mariners, one of the original eight founding clubs that kicked off in the new A-League competition that same year. It is one of the smaller stadium venues in the league with an all-seater capacity of just over 20,000.

In late 2019, following a robust tender process, stadium owners Central Coast Council awarded the contract to HG Turf Group. At the heart of HG’s bid for the project was the inclusion of their HERO Hybrid Grass ‘ready-to-play’ product, a system that is in use at some of the world’s best soccer stadiums and clubs, including Real Madrid’s Cicaud Training Facility and Manchester City’s CFA Academy.

Launched in 2016, the HERO system grass is anchored to a grid via a knitting process. The open foundation is unique, promoting enhanced drainage and root development essential for high performance turf. The artificial grass is five per cent of the playing surface and protects the natural grass, increasing the durability of the turf. It is designed to suit different sports and natural grass cultivars, including warm and cool-season varieties. Hybrid turf like the HERO system is a long-term solution with a 10-plus year life for stadium pitches and for multi-functional stadia like Central Coast Stadium which is backed up with additional replacement turf for concert and events.

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