Greater Shepparton Sports Precinct

Completed in 2016 for the community of the Goulburn Valley in Southern Australia, the Greater Shepparton Regional Sports Precinct is a regional sports hub with facilities for athletics, football, hockey, netball and a range of other uses.

This 21 million Australian dollar (over 13 million Euro) project is one of the most significant sports centre in regional Australia and is paramount in a bid by 11 regional Victorian towns and cities to host the Commonwealth Games in 2030.

Having regularly hosted state-wide sports championships in numerous sports and welcomed international competitions in squash, BMX, triathlon, and beach volleyball, it may well be that the precinct will, in just over a dozen years, host one of the world’s largest sporting events.

INNOVATIONS FROM ABROAD FOR THE SUBBASE
Among innovations within the precinct, the contractor Tuff Turf Pty Ltd completed the design and construction of two synthetic grass all-weather playing fields.

In both hockey fields the synthethic grass covering was installed with ULTRABOND TURF 2 STARS two-component, rapid-setting polyurethane adhesive with very low emission of volatile organic compounds (VOC). The lines were marked with ULTRABOND TURF TAPE 300 jointing strip.

With the final stages of the redevelopment well underway, the contractors also took  on the challenge of the design and construction of a running track surface approved to the standards of IAAF (International Association of Athletics Federation). Again with problematic sub-base issues, the contractor looked for an answer to keeping the costs associated with the removal of vast amounts of material to a minimum. As a result, they approached Mapei Australia Pty Ltd (the Group’s local subsidiary) for their recommendation on the use of MAPESOIL 100, a product specifically produced for sub-base stabilisation as compared to conventional products. Although MAPESOIL 100 had been extensively used in Europe at recognised projects such as Luigi Ferraris Stadium in Genoa, Chievo Training Centre in Verona, Juventus Stadium and Training Centre in Turin, and Atalanta Training Centre in Zingonia (Italy) to name a few, this was to be the first installation of this type in Australia.

With the use of MAPESOIL 100 to stabilise the sub-base, the contractor found the answer to overcoming this problematic site. The use of this stabilising product by Mapei meant that there was a 75% reduction in waste soil removal from site.

The contractor took on this alternate treatment process after months of geotechnical testing which gave them the security of achieving the results required for the perfect sub-base.

As a consequence, detailed tests were conducted at every possible hold point of the construction to ensure Australian standards were met and specifications followed. It came as no surprise that all results obtained from tests, especially as for CBR load-bearing index values and density ratio, outperformed expectations of the Australian team given that the MAPESOIL 100 had not been utilised on a project in Australia previously.

Geotechnical tests were conducted to measure certain values so as to ensure optimum results were obtained. After initial test results were obtained, the installation of MAPESOIL 100 commenced.

After the application of the MAPESOIL 100 with the addition of water to achieve the optimum moisture content (OMC), the involved areas were mixed, graded and then rolled to achieve compaction of the sub-base. On the completion of compaction the surface was kept moist to ensure a proper seasoning of the surface.

The final result was a credit to all concerned and certainly allowed the acknowledgment that sub-base stabilisation should now look to the MAPESOIL system as a real and viable option for the future in all Australian sports venues.  

For further information see www.mapei.com.au