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Sports Pitch Specialists

Building Pitches That
Perform Under Pressure.

Apex Sports Pitches has been constructing and renovating natural turf sports facilities since 1991. From grassroots club grounds to county cricket outfields, we build pitches that meet governing body standards, drain correctly, and hold up through a full season of competitive play.

Three Decades of Sports Pitch Expertise

Apex Sports Pitches was established in 1991 with a focus on something most groundswork companies overlook: the specific demands of competitive sport. A sports pitch is not just a flat area of grass. It is a performance surface with drainage tolerances, soil profile requirements, line-marking specifications, and maintenance windows dictated by governing bodies, not groundswork schedules.

Over more than thirty years, we have built that specialist knowledge into every aspect of how we work — from initial site survey and soil analysis through to pitch construction, seeding, and the ongoing maintenance programmes that keep facilities playable across the full season.

We are part of the Greenblade Group, which gives us access to a broader fleet of machinery, resource depth for larger projects, and the logistical infrastructure to mobilise quickly on time-sensitive renovation windows between seasons.

Apex Sports Pitches construction team
1991
Established as a specialist sports pitch contractor
3
Sports governed: football, rugby, cricket — each with its own build standards
Full
Project management from site survey through to handover and aftercare
UK
Nationwide project capability for construction and major renovation works

Sport-Specific Construction Knowledge

Governing body compliance is not optional for clubs and schools seeking funding or league registration. We build to the specifications that the FA, RFU, ECB, and local county associations require.

Football

FA-Compliant Pitch Construction

Football pitch construction to Football Association standards, including correct dimensions, pitch orientation, drainage specification, and grass seed mixes appropriate for the level of play and usage intensity.

Standards: FA Pitch Improvement Programme, County FA requirements, UEFA UEFA Pitch Quality Guidelines for higher-level facilities
Rugby

RFU Ground Standards

Rugby union pitches built to RFU ground grading standards, with particular attention to the robust drainage requirements and soil profiles needed to manage the high traffic and surface disruption of the game.

Standards: RFU Ground Grading requirements, pitch dimension compliance for league registration at all levels
Cricket

ECB Outfield & Square Construction

Cricket facilities require the most precise construction tolerances of any grass sport. Apex constructs and renovates cricket squares and outfields to ECB guidelines, with appropriate clay profiles for square preparation and drainage schemes suited to the outfield.

Standards: ECB pitch preparation guidelines, county cricket board advisory standards for recreational facilities

How a Project Works with Apex

Sports pitch projects have fixed seasonal windows and non-negotiable opening dates. Our project management process is designed around those constraints, not around ours.

01

Site Survey & Soil Analysis

Before any scope is agreed, we visit the site, assess the existing surface, check drainage outfalls, and take soil samples where required. Construction decisions are made on the basis of what is actually there, not assumptions.

02

Design & Specification

A written project specification covering earthworks, drainage design, rootzone or topsoil specification, seeding schedule, and maintenance requirements through establishment. Prepared before any price is confirmed.

03

Drainage & Earthworks

Correct levels, fall gradients, and drainage infrastructure are the foundation of a pitch that performs. We do not treat drainage as an add-on — it is designed into the project from the start and installed with laser-graded precision.

04

Rootzone & Seeding

Specification-matched rootzone or prepared topsoil, power-harrowed and consolidated to the correct density, seeded with grass seed mixes appropriate for the sport, season, and soil profile. Germination monitoring through the establishment phase.

05

Establishment Maintenance

The first growing season determines the long-term quality of the surface. We manage mowing, feeding, and irrigation schedules through establishment to ensure even, strong sward development before the pitch is opened for play.

06

Handover & Ongoing Care

Project handover with a maintenance schedule, seed mix records, drainage plan, and sward establishment report. Ongoing maintenance contracts available to protect the investment and keep the surface to competition standard year-on-year.

Why Apex

Specialist Equipment.
No General Contractors.

Sports pitch construction requires machinery that most groundswork contractors do not own. Laser graders for precise level control, sand slitters for drainage channel installation, deep-tine aerators for rootzone development, and overseeding units calibrated for specific seed mixes at specific rates.

Apex operates its own specialist machinery fleet, maintained in-house. We do not hire in equipment for sports pitch contracts, which means availability, operator familiarity, and the kind of precision that comes from using the right tools consistently rather than adapting what happens to be available.

Laser grading for accurate falls and surface tolerances to governing body specifications
In-house drainage installation capability — sand slit, gravel band, and pipe drainage systems
Dedicated project manager on every contract, accountable from survey to handover
Nationwide project capability for construction and major renovation works
Greenblade Group resource depth for large-scale or multi-pitch projects
Apex sports pitch machinery at work
Start a Project

Planning a new pitch or a major renovation?

Tell us about your facility and what you need. We will arrange a site visit, assess the ground, and give you an honest assessment of what the project involves before any costs are agreed.

Contact Apex Our Services