How Premiership beat bad weather
Every Premiership match went ahead this weekend, while other sporting fixtures were decimated by the bad weather, after an investment of £200,000 by Premiership Rugby.
Matches at Sale Sharks, Harlequins, Bath Rugby, Exeter Chiefs, Gloucester Rugby and London Wasps received a clean bill of health, and the supporters poured into grounds across England.
Premiership Rugby, the umbrella organisation of the Premiership clubs has made a considerable financial commitment to a pitch protection scheme provided by Sports and Stadia Services, to ensure postponements are kept to an absolute minimum.
It is committed to providing the pitch covers for its clubs as it tries to ensure all matches go ahead, even though other rugby matches, horse race meetings and football matches succumbed to the weather.
“Without the SSS systems it is highly likely that games would have been called off and we would have been facing the prospect of midweek rugby,” said Phil Winstanley the Rugby Director at Premiership Rugby.
“By ensuring that our fixtures have the best possible chance of going ahead we maintain the integrity within our competitions and we protect player welfare by minimising the risk of rearranged midweek matches.
“In addition, the cost to the Clubs of losing a game is significant, particularly when the decision may need to be made close to kick off when bars have been filled and food bought and cooked and having the SSS system allows us to reduce this financial and operational risk to the Clubs.”
The pitch covers went on at Sale, Gloucester, Bath and Harlequins earlier in the week.
Premiership Rugby uses SSS’s MacLeod system which is, essentially, a huge pitch cover with a central inflatable tube which allows warm air to be blown underneath the cover and protect a pitch from freezing weather or, in extreme circumstances, actually draw a frost from the ground.
“Our Board have made a commitment to do everything possible to avoid postponements and I am absolutely delighted with the way the systems have worked in the last two weeks where no fixtures have been lost.
“We can’t control the elements and won’t always win the battle when extreme conditions on the roadways and concourses around our grounds force games to be postponed , but we can do everything in our power to make sure that pitches are playable and that rugby union in England suffers as little disruption as possible.
“Our Clubs have made a considerable financial commitment and it has paid dividends again this weekend.”
