Last updated at 12:32, Friday, 08 February 2013

A Maryport firm which built the first artificial pitch to be used by a professional rugby club has received a grant which it hopes will create eight new jobs.

Title
Author
Copyright

Description

Support in Sport, on the Glasson Industrial Estate, has been awarded £45,000 by the Britain’s Energy Coast’s Investing in Business scheme.

It is the first grant awarded under the scheme.

SIS is responsible for the new pitch at Allianz Park, home to north London rugby union club Saracens.

Paul Nichols, SIS managing director, said: “We’re delighted that Britain’s Energy Coast and its funding partners the Regional Growth Fund and Nuclear Decommissioning Authority have supported our own substantial investment.

“It will help us to grow in the coming years and bring with it benefits to the local economy.

“We are at the forefront of what could be a revolution in artificial sports pitches and our work at the Saracens rugby club ground demonstrated that. These are exciting times.”

The company plans to spend the money on new production line equipment and carpet-laying devices for setting up pitches.

It will be one of the first UK companies to own the new kit which it will hire out to parts of its group in Europe and the Middle East.

The company at present employs 25 people and said the investment would help increase revenues over the next four years to create new positions.

Previous projects have included the construction of surfaces and training pitches for some of the world’s leading football clubs, including Barcelona, Real Madrid and Manchester United.

The grant will form part of a wider £180,000 investment being made by the company in new equipment.

First published at 12:21, Friday, 08 February 2013
Published by http://www.timesandstar.co.uk