St. Andrews: Pioneer in African Hockey

In March 2024, the first Dry Hockey field in Africa was inaugurated, marking a groundbreaking moment not only for the entire continent but also for the global hockey sport: The installation at the St. Andrews School in Bloemfontein, South Africa, is a global flagship project for sustainability. St. Andrew's School is a public boys' school in Bloemfontein. Founded in 1863, the present-day boarding school represents the second oldest educational institution in Bloemfontein. Its counterpart for girls is the St. Michael's School, which opened just eleven years later and thus much earlier than most comparable institutions in Europe. At St. Andrew’s, sports activities have always played a significant role and include traditional sports like cricket, rugby, and hockey, as well as football, tennis, squash, and basketball. One of the most famous alumni of St. Andrew's School is undoubtedly multiple Tour de France winner Christopher Froome.Hockey is gaining popularity in South Africa; however, the greatest challenge remains water scarcity. Sand-filled hockey fields are still widespread, but during prolonged droughts, they become nearly unplayable. Therefore, the renowned St. Andrews School opted for the Poligras Paris GT zero hockey turf by Polytan, which can be played on dry and achieves Olympic quality with minimal irrigation. This sustainable synthetic turf system was installed by our partner Trompie Sport, one of Africa’s leading sports construction companies. It will benefit St. Andrew’s 33 junior and 10 senior teams, which are among South Africa’s best squads.

Poligras Paris GT zero – Climate Neutral and Resource Efficient

In Bloemfontein, we installed a highly functional Dry Hockey field that requires no sand filling or irrigation and has already been officially certified by the FIH. Our “FIH Innovation Category Dry Turf Hockey Field” is a milestone for sustainability in hockey: Until now, large quantities of water were required to professionally play on fields. With our sustainable system, hockey can now be played at the highest level, even in the driest regions of the world. With the Poligras Paris GT zero installed at St. Andrew's School, we’ve developed the world’s first climate-neutral synthetic turf for hockey. As a sports flooring manufacturer, we drive the development of sustainable systems without compromising on play quality. The filaments consist of up to 80% bio-based raw materials. Combined with the recyclable polyurethane coating, this results in a positive carbon footprint and ideal playing properties. Our high-performance hockey turf allows for precise and dynamic play while providing maximum safety for players, even during complex game maneuvers. Changing weather conditions and strong UV radiation do not affect the durability of our robust hockey turf, which maintains its attractive appearance for years even with intensive use. Thanks to Polytan’s proprietary Turf Glide Technology, surface friction is minimized, resulting in fast ball rolling, increased player protection, and a significant reduction in water consumption.We have already equipped more than 25 fields in 11 countries with Poligras Paris GT zero turf. The system has proven itself in training and competition; it is robust and extremely resource-efficient – a major advantage, especially in areas where water is scarce. We are proud to have now realized the first Dry Hockey field in Africa. It enriches the entire hockey community and represents another step toward a sustainable success story in hockey.