Stade De France selects Tarkett Sports and its Desso GrassMaster technology

Tarkett Sports, a global leader in innovative and sustainable solutions for sports surfaces, is pleased to announce the installation of Desso GrassMaster^®, its popular natural reinforced grass pitch technology, at the Stade de France in Paris.

The Desso system allows for top-level games and events as the pitch recovers fast thanks to the reinforced root zone. As Stade de France is used by both the French National Football team and the French Rugby Union, the pitch will immediately serve a dual purpose. The first game took place this weekend when the stadium hosted the opening game of the Six Nations, France vs. Italy. In Juin Stade de France will welcome EURO 2016, starting with the opening match and closing the tournamnt with the finals.

To be aptly prepared, Stade de France selected Desso GrassMaster to reinforce their natural grass pitch. The Desso pitch is a 100% natural grass pitch reinforced by 20 million artificial fibers. Desso GrassMaster is the preferred playing surface in the Premier League, NFL, football & rugby world cups and other important competitions. Many players are already familiar with the system. More than 70% of the UK Premier League Clubs play on a Desso GrassMaster pitch.

In France, Desso GrassMaster is already installed at Paris Saint-Germain (the resident club of the Parc des Princes and its training centre), Clairefontaine (French FA National training centre), FC Nantes, Guincamp, Le Havre, AS Monaco (training centre). Stade de France is the 600th Desso GrassMaster pitch.

Alexandra Boutelier, General Director of Stade de France, stated: “Stade de France hosts outstanding sportive events. Each year, the France national rugby union team and France national football team come to play international matches and major national football and rugby finals. Hosting these exceptional games, Stade de France wanted to endow a comparable playground with best international references, allowing athletes to perform in the best conditions they deserve.”

Eric Daliere, President of Tarkett Sports, stated: “Being selected to equip Stade de France’s playing surface is both a great honour and a major milestone for Tarkett Sports. The use of our Desso GrassMaster Technology for such a prestigious sporting venue affirms our position as a premier supplier for sport surfaces. The Stade de France, newly equipped with our advanced hybrid grass technology, will welcome this year high-profile events such as the European Football Championship EURO 2016 and the Six Nations tournament. This achievement has been made possible through hard work and commitment from our team and our customers.”

About Desso GrassMaster Technology: Reinforcing the vital biological process
The system consists of a 100% natural grass surface into which artificial fibers are injected 18cm deep, in a grid of 2x2cm. The ingenuity lies beneath the surface as the grass roots entwine with the fibers, thus anchoring the pitch. This results in a consistent playing surface with tremendous stability. A recent study indicates that 95 out of 100 GrassMaster pitches had the optimum playing stability thanks to a high infiltration rate, with 3 times more drainage capacity than other hybrid systems or regular natural grass.

The memory lane of Desso GrassMaster since 1989.
Tournaments: Rugby World Cup™ 2015, FIFA World Cup 2010 & 2014™, Euro 2012, 2012 Olympic Games, 2011 and 2013 Champions League Finals, Rugby World Cup™ 2011, NLF, Six Nations.

Top clubs: Arsenal FC, Man. City, Man. Utd, Wembley, Lokomotiv Moscow, CSKA Moscow, VFL Wolfsburg, Bayern München, Inter and AC Milan, Gremio, PSG,… and now Stade de France.

Picture: ©Stade de France^® – Macary, Zublena et Regembal, Costantini – Architectes, ADAGP – Paris 2016 – Photographe : FFoucha XMuyard.