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The upcoming 2014 National Synthetic Surfaces Conference & Expo (NSSCE) will explain why synthetic sporting surfaces are quickly gaining popularity as an economic and long lasting alternative all over the world.

As the conference organisers explain, this popularity has recently seen European Champions League qualifiers played on artificial turf, the 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Canada to also be played on artificial surfaces and the Australian Institute of Sport in Canberra to upgrade its synthetic football field so that the Australian women’s team can practice for the event.

With the full program for the NSSCE, and the associated Power of Sport Conference, just released, the conferences will build on the themes and content discussed at the first ever NSSCE in 2013 – with the Power of Sport conference providing delegates with a comprehensive program focussed on increasing participation in sport.

New at the NSSCE and Power of Sport Conference in 2014 are:

Forums - to be run alongside the conference program and available for all visitors to the Expo to register and attend. These will include:

The International Rugby Board forum, and

The Community Sport Forum run by Community Sport Australia and in association with the NSW Department of Sport and Recreation.

The Innovation Tour – as site visits were a popular option for delegates last year, they have been expanded to become an ‘Innovations Tour’ of four different sites, each of which will show how innovation has been applied to develop synthetic surfaces in challenging conditions. Among locations to be visited is Trinity Grammar School (pictured below).

With the NSSCE program, a choice of three streams will be available for delegates, with emphasis on technology, finding solutions to challenges and utility of synthetic surfaces.

These streams will have a number of sessions which will expand on the three topics of:

• Asset management and maximising your investment

• Program management and developing partnership models for community use

• Driving participation in sport with targeted strategies and programs

One of the standout sessions not to be missed will be a presentation from Wayne Ridlands, Facilities Officer at Lane Cove Council.

This session will focus on the Council’s state of the art integrated sports field with two FIFA 1 star/IRB ‘Regulation 22’ pitches within an AFL oval and with a cricket wicket in the middle – sited on top of a former 30 metre deep rubbish tip that still ‘moves’.

Delegates will also have the chance to visit this first rugby union pitch in Australia, as part of the Innovation Tour.

Also newly confirmed for the program are Auckland Council, and their session describing how they are committed to building 39 pitches in 10 years, and the benefits that have come with the installation of these synthetic surfaces.

Standardising synthetic surfaces for a number of sports will be discussed by Marc Douglas, from the International Rugby Board (IRB). The IRB has worked extensively with a number of sports including Aussie rules, rugby union and league, hockey, Gaelic and American football and football in an effort to finalise these new standards. This will be one of many sessions to interest representatives of local government, who can discover how the standardised surface can result in multi-sport use of facilities.

Being held at Rosehill Gardens in Western Sydney, the National Synthetic Surfaces Conference & Expo, co-located with Power of Sport Conference will be held on 3rd and 4th June 2014 (with the Innovations Tour on 5th June).

For more information contact 1300 789 845, E: info@nssce.com.au, www.nssce.com.au

2nd April 2014 - SPORT SURFACE CONFERENCE LINKS WITH NEW ‘POWER OF SPORT’ EVENT

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