BUILDING EXCELLENCE

Who are the finalists of the SAPCA Awards 2025?

The Sports and Play Construction Association (SAPCA) has announced the finalists for the SAPCA Awards 2025. Now in their 10th year, the SAPCA Awards were launched in 2015 to celebrate the achievements of SAPCA members across the sports and play facility construction industry.

Celebrations

As part of a strategy to grow the awards’ significance and recognition, in 2024 SAPCA made a number of changes both to the way the SAPCA Awards are delivered and the way winners are celebrated. These included setting six distinct awards categories and launching the SAPCA Awards Dinner – a networking opportunity which places the awards presentation ceremony at the centre stage.

“We reorganised the awards in 2024 and chose the six categories to reflect the new focus of the awards,” says Richard Shaw, SAPCA Chief Executive. “The intention was for the awards to really highlight the importance of high-quality sports and play construction to those who benefit from it the most – the people and communities who are the end users of the facilities that our members help design and build.

“While SAPCA’s core mission is focused on the technical standards and quality of construction projects, we also want to celebrate the positive impact that the facilities created by SAPCA members make in communities across the UK. This is important because, to make the case for increased funding for facilities, we need to show how our projects deliver outcomes in health, education and social cohesion.”

We want to celebrate the positive impact that the facilities created by SAPCA members make in communities across the UK

Making the cut

From more than 40 entries, the judges chose a total of 13 finalists across the six award categories. The winners will be announced at the SAPCA Awards Dinner on Thursday 27 February 2025 at Emirates Old Trafford in Manchester.

Commenting on the finalists, Colin Corline, SAPCA’s Technical Lead (and member of the judging panel), said: “We want to thank all member companies that submitted entries for the SAPCA Awards 2025. We received more than 40 submissions and the panel had a tough task in picking the finalists from a very strong field. This is evident in two of the categories having three finalists.”

FINALISTS

SAPCA Person of the Year

Adam Collier Head of Sales, Fordingbridge Louis Keeley Senior Consultant, Labosport

SAPCA Young Person of the Year

Teddy Edwards Project Co-ordinator, JHP Electrical Services Ryan Latto Field Technician, Sports Labs Lewis Turnbull Apprentice Electrician, Halliday Lighting

Small Sports or Play Project of the Year (under £350k)

Portico Sport

Project: Club de Padel, Manchester Portico Sport completed a four-court padel club development in Deansgate in the centre of Manchester. At the heart of the project are world-class padel courts, designed for both serious competitors and casual players. The courts feature high-quality artificial turf and advanced lighting systems, ensuring optimal play conditions day or night. This attention to detail offers an elevated experience for players at all levels.

The team has also incorporated eco-friendly practices throughout the project, using sustainable materials and energy-efficient technologies. From recycled turf to water-saving systems, the club has prioritised reducing its environmental footprint – something that’s increasingly important in today’s world.

Jupiter Play and Leisure

Project: Inclusive play area at Stanway Community Centre, Colchester Stanway Community Centre is a great example of how inclusive design can enhance the right to play for children. Designed, supplied and installed by Jupiter Leisure, the design focuses on encouraging children of all abilities to be able to interact and play together. It is fully accessible by wheelchair users and is supplemented by a wide range of accessible and sensory play items such as accessible swing sets; dual-width slide; music and story ball; sensory zones; and inclusive assisted communication signage throughout the site.

Large Sports or Play Project of the Year (over £350k)

Jupiter Play and Leisure

Project: Skypark interactive play area at Minehead Butlins Jupiter designed and installed an expansive play park for Butlin’s Minehead to rejuvenate the play offering and improve customer satisfaction. Called Skypark, the project cost £1.5m and is one of the most expensive individual play projects ever installed in the UK. It boasts multiple zones for different ages, abilities and capabilities including areas for toddlers, children, teens and sensory zones.

Total-Play

Project: 10-lane “cricket shield” at Bradford Park Avenue Cricket Ground The £2m project has been a game changer, a pioneering new facility that transforms a traditional outdoor cricket practice facility into a covered facility for all round use. Protecting cricket lanes from wet and windy conditions while encouraging air flow and maintaining a comfortable temperature, the ‘Cricket Shield’ provides the chance to increase usage levels of a typical outdoor non-turf facility without the prohibitive costs of a permanent building.

Dynamik Sport Surfaces

Project: Multi-sport sports facility at Coronation Square Coronation Square is one of the largest multi-sport sports flooring and acoustic walling projects in the UK, creating a large 45 court indoor sprung multi-use arena and community space. The 45 courts allow for a wide range of sports and activities to take place within a community focused, inclusive facility, including less common options like pickleball, makes this facility particularly unique.

Sustainability Award

Herculan

Product: Full Circle

Herculan Full Circle is a 100% recycled Indoor polyurethane sports floor solution. While companies now regularly recycle artificial turf and athletic tracks, indoor sports floors have historically ended up in landfill. Herculan has created a solution which utilises old flooring, creating a product that doesn’t compromise on the performance of the flooring. The old PU floor is removed from the sub-base, ground down to a crumb consistency and reinstated as the cushion layer. The new base layer is then sealed, recoated, line marked and ready to be used again. The whole process can be repeated again and again.

Polytan Sports UK / McArdle

Product: Rekortan Gel GT

Rekortan Gel GT is a non-porous gel track system, which replaces 60% of the materials with renewable raw materials. It is a major advancement in sustainable athletics track infrastructure and has been certified by World Athletics. The first seven-lane, 400m track using the product was installed at HMS Temeraire in Portsmouth. By replacing traditional styrene-butadiene rubber (SBR) granules with a renewable bio-based gel, the Rekortan Gel GT system saved over 50 tonnes of SBR, significantly reducing the environmental impact whilst delivering a high-quality performance track for athletes.

Product of the Year

Polytan Sports UK / McArdle

Product: Rekortan Gel GT (see description in sustainability category above)

Carbon8 Lighting / JB Corrie

Product: Retractable sports and play lighting tower The tower combines a uniquely designed light head that maximises uniform light coverage of a sports play area from the seven-metre raised column height, while keeping light spillage to a minimum. As well as minimizing energy consumption, the neat light footprint will keep neighbours happy.