An innovative ground care system is keeping this year’s cold snap at bay for a growing number of the biggest names in world sport.

Dan Jenkins reports on the game-changing stadium technology developed by a North Yorkshire engineering firm.

FOOTBALL fans have had a torrid time since Christmas as the snow wreaked havoc with the fixture list.

But blizzards mean big business for one engineering company in Stokesley, North Yorkshire.

Matchsaver Ltd produces an automated system that rolls out a reinforced waterproof cover, protecting sports pitches from snow, frost and heavy rain.

The company has been growing its reputation and high-profile customer base for more than eight years.

Already installed at leading football clubs, from Chelsea in the Premier League, to Juventus in the Italian top flight, it is protecting hallowed turf graced by sporting greats such as Didier Drogba, Frank Lampard, Alessandro Del Piero and Gianluigi Buffon.

And despite its worldwide application, nearly all the work involved in fabricating and assembling the system is carried out in North Yorkshire and Teesside and it is local jobs that are created.

“Ground sheets are nothing new in sport,” said Tim McCullagh, managing director of Matchsaver, “But they are typically laid out by hand, which often takes a dozen or so staff three to four hours to cover and the same to uncover the pitch.

“We have perfected a system that covers the whole pitch in less than ten minutes at the flick of a switch.”

Mr McCullagh said: “The snow was a welcome Christmas present for us, as it always drives inquiries.

“Football is big business.

Postponing a match due to bad weather means delayed revenues and a serious disruption to working capital for any club.

“That’s when they start looking around for a workable, preventative solution.”

Matchsaver is remote controlled and designed to fit almost any sized outdoor sporting venue.

The motorised roller is operated by a simple handheld control. At the push of a button, the roller travels across the field, automatically deploying a weatherproof cover in less than ten minutes.

That level of control can be gamechanging for football clubs.

For example, if it starts snowing heavily the night before a game, one press of a button and the device protects the pitch in minutes, so there is no disruption to the fixture list.

However, you would need keen eyes to spot Matchsaver, either as a spectator or even watching a game on the TV.

The company installs the roller discretely behind advertising hoardings – and has even developed a system that allows it to be stored underground. It is hidden in a shallow trench with steel covers, that uses a hydraulic lift to reach ground level before rolling out over the pitch.

About 30 football clubs have bought Matchsaver in the UK, Germany, Norway, Italy, Greece France and Sweden. The system is also installed in cricket and rugby grounds – one of the first customers was Newcastle Falcons RFC.

The product costs anywhere between £60,000 and £350,000 depending on size and configuration, but Mr McCullagh says that it delivers substantial savings on under-soil heating, match cancellation insurance and labour and, in some cases, saving one game can pay back the full cost of the system. “Under-soil heating is quite expensive,” he said.

“Our system traps the heat, generating a saving of up to 75 per cent on energy bills for under-soil mechanisms. Similarly, it can reduce cancellation insurance premiums by about two-thirds, so the payback period can be only a handful of seasons.”

The company has signed up distributors in several European countries and is looking for more. It is also setting its sights on the US market, after appointing a dealer for North America.

The latest Matchsaver has just been installed in the new Gamla Ullevi Stadium, in Gothenburg, Sweden, home to GAIS, Orgryte IS and IFK Gothenburg.

“The distributor model works very well for us,” said Mr McCullagh.

“Allying with an entrepreneurial partner brings two principal benefits.

“It means the dealer is proactively selling on our behalf in the customer’s own language. They are also close at hand for maintenance and after-sales care, which is important in any business.

“The potential market in the US is huge, for baseball and American Football alone. Especially as most winters, many states are under snow for weeks or even months at a time.”

Matchsaver employs up to 30 people providing local employment through its direct workforce and engineering sub-contractors, with nearly all the work involved in fabricating and assembling the system carried out in North Yorkshire and Teesside.

“As a growth company, we have invested heavily in product design and intellectual property enabling us to develop a highly advanced and unique worldwide product” said Mr McCullagh.

The company takes intellectual property very seriously and has successfully acquired several patents to protect the system from imitators.

Matchsaver is part of the MMC Group of engineering companies, which was founded in 1964 in Marske, east Cleveland.

MMC built a worldwide reputation for engineering and construction solutions, for the marine, offshore and petrochemical industries.

The business still retains a core project management and engineering solutions function, but in recent years has diversified into other profitable areas, including engineering recruitment services across Europe and the Middle East, as well as the hire and sale of calibration equipment and onsite calibration test services to the UK manufacturing and automotive industry. The group’s head office is in Stokesley Business Park.

Mr McCullagh believes there is enormous global potential for the device, but asking him jokingly if Matchsaver is the Wayne Rooney of sports pitch technology draws a wry smile.

“I’ve been a Middlesbrough supporter all my life,” he said.

“So that makes Matchsaver the Bernie Slaven of sports pitch technology.”

● Matchsaver is tailored to fit the size of the pitch, but can cover up to 80,000sq ft.

The motorised roller is up to 72 metres long.

● The weatherproof cover is made from multi-layered, reinforced low density polyethylene, with UV stabilisation. It can weigh up to 2,000kg.

● The transparent fabric allows the sunlight through, which encourages root growth for natural grass, yet also traps the heat, generating savings of up to 75 per cent on under-soil heating.

● The material has been tested to perform in extreme climates, between 40C and 75C, and is fully recyclable.

● Customers include Chelsea, Burnley, Crystal Palace, FC Shalke, Juventus, AEK Athens, Torino, Newcastle Falcons Rugby Club and the cricket clubs of Nottinghamshire, Somerset and Gloucestershire.