The rise - and rise - of MUGAs

Where space is at a premium, a Multi Use Games Area (or MUGA) could be the ideal solution to your sports surface needs. Surfaces can be designed in almost any configuration, providing playing space for a broad combination of sports to suit a school’s individual needs. It is this versatility that has seen a continued rise in the number of schools, parks, colleges and leisure centres commissioning MUGAs as David Bates, MD at natural and non turf sports surface design and installation specialist, total-play Ltd, explains:

“To many organisations a MUGA makes sense, not only in terms of space and finance – constructing one facility in place of several – but also in terms of efficiency; a more versatile surface can be in use more of the time, especially when used for commercial gain on a full or part-time basis. Our approach to MUGA design and installation is to take into account the clients’ unique demands, the budget allowed and the geography of the site to design a bespoke surface to suit.

“Once a client has decided on the combination of sports they wish to accommodate – and the potential combinations are virtually endless – we’ll do the rest. We’ve worked on areas that combine natural and synthetic surfaces to offer great facilities for an eclectic range of sports and have even integrated existing sports facilities into new MUGAs.”

A new facility for Charterhouse School...

One such project that total-play Ltd has recently completed is the installation of a MUGA at historic Charterhouse School in Surrey; with the aim of upgrading an existing cricket nets facility to be of higher quality and also enable its use for other sports, including hockey. Utilising the school’s existing netting system total-play installed a playing area 14.6m wide by 31.5m wide using the company’s ECB (England and Wales Cricket Board) approved tp365 match and practice non-turf cricket surface.

The addition of removable nets has created a versatile surface that offers a 4-lane cricket batting net area when the nets are in place and a large surface suitable for a range of other sports when the nets are removed. David Bates says:

“At Charterhouse, the brief was to upgrade the school’s cricket practice facilities while creating an area that could be adapted for use for other sports and, to provide them with a top-class solution all round, our tp365 surface provided the ideal solution. Now not only are the school’s cricketers benefiting from training on a surface design that’s ECB approved for cricket, but the sports management team has a synthetic pitch area that can be quickly and easily adapted into a versatile space for general games.”

total-play is able to offer consultancy, installation and maintenance services for both natural and non-turf cricket grounds and was the first non-turf pitch supplier to be awarded the status of England & Wales Cricket Board (ECB) Non-Turf Pitch (NTP) Code of Practice installer. Over the years, the team has worked at numerous high profile schools; including Harrow School, Reigate Grammar School and Maiden Erlegh School to name but a few, to deliver first-class sport facilities.