Tarmac helps Manchester reach football Fever Pitch

Tarmac Building Products, in partnership with B&Q, has donated 450 tonnes of sand to one of the country’s biggest football fan parks ahead of the greatest sporting event of the summer.

Throughout June and July 2014, ITV’s ‘Fever Pitch’ fan park, a Brazilian-style beach football stadium located at the former Granada Studios in Manchester, will host live beach football matches between international teams, as well as showing live coverage of other World Cup football matches taking place on a 40sqm screen.

A specialist ‘High Tempo’ skills zone will also allow visitors to show off their own footballing prowess in true Brazilian style.

Through B&Q, Tarmac Building Products has supplied 400 tonnes of sand from Crown Farm, Cheshire for the site’s pitch and a further 50 tonnes for the relaxation area and Copacabana Beach Bar.

Matt Rushton, Senior Marketing Manager at Tarmac Building Products, comments: “Normally our specialist sands are used underneath sports surfaces, including the city’s Etihad Stadium, as part of a comprehensive drainage system. It’s great to actually see our sands taking centre stage at the Fever Pitch park and being used as a playing surface in its own right.”

Mike Gumm, Head of Commercial at Sportcel, the event agency who created and are staging the event on behalf of ITV, adds: "We are truly delighted to have Tarmac Building Products on board. They have played an integral part contributing the sand for ITV's Fever Pitch central to this football festival at the former Granada Studios. It's no mean feat importing 450 tonnes of fine grade play sand in to the heart of Manchester.

Tarmac Building Products has worked on a host of leading sports stadia across the country including the Etihad Stadium and Lord’s Cricket Ground. Its specialist sands are suitable for amelioration, drainage and sand slitting, whilst offering exceptional bridging capabilities when combined with the Topsport range of grits and gravels.

ITV’s Fever Pitch fan park is free to attend however only a small number of tickets will be reserved for walk-in entry. Advanced tickets are available online at http://itv.com/feverpitch.