Tunstall Active, High Tunstall College of Science
Intelligent Play was installed in 2021 at High Tunstall College of Science in Hartlepool, County Durham for their new full-size 3G pitch which was part-funded by the Football Foundation and constructed by McArdle Sport Tec. Nearly a year on, we spoke to Tunstall Active Manager Alan Tebbett, who is responsible for the day-to-day management of the college’s sports facilities, to find out how he uses the Intelligent Play system.
What benefits does Intelligent Play bring to the Tunstall Active 3G?
“Intelligent Play allows me to monitor the 3G pitch daily, to make sure that it’s regularly being maintained and that it’s getting equal usage around the pitch.
The dashboard allows me to do this quickly and easily and clearly shows which areas of the pitch have been over-used. I can then communicate with the PE department and partner clubs to move their usage around the 3G and help encourage even wear across the full pitch.
The usage overview and snapshot features are also useful for me and our partner clubs to monitor and check how many participants we have on the site at any time.”
Which feature of the dashboard do you find most useful?
“For Tunstall Active, the most important and useful feature is the Pitch Heatmap. Using this, we can regularly monitor pitch usage from the PE department and partner clubs and ask them to rotate their activity around the 3G to reduce the risk of wear and tear from heavy usage in certain areas.”
How does having the data from Intelligent Play support your role at Tunstall Active?
“Having this data available to me in the dashboard has given me more time throughout the day to complete other tasks around the college that may have otherwise been left or rushed. It also allows us to maintain the high standard and quality of the pitch with ease.”
Who else uses the Intelligent Play system and data at the college?
“Our partner clubs like the Heatmap and Snapshot features as they get to see how their club is using the pitch. And, the college’s Site Officers and Operations Manager also log in to the dashboard to check the Maintenance Schedule to see if maintenance has been done regularly or whether they need to add an unscheduled machine brush because the 3G has had a busy period.”
Why would you recommend Intelligent Play to other facility managers?
“I would highly recommend the system to anyone in the same or similar role as me because the ease of access and quality of data you get is outstanding. You will definitely find the overall quality of your facilities improve with Intelligent Play on board. Their team is also available when you need them and are quick to respond to any queries you have.”
