Today the Paralympics are the second biggest sporting event in the world. At the 2012 London games, 4,200 disabled athletes participated in 20 sports in a stunning range of fully accessible, 'universal design' venues. According to Sport England “good facilities are fundamental to developing sporting opportunities for everyone”.
However, there is a lack of opportunities and accessible venues which presents a barrier to participation in sports and physical activity for wheelchair users.
Approximately 54% of disabled people travel more than 30 minutes to take part in some form of sport or physical activity so there is a clear need for more opportunities to take place at a local level. Sport and physical activity are vital for disabled people as part of a healthy active life and whilst there is more to do, participation by wheelchair users in gym and fitness, wheelchair basketball is identified as the most popular current activities.
At Playrite they provide the highest quality of sport surfacing products for everyone, from grassroots community sport centres up to elite sporting facilities. In particular they are keen to ensure their products are suitable for all users, in particular those who use wheelchairs in grass-based sports.
Playrite’s Matchplay 2 synthetic grass surface is their most popular sports surface, and to ensure their products will serve the next generation of sporting greats, Playrite submitted their Matchplay 2 surface for testing to determine the coefficient of friction when the surface is in use by wheelchairs.
Surfaces require coefficient of friction between 0.75 μ – 1.0 μ to be deemed suitable for wheelchair sports tests conducted by Labosport determined that Matchplay 2 had a rating of 0.96μ which deems it safe for wheelchair users and suitable for a number of sports including: Tennis, Hockey, Football, Netball and Basketball. It presents a strong argument for Playrites’ Matchplay 2 over natural grass or tarmac.
Chris Pickles, Sales Director, Playrite Ltd, commented, “In recent months we have had a large increase in demand from the wheelchair sporting sector for our Matchplay 2 synthetic grass surface. It seemed more than prudent to have our Matchplay 2 product tested by a recognised body. It’s crucial that sports surfaces meet the required friction ratings for wheelchair users. The Labosport report quite clearly shows that Matchplay 2 is more than fit for purpose in this sector.”
Contact Playrite today to find out more.
