Fastest Net Attachment System for Football Goal Posts Thanks to PILA

Set-up duty can be the worst job to volunteer for at your football (soccer) club. Having to attach nets to the goal posts at both ends, and possibly on several sets of goals, is fiddly and tiresome - no wonder many people resort to using ugly strapping tape or zip-ties that permanently mark your goal posts and leave them looking worn! While organisations like Football NSW, FFA and FIFA recommend using net clips as a safe option, it has previously been a time-consuming chore, and many clubs complained about clip breakage. PILA has responded to this market feedback and has designed an advanced range of net clips that will make your job incredibly easy!

Extruded Net Track System

PILA’s custom net track system for football goal posts allows the nets to be attached by UV stabilised plastic clips into a recessed track. This keeps players safe from making contact with harmful protrusions. Yet users still cringed at the task of attaching the clips and nets before and after each game, so we set about designing a clip that was quick and easy to click in and out every time.

Faster Net Clip Solution

To address this, PILA has introduced new durable UV stabilised plastic net clips that are designed to be attached and removed faster and easier - just push and turn to safely and securely lock the clips and nets in place. It's even faster than using tape or zip-ties! No need for special tools, complicated instructions or sore fingers - even older kids can do it. Now there’s a thought parents!

New Nets

To team up with our new net clips, PILA has also introduced a higher quality of nets to suit our goal posts. We now offer Club nets as a great all-round, everyday use and cost-effective net, and Competition nets that are premium quality and suitable for the most elite level. We also have a budget range of training nets at great prices.

While safety is the most important aspect you should consider when choosing football goal posts, you also want a practical solution that makes life easier for everyone. Now you can have the safest football goal posts with the fastest net attachment system and avoid ruining your goals by using inappropriate forms of net attachment thanks to PILA's improved net clips.

Contact PILA for specs and prices on 13 7452 or info@pilagroup.com.au

PILA's Pro-Series Goal Posts on the World Stage as MCG Hosts Soccer Friendlies

While the MCG is better known for cricket and as the venue for the AFL Grand Final, it has more than a century of history hosting soccer as well. From the first match played in 1912 there have been a variety of games ranging from friendlies to World Cup qualifiers and Olympic competition. Some of the best teams in the world have played at the MCG including Manchester United, Brazil, Argentina and Liverpool. And this year the Victorian Government has lured reigning European champions and FIFA Club of the 20^th Century, Real Madrid, along with the world’s current best player, Cristiano Ronaldo.

International Champions Cup

Previously confined to North America, the International Champions Cup has expanded to include Australia for 2015, bringing three of the biggest names in European club football – Real Madrid, Manchester City and AS Roma. They will play an exclusive three-match round robin tournament at the MCG from 18 – 25 July, using PILA’s new international broadcasting standard Pro-Series football goal posts.

Pro-Series

PILA’s Pro-Series football goal posts are specifically designed for elite level televised events. In order to comply with FIFA’s regulations, football goal posts in televised games are required to have black free hanging net support posts (as opposed to the more common white ones). PILA's Pro-Series goal posts meet Australian and international standards and have already proven popular with Football NSW choosing them for their Valentine Sports Park fields.

With their new turf and new goals, the MCG is set to welcome these elite teams and put on a spectacular show. Learn more about PILA’s new Pro-Series goal posts here.

Blackman Park Project Features PILA’s Goal Posts on Synthetic Surface at Lane Cove West

Synthetic surface playing fields are growing in popularity and demand due to their longevity and usability even in wet weather. Installation of synthetic surfaced fields also increases the number of hours that the fields can be accessed by local sporting clubs as they do not wear out, making them the equivalent of 2 or 3 grass fields which can only be used up to 30 hours per week.  

The Blackman Park Project

A notable example is the recent upgrade to Blackman Park in Lane Cove West, a former landfill site that was subject to ongoing settlement. The official opening of the brand new synthetic sporting fields was held on Saturday 29 November. With representatives from the Waratahs, Sydney Swans and GWS Giants, it was a spectacular event as the community came together to celebrate this landmark.

Synthetic Surface Construction

Team Sports were contracted to install a synthetic playing surface over a concrete support slab to stabilise the ground. They engineered a solution that includes piled footings between 10m and 28m deep for the concrete support slab with a subsurface drainage system above the concrete slab for collection and disposal of stormwater from the playing field. The concrete was then overlaid with synthetic surface ‘Hybrid 60’ with a shock pad which meets the requirements of the ‘One Turf’ concept comprising FIFA, IRB and AFL/CA. The upgrade has resulted in a 18,600m² area accommodating 2 soccer/rugby fields and one AFL field.

Installing Goal Posts on Synthetic

Not wanting to compromise the integrity of the synthetic surface, Team Sports turned to PILA as they are familiar with our market leading products and customisation. PILA’s National Sales Manager, Shaun Groves, emphasised that “PILA is able to customise our goal posts to suit the surface and adapt to the logistical challenges within the site”. To protect the synthetic surface, the footings, hinge bases and ground sleeves of the goal posts need to work perfectly with the system used for the field. PILA sport has extensive experience working with the turf industry on both natural and synthetic fields. The Blackman Park project was another opportunity to demonstrate our versatility, providing 12m/8m Competition level AFL goal posts, 2 sets of 12m Competition level rugby union/league goal posts, and 2 sets of senior semi-permanent football (soccer) goal posts with off-field storage.

Praise for the Fields

A few sporting teams received a taste of the fields before its official opening including Lane Cove’s AFL9s joined by AFL legends Jude Bolton and Kevin Sheedy. Kevin Sheedy AM, a Richmond Tigers legend and current director at GWS Giants, praised the fields: “This is one of the best venues I’ve seen for sport, and I think it’s terrific that it supports so many sports, this place will bring a lot of people together”. Deputy Mayor Deborah Hutchens and Wayne Rylands, Executive Manager for Open Space and Urban Services, were integral in the implementation of the project, with both ‘astonished’ at the speed of construction of the synthetic turf, completed just over 18 months after council gave it the green light.

Whether you’re installing new goal posts on a natural or synthetic surface, PILA can provide the best products, advice and service. Contact us on 13 PILA (13 7452) or email info@pilasport.com.au