First Quarter Round-Up

Verde was founded with a singular vision: to transform the landscape of artificial sports pitch design, construction, and maintenance by providing top-quality, sustainable, and innovative solutions. Established in 2008, the company has quickly grown into a trusted leader in the outdoor sports facility sector.

Over the years, we have completed hundreds of projects across the south west, building artificial sports pitches for professional teams, schools, universities, and community sports clubs. The company’s diverse portfolio includes multi-sport pitches, football fields, rugby grounds, tennis courts, padel centres and more. Whether a small local facility or a large-scale national sports complex, we consistently deliver high-quality results.

End of Quarter – Reflections on the Year So Far

The first quarter of 2025 has been a challenging but rewarding period. The biggest hurdle we’ve faced has been the lingering impact of delays from 2024. Two major projects, both Exeter College and University of Bath were pushed back due to various issues. This meant that our synthetic system installations ended up coinciding with the toughest winter conditions, something we always aim to avoid. That said, we’re now approaching completion on both, with handovers set for the coming weeks. 

We have secured several refurbishment projects with a variety of surface types and performance standards and we have been heavily focused on several sports hub projects, including the design and build of a new indoor netball/tennis centre, as well as multiple padel centre developments.

Industry Trends & Challenges

Sustainability continues to be the defining trend across the industry. Some clients are leading the way, investing in greener solutions and taking a long-term view on sustainability. Others remain focused purely on cost, prioritising the simplest, cheapest, and most robust solutions, regardless of the environmental impact.

At Verde, we’re always looking for ways to push forward with sustainable solutions, including:

• Sub-base replacement and stormwater attenuation systems 
• Cradle-to-cradle shock pads 
• Single-polymer and bio-based artificial turf systems 
• Bio-based performance infills 
• Reducing CO2 emissions

One of the biggest ongoing challenges is the disposal of synthetic turf systems at the end of their lifecycle. Finding scalable, sustainable disposal solutions is something the entire industry needs to address.

Innovation at Verde

We’re already implementing many of the sustainable solutions mentioned above at University of Bath and Exeter College and later this year we will be looking at showcasing our work in a way that highlights the innovation, quality, and sustainability of our projects. 

Another exciting milestone for us is securing the Blundell’s School project, our first independent school build this far south and we are hoping that the success so far, and impact once completed will lead to conversations with other schools in the area.

Quick Conversation:

• South West Hockey League Sponsorship – We’re thrilled to announce that Verde is renewing its sponsorship of the West Hockey League for another three years! Our partnership, which began in 2018, reflects our ongoing commitment to supporting hockey clubs, players, and the growth of the sport across the South West region. More here
• Investment in Maintenance – We are investing into our maintenance services as this is something we look to build. Watch out for our maintenance explainers coming your way soon. 
• Our maintenance service and after-sales services are something we pride ourselves on, building relationships, maintaining those relationships, and making sure that following on from the build, it is well looked after and delivers on the required impact to the community / school or facility. 
• Why 3G isn’t always the right choice for schools – It’s high maintenance, restrictive, and doesn’t last as long as traditional systems. Read our previous blog about 3G vs 4G.
• Our people – As with most organisations, our people are so important to continually drive our standards and build those long-lasting, important relationships with clients. Several members of our team have recently celebrated their ten years of service:
  • • Mark Prentice – Maintenance Foreman
    • Curtis Mears – Installation Foreman

They join another six members of the team who have now been working here for over ten years! 

Looking Ahead: Our Focus for 2025

Our goal remains the same: to sustain sales, while continuing to focus on delivering high-quality sports facilities across the south west. Quality over quantity remains our mantra.