Case Study: Blenheim high school, surrey
Blenheim High School, located in Epsom, Surrey, significantly upgraded its sports facilities in the summer of 2024, transforming its synthetic sports pitch and macadam courts into FIFA and World Rugby-compliant surfaces. This refurbishment project was made possible through the Notts Sport Fast Track Funding initiative, allowing the school to finance the improvements and deliver a high-quality sports environment for students and the wider community.
The project included resurfacing the main sports pitch, transforming macadam courts into five tennis and four netball and basketball courts, and installing new floodlighting and sports equipment.
Financing through Notts Sport Fast Track Funding Blenheim High School was able to finance this comprehensive refurbishment, a funding program designed to help schools access capital for sports facility development. This initiative gave the school the financial support needed to carry out the work without causing undue financial strain.
The central aspect of the upgrade was the resurfacing of Blenheim High School's main sports pitch, which needed significant improvement. The existing pitch no longer met the competitive football and rugby match requirements, so the new surface was designed to meet the highest standards.
Working with Notts Sport, the school transformed the pitch into a FIFA Quality Pro-certified football surface and a World Rugby compliant rugby pitch. This was achieved through the installation of advanced synthetic turf GreenFields Slide Max Pro surface that mimics natural grass, combined with a state-of-the-art shock-pad system Trocellen ProGame C05010 XC3G pad.
Alongside the football and rugby pitch, Blenheim High School's existing macadam courts were resurfaced and converted into five dedicated netball courts. The upgrade included the installation of a two-tone modern acrylic surface that provides the ideal balance of grip and bounce for netball, tennis and basketball while also being durable and low maintenance.
Hunts Contractors completed works during the summer holidays, which minimised school disruption. Rob Williams, Director of Finance Operations, said, "Notts Sport project managed, and Hunts Contractors did the physical work, and they did a very good job. They started before the summer holidays, which meant it was all done before the end of the school holidays, and the whole experience was excellent."
Blenheim High School and The Chelsea Foundation launched a new girls-only football Academy in September 2018. Chelsea FA Foundation conducts training sessions at Blenheim High School.
The Sixth Form Football Academy in Epsom allows girls aged 16-18 to benefit from the unique opportunity of having an academic-led post-16 education and gaining A-level qualifications alongside a complete professional football coaching programme.
Stuart Millard, Director of Chelsea Football Academy at BHS, said, "The new 3G has been massive; we've been able to offer more clubs, students have been able to access a brilliant playing surface, and I have to say we go to a lot of 3Gs, and this is by far the best one that we play on within the Chelsea Academy. It also allowed us to recruit more student-athletes within the 6th form. So, we now have three teams instead of two, so the benefit to the whole school has been massive."
The Chelsea FA Foundation's involvement in the school not only benefits the students by providing them with access to high-level training but also raises the profile of Blenheim High School's sports programs. The presence of a professional football academy enhances the school's reputation as a hub for athletic excellence.
