Government Business

SAPCA is the recognised UK trade organisation for the sports facility construction industry. SAPCA was formed in 1997 as a non-profit-seeking body by a small number of market-leading contractors, and has expanded over the past decade to encompass over 250 specialist members across a wide range of disciplines. SAPCA is funded almost entirely by the industry itself and employs its own full-time administration at its headquarters in Stoneleigh Park, Warwickshire.
    
SAPCA’s mission statement defines the association’s key role in fostering excellence, professionalism and continuous improvement throughout the sports construction industry, in order to provide the high quality facilities necessary for the success of British sport.
    
An important factor in achieving this aim is SAPCA’s close co-operation with the main sports governing bodies, both nationally and internationally, as well as with the funding agencies and other sports organisations. This also provides SAPCA with an important voice with which to represent the industry and to lobby on its behalf.

Who are SAPCA members?
SAPCA has six groups of members reflecting different activities and areas of expertise from across the industry. This includes companies involved in the construction of both indoor and outdoor sports facilities, and installers of both artificial and natural turf surfaces. The six membership groups are:

• Principal Contractors
• Surfacing Contractors
• Ancillary Contractors
• Manufacturers & Suppliers
• Professional Services

• Affiliate Members

Members of the Principal Contractors Group are approved constructors of sports and play facilities, including tennis courts; synthetic pitches; athletics tracks; natural turf sports surfaces; multi-use games areas (MUGAs) and playgrounds; and facilities for other sports such as netball, basketball, five-a-side football, cricket and bowls. SAPCA’s Principal Contractors are able to build complete sports facilities, from the ground up, whereas the Surfacing Contractors specialise solely in the installation of sports surfacing.
    
Within the Ancillary Contractors Group are companies that specialise in related disciplines such as sports lighting, sports fencing, sports surface maintenance and the construction of indoor sports structures. Members of the Manufacturers and Suppliers Group offer an extensive range of sports facility-related products, including equipment such as goals, posts, nets, and screens.
    
SAPCA’s Professional Services Group represents specialist consultants that offer expert advice and guidance on different aspects of sports facility projects, from feasibility studies and funding applications, through site investigations and planning approvals, to contract administration and full project management. Professional Services members also include surveyors, architects and laboratories that specialise in the testing of sports surfaces.

Membership Criteria
The association has an important regulatory function within the industry. SAPCA membership signifies professional competence and performance, which directly benefits customers that choose member companies for their projects. The benefits for customers provided by these criteria include:

• Strict admission criteria – ensures that contrators have the necessary experience, finanical status and quality of workmanship
• Code of professional conduct – members are committed to high standards of customer service and business practice
• Clearly defined standards of construction – compliance with minimum construction specifications and quality of completed work as detailed in SAPCA’s Codes of Practice
• Technical Mediation Service – impartial assistanct in the resolution of complaints and disputes, if necessary between principle contractors and their customers
  

For reassurance that contractors selected for projects are recognised specialists in their field, prospective customers should ensure that all firms under consideration for projects are members of SAPCA. All companies have an official Certificate, identifying their membership status, and there is a searchable database of SAPCA members on the SAPCA web site, www.sapca.org.uk.

Technical Standards
SAPCA’s Codes of Practice provide prospective clients and specifiers with guidance on the basic construction requirements for different types of facility, and set out the minimum guideline specifications which members of the Sports and Play Construction Association are committed to meet. The documents are based on the combined expertise and experience of the industry, including specialist contractors and consultants that have constructed a wide range of projects for a variety of clients over many years, and include the requirements of the relevant sports governing bodies, where appropriate.
    
The existing publications include Codes of Practice for tennis courts, artificial pitches, athletics tracks, and the maintenance of synthetic surfaces. Documents on sports fencing and sports lighting are currently being written and will soon be published. SAPCA has produced comprehensive design guidelines for multi-use games areas, in conjunction with Sport England. These guidelines are specifically aimed at the New Opportunities for PE and Sport programme, to help to ensure that the £750 million being invested in schools’ infrastructure delivers high quality facilities.
    
Also available from SAPCA are a series of technical information leaflets, a glossary of technical terms, reports from seminars, and details of layouts and line markings for different sports. All of this is available to download free-of-charge from the Technical Guidance section of the SAPCA website, www.sapca.org.uk .
    
“Sports Facility Construction” Events 2008
Each year SAPCA organises a series of regional exhibitions and seminars, at various locations in the UK. These events, which are free to attend, provide a programme of short seminars on key aspects of sports facility design and construction, alongside an exhibition of the leading constructors of sports facilities. Details of forthcoming events can be found in the Events and Exhibitions section of the SAPCA website.

www.sapca.org.uk
The SAPCA website provides a wealth of useful information for anyone developing sports facilities, particularly through the Technical Guidance section. The site includes a searchable database of SAPCA members, and is the most effective way for potential customers to source companies and products for their projects. Each member’s profile within the site includes the company’s information and contact details and a link to their own site, as well as a Trade Name Directory to help in the location of specific products.
    
The website also has a directory of forthcoming events and exhibitions and an Industry News section. Visitors are invited to subscribe to the free SAPCA News Update service, for regular news bulletins by e-mail.

For more information
To find out more:
Tel: 024 7641 6316
Fax: 024 7641 4773
Email: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
Web: www.sapca.org.uk