PITCH & LANE MARKING
Ecoline+ hits the mark at Watford FC
itchmark’s Ecoline+ has
become the line marking
paint of choice for FA Premier
League club Watford FC.
P
The demand for using a premium paint
at the Vicarage Road stadium led to
trials last season, since when Pitchmark
have been further developing Ecoline+.
Watford FC became the first to use the
improved formula at the opening game
of the season against Brighton and Hove
Albion in August this year.
In 2018 Scott Tingley, Head Groundsman
at Watford FC, set out on what was
originally a cost exercise and to see if
they could establish the use of one paint
for all marking.
“We were using top end paint for the
stadium and bottom end for the other
pitches,” he says, “we wanted to make
it one paint but of course the cost had
to be taken into account. We looked at
Pitchmark and what we found different
was their specialisation solely in line
marking products.”
GroundskeepingJournal.co.uk | Sept/Oct 2019
The club had been using Pitchmark’s
Direct at the Watford FC training ground
and academy, located at the University
College London Union Shenley Sports
grounds in St Albans. Home to five
full-size and two goalkeeping/warmup
natural grass training pitches as well as a
full-size artificial turf training pitch and
fourteen college/academy natural grass
pitches, there’s a sizeable amount of line
marking required. In the stadium only
premium quality is acceptable. Ecoline+
offered the ideal all-round solution.
Ecoline+ is one of the most advanced,
low volume, ready-to-use line marking
paints available, especially when used in
combination with Pitchmark’s Eco and
Hybrid markers and special nozzles.
Scott says: “we trialled Ecoline+ and we
had no issues, only benefits. We use a
Pitchmark Hybrid marker which gives
us the quality of a spray marker, without
compromising the precision and quality
of a transfer marker. Fixture dependent,
we can mark up to three times a week
and with the traditional wheel to wheel
and four-wheel spray markers you lose
ground cover and it’s too easy to transfer
paint.”
The Pitchmark Hybrid overcomes these
problems with a three-wheeled spray
design, which is easily manoeuvred over
wet lines. The cone nozzles give perfect
deep leaf coverage, so you only need one
pass.
“It’s easy to use, it feels like a normal
wheel marker and you get premium
quality.” Scott adds, “it’s quite complex
though and needs looking after but if
we have any issues Olly Boys, the Turfix
rep, gives us second to none service and
back-up.” (Turfix is Pitchmark’s recently
formed sole UK distribution arm). Using
advanced Ecoline+ Watford FC join the
many examples of Ecoline+ premium line
marking seen every week on TV from
the best leagues in the world, including
the English Premier League and UEFA
Champions League.
Pitchmark is a British company based
in Bristol +44 (0)1454 776666
www.pitchmark.com
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