Interview: Trompie Sport on their first Rekortan track in South Africa
The CEO of Polytan’s unique installation partner in South Africa talks about the rise of synthetic running tracks in the region, their first Rekortan installation and inspiring the next chapter of South African track history.
Based in their hometown of Potchefstroom, an hour outside of Johannesburg, Trompie Sport grew from the Tromp family agricultural business, established in 1990. Cultivating instant lawn was a staple part of the business and planted the seed for the company’s sport’s arm. In 2004, brothers Nico and Philip opened this sector and began focusing on construction and civil works for sporting fields. They started with hardcourt surfaces, predominantly tennis and netball, and then expanded to artificial turf surfaces.
The business has grown into an international enterprise with Trompie Sport becoming one of Africa's leading sport construction companies involved in some of the world’s biggest sporting events including the 2010 FIFA World Cup.
We caught up with co-founder and CEO, Nico Tromp to find out more about their growing business, the rise of synthetic tracks in the region and their impact on the sport.
On Trompie Sport’s size and scale…
We currently employ 300 people who operate internationally within Southern Africa and are currently undergoing projects in South Africa, Botswana and Namibia. We work across more than 12 sports and provide a turn-key solution for clients looking for the best in sporting facilities.
On what makes Trompie Sport Unique…
Trompie Sport provides an end-to-end service to avoid using subcontractors or third parties.
We have an extensive steel manufacturing plant with in-house design engineering for manufacturing of all sport field lighting masts, fencing and sport equipment. We also grow and harvest our own natural turf for grass sport fields and have direct agreements with global suppliers for all imported synthetic surfaces. Our installation teams are well trained and internationally certified installers, and we only use our own plant and equipment for all our projects.
With this turnkey approach we provide clients with a unique solution for all sport construction needs at the most competitive price structure available in South Africa.
On sport in South Africa…
It’s no surprise that South Africa is sports mad. It’s embedded in our culture as sport offers ‘hope’ to a country that has been through a lot.
South Africa has an impressive sports framework, spanning grassroots initiatives and community schools, all the way up to club and national-level programs.
“Part of the legacy from the 2010 Football World Cup, was the idea of certified quality. Ever since then, customers have been looking for certified products. Polytan, backed by the power of Sport Group, could offer us real depth in this area.”
On the sports surface market in South Africa…
Despite South Africa’s two biggest sports being soccer and rugby, we get most of our inquiries for hockey pitches.
As well as hockey, netball and tennis courts are also very popular and at Trompie Sport we also install Laykold courts. We just completed a significant 20-court project, and we will soon start a 40-court project so it’s a definite growth area. Laykold is the surface of the US Open so it is great to bring this quality to the market.
The soccer market is also expanding as the newer turfs are higher quality and require lower maintenance which is attractive for the municipalities.
On the rise of synthetic tracks…
Most of the school athletics tracks are still grass. However, higher level competitions require synthetic tracks and given the popularity of track events in South Africa and the abundance of talent across the nation there is more demand.
On who is driving the upgrades…
Historically, local governments and municipalities were the primary financial backers of sports facilities. However, there has been a recent shift in the market towards increased funding from the private sector.
Corporate entities are now actively investing in social development initiatives such as tracks, to support community building. Schools and clubs are benefiting from these contributions, with upgrades becoming more commonplace. For example, it can be typical for mining companies to sponsor sporting facilities in neighboring communities.
On track building from ideation to reality…
We treat track building as a marathon not a sprint. We work on a real mix of projects, always starting with the detailed planning of the facilities with our customers. It can take up to three years to help work out the optimum facilities and sport mix before the installation even starts.
We do everything from full-sized tracks including sprint tracks and jumping areas through to more tailored projects. 150m, 10 lane tracks are popular, but we’ve done a whole host of interesting variations. Recent projects include a training facility in Soweto, a track at a solar plant and another at a platinum mine!
On their first Rekortan track…
Menlo Park is one of the top 10 high schools for athletics in South Africa and is near the University of Pretoria. It’s particularly distinguished in athletics, hosting 10-12 major events each year with the support of excellent coaches.
The school celebrated turning 50 last year and as part of that, moved from a natural grass track to a synthetic track. Rekortan M was chosen for the upgrade, and it was our first time laying a Rekortan track.
The design phase took nine months from surveying to ensuring the track would work with the other existing facilities and soil conditions. We had a very small construction window between the end of the rugby season in early August until Christmas. Construction started immediately and we finished the job on 22 December after four intensive months.
The result is a 5200m², eight-lane track that has received outstanding feedback from the school. It is quick and delivers excellent force reduction which prevents injury and supports developing athletes.
On why they chose to partner with Polytan and Rekortan…
Part of the legacy from the 2010 Football World Cup, was the idea of certified quality. Ever since then, customers have been looking for certified products. Polytan, backed by the power of Sport Group, could offer us real depth in this area. And Rekortan is the world’s most certified track.
Whilst the market remains price-sensitive, there is also an appetite for higher-quality products which gave us the opportunity to explore higher spec imports. In Polytan and Rekortan we found leading knowledge, products and services which have lived up to their promise. The products are excellent but so is the experience that is shared, from design, to facility planning and production.
We’ve had unparalleled support from Polytan and we will only use Rekortan for our track projects in the future.
On what’s next…
We’ve already begun construction on a school track in Stellenbosch which will provide a high-level facility with opportunities for less-privileged athletes. The legendary long-distance South African runners, Zola Budd and Elana Meyer have a coaching academy there which aims to inspire and empower a new generation of up-and-coming track athletes.
They will soon be able to step out onto a World Athletics Certified Class 2, Hertha Blue Rekortan M track. The eight-lane track will also include ten sprint lanes, two pole vault run-ups, two sandpits and a high jump. Bringing this sort of facility to the area will have a massive impact on young athletes with ambitions to follow the likes of Budd and Meyer into the history books.
See the Menlo Park track in action here.
Rekortan is available globally through Polytan in EMEA, Asia Pacific and Australasia, and AstroTurf in North and South America as well as via expert installation partners such as Trompie Sport within our global installer network.