After four months of work, the new synthetic surface of PEPS at Laval University is ready. The Rouge et Or football held its first training session this afternoon and the rugby team will play the first game on September 8th.
The keynote speakers showed their best smiles this afternoon. “Despite the rain this summer, which made the work difficult, we met the deadlines and the budget,” emphasized the infrastructure coordinator and project manager of PEPS, Sébastien Bélanger. Everything will be ready for the first game on September 8th. Our reward will be seeing the smiles of the athletes when they step onto the field for the first time.”
The infrastructure coordinator, Sébastien Bélanger. Photo Stevens LeBlanc
Out of an abundance of caution, the local opening of the football and rugby teams was postponed by a week to ensure everything was ready.
When we visited, the employees were installing the goal posts. “The visual aspect was successful,” emphasized the head of the sports department. [SAS], Julie Dionne. I didn’t remember seeing the end zone bright red. The surface was pink. It now remains to be seen what quality and how the athletes will react, but Glen [Constantin] had a smile as he walked onto the field this morning.
Feminine touch
Dionne laid down her touch. “The two shades of green on the surface are my feminine touch,” she said with a broad smile. At the Western for the Vanier Cup last November I thought their surface was really nice and we took inspiration from them.”
Due to the wear and tear of the old surface, which had been in place for 12 years, spectators still had the impression that the field was covered by a thin layer of snow. The same goes for fans at night games.
“It wasn’t pretty,” agreed the infrastructure coordinator. The synthetic fiber was laid down and the reflection of the light created a mirror, creating the illusion of snow.”
The new surface will be softer and, above all, safer in the first few weeks. “The new surface was developed to reduce vibration in football and rugby,” explained Bélanger. Montreal FC does not want to play on this surface because it is slower than a surface designed specifically for the demands of soccer. There is more sand and granules and the carpet base is thicker. The absorption will be better. We also completely redid the drainage, eliminating areas where water has accumulated.”
“The support will be better, which will also reduce knee and ankle injuries,” adds Dionne. Most of the budget was spent on drainage. We cannot provide any information about the total costs of the project as there are still tenders for the athletics track, work on which is scheduled to take place in the spring.
Heating mat
The Rouge et Or was offered to bet on a heated surface, but the gamble wasn’t worth the effort. “We were offered heated technology [sous tapis radiant] at a cost of $300,000 plus electricity, but it would only have been useful for a short time, Bélanger emphasized. Our climate is different to that of the West Coast and England, where the technology comes from. We are getting heavy snow and temperatures are much colder.”
Rugby in the spotlight
In football, when the first training session took place, it is the rugby team that has the honor of playing the first game. Both teams won the Canadian championship last year. The field is also lined for football, but the Rouge et Or will continue to play its games on the field parallel to the Chemin Quatre-Bourgeois.
“It’s a nice surprise,” said Laurence Chabot. I thought this honor would go to football. It’s a great recognition for rugby and women’s sport.”
The players noticed a difference as soon as they took their first steps on the new surface. “We see a difference and added value,” explained Anne-Frédérique Simard. Adding permanent lines is also a good thing. The 5m and 15m sidelines no longer need to be repainted.”
The Canadian Rugby Championship will take place at Rouge et Or in November.