belap undertook several commissions for Sport England regarding the potential impact of changes to 3G Artifical Grass Pitch provision across England, against the background of the EU banning microplastics in 3G AGPs from 2031 which led to concerns as to whether similar changes might be enacted within the UK’s regulatory framework. We also carried out research into how to assess future demand for artificial grass pitches.
Our work involved:
- Calculating the potential costs of replacing 3G AGPs with alternative suitable materials (organic/vegetal) under various regulatory scenarios.
- Assessing the potential impact of 3G AGP closures on participation levels through comprehensive stakeholder engagement.
- Developing a methodology for estimating potential and actual usage due to the lack of consistent national data, drawing upon our extensive experience from PPS research (thus demonstrating our ability to apply analytical techniques in the absence of standardised data).
- Estimating the social value of all 3G AGPs based on methodologies established by other consultants.
- Conducting a detailed review of ten existing Playing Pitch Strategies to evaluate how supply, demand, capacity, and future recommendations for AGPs were addressed and recommending how the assessment process might be improved.
This body of work for Sport England demonstrates belap's understanding of a key sports facility asset, our ability to apply robust quantitative and qualitative analysis, and our capacity to provide high-level strategic advice and support to national governing bodies and local authorities in assessing demand for the future provision of these facitlities.
