Author: Shane McCormick
Group Sales Director, Grantex
Two days, one stand and a lot of great conversations about sand. We spent GroundsFest 2026 at Stand 38, talking Premium Sports Sand with people from across the grounds maintenance, sports turf, synthetic surface and landscaping industries.
It was brilliant to meet so many contractors, grounds professionals and facility managers, and to get into the detail of what actually makes a good infill sand.
What makes a good synthetic surface infill?
Our Premium Sports Sand is made for professional sports facilities, schools, local authorities, grounds teams and specialist sports contractors. It works across football, rugby, hockey, padel, multi-use games areas (MUGAs) and artificial grass installations.
It’s made here in the UK at our own drying and grading facility.
Here’s what sets it apart:
It’s made here in the UK at our own drying and grading facility. Here’s what sets it apart:
- Naturally rounded and kiln-dried: the rounded shape helps it settle properly within the turf system.
- Tightly graded to 0.3-1mm: the consistent particle size means it spreads evenly across the surface.
- Fast drainage: with a saturated hydraulic conductivity of more than 16,000mm per hour, water moves through the surface efficiently. Anyone who has managed a pitch through a wet winter knows how much that matters.
- Built to meet the standards: it meets the relevant parameters of the FIFA Quality Programme for Football Turf and World Rugby requirements, as well as USGA grading standards for golf courses.
It’s not just about the product
Of course, great sand is only part of the picture. Contractors also need to know the material will turn up when they need it, and that it will be the same quality every time.
That’s where our scale helps. We’re one of the UK’s leading suppliers and processors of specialist aggregates, with substantial stockholding and a well-placed distribution network. Whether it’s a single installation or a much bigger programme of work, we can keep the supply consistent.
Plenty of visitors also wanted to talk about materials beyond sports sand, and we were happy to. We supply a wide range of dried sands, resin aggregates and technically specified materials across the UK, all backed by our in-house processing and grading.
Over 150 years in the making
Grantex is part of Long Rake Spar, which was founded more than 150 years ago. That heritage means we know our materials inside out, and today we offer one of the broadest ranges of premium dried aggregates in the UK.
Thank you, GroundsFest
If you haven’t been, GroundsFest is the UK’s largest annual free event for grounds staff, greenkeepers, landscapers, designers and architects, gardeners, local authorities, estate managers and contractors. It mixes indoor business and education with outdoor demonstrations, then finishes the day with a live music festival. Profits go back into the industry to support education, which is something we’re glad to be part of.
A huge thank you to everyone who stopped by Stand 38, and to the GroundsFest team for putting on such a great event. We really enjoyed the chats and can’t wait to see where they lead.
Missed us? Let’s talk
If we didn’t catch you at the show, we’d still love to hear about your next sports surfacing project.
