Underfloor heating brings
sport in from the cold

Underfloor heating can be put to a wide range of uses – as different sports organisations across the UK are finding out

Underfloor heating can be used in a many different kinds of locations, as a wide range of sports organisations around the UK are finding out. 

Undersoil heating has long been used at the top levels of British professional football, with clubs employing a kind of underfloor heating under their grass pitches to stop frost, snow and ice from cancelling their matches. But recent improvements in underfloor heating technology have seen widespread use of the method indoors, bringing its benefits to other popular sports. 

Indoor training facilities with underfloor heating are becoming common among top Premiership football clubs – but the trend is spreading to other sports and amateur levels. 

Government thumbs-up for underfloor heating in sport

Sport England, the government body that co-ordinates amateur sport in the UK, encourages the use of underfloor heating. It even advises sports organisations to consider the impact on underfloor heating when installing their choice of floor. 

Indoor sports like gymnastics and aerobics need floors with shock-absorption, resilience and, in the case of basketball, netball, squash and five-a-side football, an even ball bounce, which is usually provided by a sprung timber floor surface. Underfloor heating works perfectly well under such floors. 

Face the music and dance with underfloor heating

The same characteristics are required from dance floors, and with ballroom dancing experiencing something of a revival thanks to shows like Strictly Come Dancing, many town and community centres are installing sprung wooden dance floors – and they often choose to install underfloor heating at the same time. 

And, bizarre as it may sound, there are even ice rinks used in Canada that incorporate underfloor heating to keep skaters warm even as they glide across frozen ice. 

Benefits of underfloor heating

There are obvious benefits to using underfloor heating throughout sports centres. Wet floors in changing and shower areas dry faster, reducing the risk of injury and spread of germs. For athletes, the risk of muscular injury is lowered – especially in sports with low levels of aerobic activity like gymnastics, netball and ballroom dancing. 

There are clear environmental benefits as well. Middlesbrough FC has dramatically reduced its matchday carbon footprint by using solar panels to power its floodlights and its pitch’s underfloor heating. 

Choose your underfloor heating with Robbens Systems

Robbens Systems is a company with many years of expertise in underfloor heating. With more than 15 years in the business, the company is ideally placed to help you plan and install underfloor heating in a wide range of buildings – from care showrooms to renovated buildings. 

Our expertise can help you get the underfloor heating system you’ve always wanted, and our trained technicians are there to help you every step of the way. For more information, call us today on 01424 851111 or email robbens@underfloorheating.co.uk.