What Is A MUGA Pitch?

By

Julian

Posted on

October 21, 2021

Sport

From schools and colleges, to gyms and leisure centres, to parks and playgrounds and more, there are so many applications for the versatile MUGA pitch. But what exactly is a MUGA pitch; what are these areas used for and what goes into the installation of this flexible sports facility? In this blog article, we aim to answer all of these questions and more, and help you decide whether or not installing a MUGA pitch is the right move for your project.

A MUGA pitch, otherwise known as a Multi-Use Games Area, is a specialist type of sports area that can be used in all weather conditions to host a variety of different sporting activities and events. MUGA pitches are perfect for maximising small spaces, or when working on a budget, as they allow for the users to engage in a near-limitless number of sports; from football and hockey, to tennis, netball and basketball. This adaptability means that you don’t need to install or create specialised areas for different sports; saving you precious time, money and resources.

Who uses MUGA pitches?

MUGA pitches are commonly used by practically any organisation or business that requires areas for physical activity. Some of the most common industries and customers that come to us for a MUGA pitch installation include:

Schools, colleges and universities
Sports teams
Gyms and sports centres
Hotels and leisure centres
Public parks and playgrounds
Councils and community groups

What are MUGA pitch soft surfaces made from?

MUGA pitch soft surfaces are generally made using synthetic surfacing materials. As an artificial sports surface, the materials commonly used in the surfacing of MUGA pitches include things like:

Macadam surface finishes
Artificial grass/turf
Polymeric rubber
Infilled synthetic fibres

At Morti, our MUGA pitches are typically made using a hardwearing and porous surface called Macadam. Macadam surfaces are specially formulated with a soft limestone aggregate and modified binder, to create a durable surface that helps reduce the risk of injury to the users.

Types of MUGA pitch

There are a range of types of MUGA pitches utilising slightly different surfacing materials from each other. There are nine different categories of MUGA pitch in total, ranging from:

Type 1: Utilises Macadam surfacing to create a pitch surface perfect for sports that require rebounds, such as basketball and tennis.
Type 2: Has the same properties as a Type 1 MUGA pitch, but is instead primarily used for netball.
Type 3: Type 3 MUGA pitches consist of a high-grip, polymer surface with a Macadam finish, that is perfect for athletics and low-contact sports.
Type 4: Type 4 MUGA pitches consist of the same polymer finish as Type 3 pitches, but without the high-grip qualities and with an increased shock absorbency. Perfect for 5 a side football and basketball.
Type 5: Type 5 MUGA pitches are also known as artificial 2G turf, using sand-filled artificial grass. Used in sports with a lot of body contact, such as rugby and hockey.
Type 6: Type 6 MUGA pitches have the same properties as Type 5, without the inclusion of a shock pad.
Type 7: Type 7 MUGA pitches are made from sand-dressed synthetic fibres, and are best suited for sports like cricket and hockey. It is not recommended for other sports however due to its tendency to tear quicker.
Type 8: Type 8 MUGA pitches are made from long-piled artificial fibres, rubber and sand, and are even more useful for high contact sports like rugby. They also require more maintenance than most MUGA pitches
‍Type 9: Type 9 MUGA pitches are made from needle-point synthetic grass and are suitable for all sports.

Find out more on the versatile MUGA surface from a design and installation perspective.

MUGA Surfacing

What are the benefits of MUGA pitches?

MUGA pitches carry with them a whole host of different advantages when compared to other sports surfacing options, including:

An all-weather solution

MUGA piches are the perfect sports surfacing solution for outdoor areas especially, due to the fact that they are able to be used in all kinds of weather conditions. MUGA pitches typically include draining systems which make them immune to puddles and waterlogging, and are just as good in arid or freezing conditions; where a normal grass turf pitch would harden, a MUGA pitch stays the same throughout all seasons.

Aesthetics & use

As the technology that goes into MUGA pitches has evolved over the years, they have become more and more difficult to tell apart from the traditional grass pitches- both in look and application. MUGA pitches are now able to replicate both the look and feel of a regular grass pitch as well as its attributes, including the bounce and shock absorption of turf. MUGA pitches can even be installed in a variety of colours and styles, meaning that you can customise your pitches to have any look, style or design.

Maintenance

Depending on the style of MUGA pitch you go for, you will have to undertake a lot less maintenance of it as you would when compared to a regular grass pitch. As already discussed, no special measures need to be taken with MUGA pitches throughout the different seasons, as they stay the same throughout excessively dry and wet conditions. They could even be considered a plus for the environment, as they require no chemicals, weeds or pesticides to be maintained in the way that a grass pitch does.

Injury protection

MUGA pitches have reached the standard of being accepted for use by the vast majority of sports, which is a testament to their craft and quality. The technology that goes into these pitches helps to protect athletes and sports people from picking up injuries, and MUGA pitches are used by a wide variety of people in training at facilities like gyms, clubs and universities.

Budget & efficiency

As indicated by the name, Multi-Use Games Areas are the perfect way to make the most out of a limited budget or space at organisations such as schools, colleges, universities and gyms. This is due to the fact that they can serve as an all in one solution for football, basketball, hockey and tennis spaces, saving your organisation time, money and resources that would be spent on creating areas for each of these sports individually. MUGA pitches are also easy to customise with whatever sports equipment or facilities you want, and can be included with these additions in one installation package.

How much does a MUGA pitch cost?

The cost of a MUGA pitch will vary slightly depending on the additional equipment or bespoke features you may want to add into your installation, the size of the MUGA pitch you are looking to install and more. If you are interested in learning more about installing a MUGA pitch to add to your facilities, you can visit this page to learn about our MUGA pitches and products. To learn more about a specific installation, feel free to get in touch with our team.