Australian Institute of Sport

Premier Soccer Field Recycling

Client:Australian Institute of Sport (AIS)

Delivery Partner:Polytan

Project:AIS Synthetic Field

SECTOR: Soccer

ABOUT THE PROJECT

Australia's First Full-system Recycling of a Soccer Field

The Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) is Australia’s premier elite sporting institution and the backbone of the nation’s high-performance sports system.

Located in Bruce, ACT, AIS supports Olympic programs, national teams, and elite athlete development across multiple disciplines. Its facilities are nationally significant and subject to heightened scrutiny, making sustainability, safety, and delivery certainty essential.

The field involved was AIS’s premier synthetic field, installed approximately 12 years prior and reaching the end of its service life.

8,200m²

SYNTHETIC SOCCER FIELD

244T

of material recycled

77T

SBR shock pad recycled

~91T

CO₂e avoided through recycling

The Challenge

This project carried significant visibility and a new fully circular solution.

Federally funded, elite sporting facility with no tolerance for delivery risk
Tight 10-day program to remove both turf and underlying shock pad
Interstate mobilisation of people and specialist machinery
Requirement to recycle the full system, not just the synthetic turf
First time a full shock pad had been recycled beneath a soccer field
While RE4ORM had previously recycled shock pads on hockey fields, this was the first time the approach was applied to a soccer system, introducing new sequencing and coordination considerations.

The Solution

RE4ORM delivered a circular outcome at the home of Australian Sport

RE4ORM and Polytan implemented a tightly coordinated recycling strategy covering both turf and shock pad. Precision planning and integrated execution ensured the complete recovery of the field system within a strict federal delivery environment.