Sligo-based firm SIS Group to build pitch for World Cup final

Sligo-based SIS Group has won the contract to design and build the pitch for the 2018 Fifa World Cup final.

SIS chief executive George Mullan said the company secured the contact for the pitch at Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow. Luzhniki Stadium will host both the opening match and final of the 2018 World Cup.

SIS recently completed the pitch at the 43,000-seater Otkritie Arena, which will host group games, as well as a semi-final at the World Cup.

The construction project included a series of special systems such as automatic irrigation, undersoil heating and aeration. SIS also installed a fibre-sand reinforced root zone.

Mr Mullan said SIS was “delighted to complete the first stadium pitch” for the World Cup.

Spartak Moscow

The company will carry on maintaining the pitch for the Spartak Moscow team as well as the Russian national team, which will also play their regular games there.

SIS has previously installed pitches at Real Madrid’s Santiago Bernabéu stadium, FC Barcelona’s Camp Nou and Shakhtar Donetsk’s Donbass Arena in the Ukraine.

It has designed and built pitches for events including the Champions League and African Cup of Nations.

The company is on track to deliver profits of €5.2 million this year, on revenues of €47 million. Last year it made a profit of €4.1 million and had revenues totalling €38.1 million.