University’s new court has star appeal

The University of Kent can now practice and play on one of the world’s finest basketball courts after learning a lesson from stars of America’s hugely popular NBA.

Kent is the first UK university to have an MFMA PUR certified and EN14904 compliant Robbins solid maple wood floor installed by its UK-based partner TVS Sports Surfaces. Robbins, which was founded in 1894, is a preferred supplier of competition or training surfaces to a significant number of teams in the billion-dollar NBA and of the last 27 NBA Championships contested, 22 were won by teams who play and train on Robbins courts.

“After around two decades of use as a multi-sport facility, the university’s old court was badly in need of an upgrade,” explained TVS Sports Surfacing Specialist Jason Lewis-Lamb. “A survey revealed significant issues with the sub-floor which had caused failures in the existing floor and needed to be rectified prior to the installation of the new court.”

The TVS/Robbins partnership was chosen after an exhaustive evaluation by the University of Kent with quality and longevity being major factors in the final decision along with the need to meet stringent international and UK sports standards. The new Robbins court in Canterbury is expected to last between 50-75 years! The long-term benefits also include the active reduction of injuries and player fatigue through the Robbins maximum vibration protection (MVP) patented system.

The sub-structure work and the new flooring installation, using northern hard maple from the USA and Canada, was completed by TVS Sports Surfaces within 6 working weeks.

As well as basketball, TVS also ensured that specific markings were added for netball and badminton to ensure that the new court could continue to be used as a multi-sport facility.

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