Royal Union Saint Gilloise football club was promoted to the Belgium Pro League in Spring 2021. The club's home ground, the Josheph Marien Stadium, is one of the traditional football grounds, with stands dug into the slopes of the Dudenpark in Forest, Brussels. The main stand is a listed monument.
After the promotion, the stadium needed an upgrade to adhere to the relevant standards of the Belgium Football Association as well as to International Standards. The pitch required an upgrade from an standard natural grass pitch to a state of the art hybrid grass surface and fitted with undersoil heating. Sports Pitch Systems won the contract for the reconstruction works through a competitive tender. The work was not only challenging because of the tight schedule but moreover due to its location. The Joseph Marien Stadium is located in the very heart of South Brussels and accessing the area with construction equipment proved to be difficult. A total of 4000 tons of dirt was removed from the stadium and 4000 tons of sand imported. To reduce the carbon footprint SPS opted for transport by ship via the canal network in Brussels. Supported by the Port of Brussels the project logistics were managed on time and on budget.
