Hoptbühl sports field in Villingen-Schwenningen with products from Polytan

Sports facility as a gem

Good things take time, as they say, even in Villingen-Schwenningen. It took nearly 20 years for the sports field at the Hoptbühl Gymnasium to be renovated. But all’s well that ends well: the completely refurbished sports facility proves to be a real jewel. Various products from the sports flooring specialist Polytan were installed there. The journey to the new sports facility was indeed challenging, rarely straightforward, and full of unexpected twists. The lowest point came when the dilapidated facility had to be completely closed for safety reasons, and outdoor school sports were removed from the curriculum. Then came the turning point: In May 2019, the municipal council decided that the Hoptbühl sports facility should finally be renovated. The result is a gem unlike any other in the region. After 15 months of construction, young athletes from Villingen-Schwenningen are enjoying a synthetic turf field surrounded by a four-lane running track, three long jump and two high jump facilities, a circle for shot putters, a small games and two beach volleyball courts, three bouldering walls, and a calisthenics street workout park. The sports facility was designed by Martin B. Kuberczyk from k3 Landscape Architecture in Villingen-Schwenningen and implemented by Erhard Gfrörer & Sohn Schotterwerk from nearby Empfingen.Professional sports surfaces for training and competition successThe football turf used was LigaTurf Cross, a Polytan innovation combining synthetic turf systems with textured (crimped) and smooth filaments. The former stand out for their cost-efficiency, durability, and ease of maintenance, while the latter are highly appreciated by football players for offering authentic ball roll behavior similar to natural grass. For the running track, the rainbow-blue Rekortan M by Polytan was installed, a professional surface for athletics stadiums, school sports facilities, and competition tracks. This impermeable cast material is particularly known for its outstanding acceleration and high elasticity. Users of the calisthenics street workout park are protected by the PolyPlay FS fall protection surface, also in rainbow blue. The pour-coated, water-permeable surface is especially easy to maintain and, thanks to its shock-absorbing properties, prevents injuries—for example, in case of falls. Since the start of the 2021/22 academic year, approximately 600 students from Hoptbühl have been using the attractive outdoor sports facility. To ensure optimal utilization, students from the neighboring Christy-Brown and Albert-Schweitzer schools can also engage in athletics, climbing, football, or beach volleyball here. Additionally, the facility is used by local clubs during evening hours and is therefore equipped with floodlights. In September, the refurbished Hoptbühl Gymnasium sports field was inaugurated with a special sports festival. Like at the Olympic Games, the classes entered the stadium and quickly took over the various sports facilities.