Project of the Year

Project: Red Tail Black Cockatoo

Agent: Communities in Colour

Location: Naracoorte, SA

In Naracoorte, sport, art and conservation came together through this striking Laykold Advantage art court installation completed by Communities in Colour. Celebrating the endangered South-Eastern Red-Tail Black Cockatoo — a species unique to the region — the project transformed a traditional basketball court into a vibrant community space promoting creativity, environmental awareness and local pride.

More than a mural, the court tells a story of conservation and connection. Delivered in collaboration with a local council art class, the project provided young people with the opportunity to actively contribute to the artwork while learning about the importance of protecting the region’s native wildlife. By engaging the community directly in the creative process, the installation has become both a functional sporting space and a platform for education, identity and shared creativity.

At its core is the Laykold Advantage acrylic court system, combining elite-level performance with a visually impactful custom design. Engineered for Australian conditions, the surface delivers excellent durability, slip resistance and long-term performance, while exclusive UV-stabilised pigments help maintain the artwork’s vibrant colour over time.

The completed court showcases how sport infrastructure can become a powerful expression of culture, storytelling and community connection.

Project: Firth Park Netball

Agent: Grassports Australia (QLD)

Location: Mudgeeraba, QLD

Grassports Queensland has completed a major transformation of the Firth Park Netball Centre, delivering 24 championship-quality netball courts to create one of Queensland’s premier netball destinations. Finished in a bold Teal and Midnight colour palette using Laykold Advantage, the upgraded precinct has been designed to cater for both high-performance competition and growing community participation.

Purpose-built for netball and other sports requiring dependable traction in all weather conditions, the Laykold Advantage system provides outstanding durability, player safety and consistent performance. Each court incorporates Laykold’s factory-textured slip-resistant top coat, achieving the 75 BPN standard required by Netball Australia for reliable year-round playability.

The redevelopment marks a significant boost for sport on the Gold Coast, expanding capacity for local clubs and athletes while positioning the venue to attract major tournaments and elite netball events into the future.

Project: King of the Jungle Residential Court

Agent: Prestige Sports Surfaces

Location: NZ

What was once an unused space in the backyard is now a vibrant Laykold multisport court, brought to life by Prestige Sports Surfaces. The design features a bold, custom lion — the vision of an eight-year-old boy inspired by Laykold art courts from around the world. With colours like orange, red, burgundy, and custom chocolate, local designer Paganne Smith ensured it blended with the home’s palette. Using laser tech, grid lines, and over two kilometres of masking tape, the intricate artwork was precisely executed. The result? A stunning, durable court perfect for basketball, pickleball, and tennis — built for fun, function, and a proud young boy.

Project: Allara Estate

Agent: West Coast Sporting Surfaces

Location: WA

Taarak Park, in The Allara Estate in Perth, is a vibrant community hub designed for play, connection, and family fun. At its heart is a 600m² fenced Laykold multi-sport court, installed by West Coast Sporting Surfaces using bold vibrant colours. The team carefully marked out the architect’s intricate design with a surveyor, spending over eight hours on layout and completing much of the work by hand. A highlight is the elevated DJ deck with Bluetooth speakers, letting players stream their own music. In just 10 days, this space was transformed into a go-to destination for sport, music, and community.

Winner: Project of the Year

Project: St Kevins Oval Construction

Agent: Grassports Australia

Location: Toorak, VIC, Australia

Grassports Australia was chosen to undertake a significant transformation at the prestigious St Kevins College in Toorak. Facing spatial constraints, the key objective was to create a low maintenance sports oval that could be used year round, without compromising their already limited parking space.  

In collaboration with the head contractor and the architect, an innovative solution was devised – by building the multisport area and terrace above the staff carpark. With immense skill and experience, the Grassports team installed over 4005m2 on synthetic turf, using a combination Australian made Poligras H2OZ, Poligras Olympia CP and Ligaturf HB250 over 40mm insitu shock pad. Overcoming various levels and difficult angles, the sporting space is made complete with line markings for a four-lane running track, soccer pitch, futsal pitches, even four square and a chess board! 

 St Kevins College are thrilled to enjoy the extra space and sporting hub that can cater to their active students. 

Runner-up: Project of the Year

Project: EA SPORTS FC Sam Kerr Futsal Pitch 

Agent: Sportszone Group Pty Ltd

Location: NSW, Australia

Sportszone Group took on the unique opportunity of converting an existing asphalt basketball court, into a futsal pitch, as part of the of the EA Sports FC Futures program, featuring a Sam Kerr Football Pitch.  

Matildas captain Sam Kerr, is a local and international sporting icon, with this permanent pitch becoming a celebration of her achievements on and off the field, including being at the forefront of world class game. 

Collaborating closely with the APT team, Sportzone were able to achieve the custom colours to match the requirement set by EA Sports. Executing this pitch perfectly was important, as fans could use the pitch within the game and in person. Key elements that were complex included the swan which paid homage to Kerr’s hometown of Perth and the EA Sports logo.  

With a striking pitch located in the heart of the community, grassroots football will continue to be a centrepiece in growing its next generation of talent. 

Winner: Project of the Year

Project: Renovation Art Court Project

Agent: Go Parkey

Location: Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan

Go Parkey helped create a set of eye-catching basketball courts located in Okubo Park, Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan. In collaboration with the artist FATE, NBA 2K Foundation and Kevin Durant Foundation, brief was to renovate two basketball courts with museum level artistry, to engage kids and community in this famous Tokyo Park, known for being an open and free sporting hub.

The design was complex, and the installation process required skill and precision, the artist even joined the Go Parkey team on site. Using Laykold Advantage as the hero product, along with Laykold system products including base coast, white line paint, line primer, it was a true showcase of creativity brought to life.

With the impressive Renovation Art Court Project in such a prominent location, it will certainly be a feature of the park.

Runner-up: Project of the Year

Project: FIFA Women’s World Cup Unity Pitch

Agent: GameOn Turf/Keeping It Green Lawn Solutions

Location: Auckland, Wellington, Hamilton, Dunedin, New Zealand and Brisbane, Perth, Melbourne, Adelaide, Sydney, Australia

In preparation and celebration of the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup, GameOn Turf and Keeping It Green Lawn Solutions took on a huge challenge to create striking portable pitches as part of the Australian and New Zealand based promotions.

The concept was to tour the host city locations including Auckland, Wellington, Hamilton, Dunedin, Brisbane, Perth, Melbourne, Adelaide and Sydney, using colourful pitches to draw in the crowd activity from club and amateur players, to the general public. For each prominent location, the 30 metre by 20 metre pitch, created using SYNLawn Coolplay, had to be rolled out, installed, and removed before heading off to the next destination.

The multi-city Unity Pitch project drew attention everywhere it went, with vibrant colours and prominent locations, they will certainly be remembered as a standout promotional activity with the tournament.

Winner: Project of the Year

Project: Oxley Golf Course mini golf

Agent: All About Turf

Location: Oxley, QLD, Australia

All About Turf had the pleasure of working Oxley Golf Club once again on their new mini golf course which was completed in Dec 2021. All About Turf worked closely with designer Dave Pelz – a legend of the golf industry, to build one of the largest mini golf courses in Australia. The 3200sqm mini golf course replaced the 9th hole of the existing Oxley golf course. It includes 18 holes plus a further 9-hole practice putting green and full disability access.

All About Turf used Olympia Coolplus for the putting surface, XL Tee for the tee off area and SynLawn Comfort for the surrounds. The 6-month project was relatively smooth-sailing apart from having to adjust the design slightly after encountering some unexpected unused services underground.

The impressive mini-golf course features surround-sound speakers and lighting for evening play. It recently hosted the Australian Mini Golf Championships.

Project Of The Year 2020-21

Winner: Magni Green, Inc.

Project: Tianmu Baseball Stadium, Taipei, Taiwan

Tianmu Baseball Stadium is located in the center of Taipei in Taiwan. Built in 1999, Tianmu Baseball Stadium has hosted a number of prestigious events including the 34th World Cup Championships in 2001 as well as a number of major international baseball games.

Magni Green, Inc was contracted by the Taipei City Government to vastly overhaul the stadium’s facilities and equipment. The Government invested more than 80 million NTD (approximately AUD $3.9m) on stadium renovations in 2020 which included the significant transition from natural grass to artificial turf.

The project included:

• Installation of new drainage system – the original field could cater for 20mm/hr of water but accumulated water. The updated field could cater for 50mm/hr and not have any pooled water.
• Foundation works including gravel gradation layer and permeable asphalt layer.
• Installation of a sprinkler irrigation system which covers over a 50m radius.
• Installation of AstroTurf Rootzone Diamond Blend RBI artificial turf

The newly upgraded Tianmu Baseball Stadium is now:

• Taiwan’s first standard artificial grass baseball field
• The Home stadium of Taiwan’s professional baseball league
• The practice field for the national baseball team

Project of the Year 2019

Winner: Grand Slam Surfaces
Project: Caulfield to Dandenong Skyrail, Victoria

This project consisted of surfacing six different areas across Noble Park, Clayton and Carnegie to create vibrant community activation spaces following Victoria’s largest rail project ever undertaken. Removing the level crossings and moving the train system into the air resulted in 22.5 hectares of open community space including 17km of park and bike paths under the sky rail. Grand Slam was awarded all six areas of sports courts which were transformed using a combination of standard and vibrant Laykold colours that make the newly concreted areas an active playground for the surrounding community.