SerpApi.Org
As the World Cup final was watched by almost 63 million in the United States, as well as hundreds of millions worldwide, on Sunday, an Irish company's work may have gone unnoticed, but it played a crucial role.
Spain defeated Argentina in a nail-biting extra-time victory, sealing their place in soccer immortality by winning the prestigious tournament as they lifted the trophy at the New York-New Jersey stadium.
As the world watched on, an Irish company's role in the showpiece meant that Ireland's western county of Sligo was represented in the form of the pitch in action on the world's biggest stage.
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SIS Pitches' Grass Hybrid pitch was in use in the stadium for the final, with the company's system seeing synthetic fibers stitched into the surface across the field to provide increased durability and enhanced root growth.
This system helps each hybrid pitch recover and perform consistently across different climates and grass types.
And that's where the technology comes into play, as it was implemented on playing surfaces across nine of the 16 host stadiums across the U.S., Canada and Mexico.
SIS Grass Hybrid was used in San Francisco, Miami, Kansas City, Toronto and Monterrey, among others.
The company has also been involved in projects at some of Ireland's most high-profile pitches.
These include Donnybrook Stadium in Dublin, Thomond Park in Limerick, the Connacht GAA Air Dome at Bekan in County Mayo, and Páirc Uí Chaoimh in Cork.
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The company also contributed to the playing services at the 2022 Qatar and 2018 Russia World Cups.
George Mullan, the company's executive chairman and founder of SIS Pitches, said that having the company's technology present was a huge moment.
"Having been heavily involved in the previous two tournaments in Russia and Qatar, and also involved in Germany," he said. "We understand how important it is that our technology works alongside that of other partners to ensure each pitch system performs as intended."
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