SportGroup Holding purchases AstroTurf and SYNLawn

SportGroup Holding agreed to purchase AstroTurf and SYNLawn, along with their associated manufacturing facilities. By adding AstroTurf and SYNlawn to its existing portfolio of companies and brands, which includes Polytan, APT, Melos, Rekortan, Laykold and Poligras, SportGroup is building one of the largest and highest quality outdoor sports surfacing companies in the world.

SportGroup, founded in 1969, is a global leader in artificial turf systems and running tracks, with a €340 million annual turnover (2015) and around 1,000 employees. The company maintains production plants in Europe, North America and the Asia-Pacific region and operates in more than 70 countries. It has manufactured and installed more than 7,000 fields and 16,000 tracks. It is a supplier of both fields and tracks to the Olympic Games, including Rio (2016).

“AstroTurf is the missing puzzle piece that enables us to cater to North American athletic turf clients,” said Frank Dittrich, CEO of SportGroup. “SYNLawn will make SportGroup one of the strongest players in the landscape turf market. These brands add tremendous value to SportGroup and its future as one of the global leaders in outdoor sports surfacing.”

The purchase provides SportGroup direct access to North American athletic turf customers through AstroTurf.

“We are eager to join SportGroup. Together we are poised to continue our unprecedented growth,” said Heard Smith, Chief Operating Officer of AstroTurf and SYNlawn. “The union of these brands ushers in the next era of sophisticated sports surfacing for today’s highly trained athletes.”

AstroTurf and SYNlawn products will continue to be manufactured in the United States in fully vertically integrated, advanced manufacturing facilities. In addition, all employees will remain with the organization.