The first standard rugby pitch in Nanjing completed construction on May 15. Located in the sports park for 2014 Youth Olympic Games in Pukou District, north of Nanjing, it will be the venue for rugby match of the coming Asian Youth Games in August.
This rugby pitch is twice the size of a normal football field. At both ends of the pitch, there are two 800-square meter warm up areas. An auxiliary pitch is built beside the main pitch for training. The goalposts are as high as 15 meters, which allow the player to throw the ball high up in the air. The grass for the pitch was imported from America. Fostered in professional cultivation base, the grass can withstand trampling and high temperature. The turfs had been in cultivation in Shanghai since October last year, and were transported to Nanjing ten days ago.
Maintenance of the lawns requires substantial amount of water. There are altogether 80 sprayers irrigating in turns, which would consume 500 tons of water per day. To avoid waste, the drainage ditches along the pitches would store water in favorable weather, so that the water could be recycled.
