Footballers at the FIFA Club World Cup are showing off their skills on surfaces made by a Cumbrian sports pitch manufacturer.

SIS Pitches, in Maryport, has been contracted as full-service provider for venues being used at the tournament – which is currently taking place in the United Arab Emirates.

The company has constructed, installed and maintained pitches, and training pitches, for the global club competition.

SIS, which also has an office in the UAE, installed SISGrass at the Hazza bin Zayed Stadium, the venue for this year’s tournament opener between UAE host-club Al Ain and Team Wellington of New Zealand.

They also installed pitches at the Zayed Sports City Stadium, where UEFA Champions League winners Real Madrid will play their opening match on December 19.

Both stadia feature the firm’s hybrid pitch system SISGrass, which was used at six of the 12 World Cup venues in Russia earlier this year, including the final at the Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow. SIS grass is made of 95 per cent natural grass combined with the rest made up of artificial materials.

David Ball, managing director at SIS, who is based in the company’s Dubai office, said: “The fact that we have supplied pitches to the venues for the finals of both the Club World Cup and World Cup is a huge feather in our cap, and a ringing endorsement of the quality and advanced technology of our flagship system, SISGrass.

“Our team has done a wonderful job with the installation and we are excited to now see some fantastic football being played. It has been a brilliant year for football and we are pleased to have played such an important role.”

Matt Jones, head groundsman at the Hazza bin Zayed Stadium, added: “I really appreciate the support from SIS Pitches team. They did a first-class job on the turf and their work is always to the very highest standard. It has been a pleasure to work with the team at SIS Pitches and to watch them in action.”

SIS Pitches also re-turfed and stitched Zayed Sports City Stadium to mark 100 years since the birth of Sheikh Zayed, the founding father of the UAE.

In addition to installing pitches at both Club World Cup venues, a third surface was also provided by the firm at the new Maktoum bin Rashid Al Maktoum Stadium in Dubai ahead of the AFC Asian Cup next year.

The turf used at the Hazza bin Zayed Stadium came from a purpose-built farm, designed and built by SIS due to a lack of quality turf in the region, and to meet the needs of the Abu Dhabi Sports Council.

Founded in 2001, SIS employs more than 420 staff worldwide, with manufacturing headquarters in Maryport, Cumbria and offices in UK, Holland, Ireland, Turkey, Russia, Middle East and Angola.

SIS Pitches has installed 80 hybrid surfaces worldwide since the system launched just three years ago, including Premier League sides Chelsea, Newcastle United, Fulham and Bournemouth, Barcelona as well as Scottish champions Celtic and the English FA’s St George’s Park complex.