Interview with Michael Sturm
The driving force behind Laykold’s new GymSports surfaces reveals the global court brand’s latest product innovation.
Michael Sturm has led the development of the Laykold GymSports product range and the overall development of Sport Group’s global approach to the indoor sports flooring market. Having worked in the sport surfaces business since 1989, with seven years specializing in indoor gym products, he brought a wealth of knowledge and experience to the project. His hands-on, technical background allows him to work closely with the R&D and product development teams, as well as installers to create the best product solutions. He downed tools to talk us through the new GymSports product innovation from Laykold and what it means for a multitude of indoor sports.
Why has Laykold extended into gym sports? And why now?
As always, it starts with our customers, many of whom are asking for indoor floors for gym sports as it helps them to grow and extend their seasons when the weather becomes poor outside. To ensure our existing customer network and new customers are properly supported, we felt it was important to set up a range of systems with full certifications and test reports that ensures both quality and trust.
We are the biggest company dedicated to sports surfaces, and it was time to bring that experience indoors. While different entities in Sport Group have been active in gym sports over the years, this is the first time we have done that on a global, coordinated level. This is part of our global integration and knowledge-sharing across the Group.
Tell us about the product range.
Laykold GymSports is an indoor multi-sport surface product range which has been developed for a range of facilities from Olympic venues to school gymnasiums.
Our initial focus has been on a point elastic range which allows us to cover a wide variety of sports like basketball, handball and volleyball and multi-purpose facilities.
Due to the durable polyurethane system build-up, the point elastic sports surfaces can stand high mechanical impact and sports action. The systems are cushioned with a classical rubber mat or with a low emission foam mat. The PU coating in combination with the PU topcoat create a jointless, very durable sports floor, which is available in different colors.
Multi-sport does not mean a one-size-fits-all approach. We are able to adjust a system to match the specific requirements of a facility, for example, a gymnastics facility would require a higher force reduction system than a facility where basketball is the main sport.
Why is Laykold equipped to deliver for the indoor court market?
Laykold is the official court surface of the US Open and many other elite tennis events. We are now taking this Grand Slam quality indoor with polyurethane gym floors where facility owners, players and coaches can expect the same level of quality.
Laykold is Sport Group’s court services global brand. This means it receives significant resources from within the Group in terms of research and development, product innovation, new market expansion, major events, and marketing. Laykold provides services for all court sports, and recently has expanded into pickleball and padel.
Customers have been waiting for this product range from us, it means they can have one point of contact for acrylic and polyurethane surfaces, as well as padel courts. This creates important efficiencies and trust and ensures the quality of the product. We are very optimistic and expect growth globally in Laykold GymSports.
“Multi-sport does not mean a one-size-fits-all approach. We are able to adjust a system to match the specific requirements of a facility, for example, a gymnastics facility would require a higher force reduction system than a facility where basketball is the main sport.”
The force reduction innovation in Laykold tennis courts has moved the industry forward. Will this be carried indoors?
In a word, yes. Our indoor courts perform better than timber floors in this regard. Point elastic provides excellent force reduction consistency meaning a point-elastic sports floor reacts in a more localized area, interacting with the individual rather than the full team. This gives a uniform performance across the whole surface, so every location has almost identical shock absorption and performance. By comparison, hardwood floors, provide area elastic, which means that an ‘area’ deforms creating less uniformity and consistency.
What other product features set Laykold GymSports systems apart?
At a product feature level, all our products have water-based solvent-free topcoats. This is important because solvents are dangerous and unpleasant to work with.
Our self-leveling layer contains less fillers compared to many of our competitors, so the consumption is lower and it gives enhanced performance characteristics. More filler makes the product cheaper, but it also makes the product weaker. Sport Group is committed to adding quality into the market, so we are only going to make excellent products that don’t cut corners.
How sustainable is the new product range for GymSports?
Sustainability is a priority for Sports Group and it has been one of the guiding principles of this product range. We have used up to 66.85% renewable or recycled content in our systems and all component materials are non-hazardous and do not contain any lead, mercury or heavy metals, PCB, or formaldehyde. The green tech extends to our mat layers which are made from recycled rubber – a valuable use for old car tires and post industrial waste
We are the only manufacturer with production plants on three continents. This local manufacturing is much more sustainable than many of our competitors who ship, for example, products from Europe to the USA. Local manufacturing also gives us important advantages in terms of lead time, transport cost, and overall availability of the product.
Bringing a sustainable, globally available range that is locally made and universally certified, to market has been a huge privilege and will have a lasting impact on so many sports.
Interested in creating or upgrading your indoor sports facility?
Come and play indoors with Laykold. Contact us today.