Manchester City’s sustainable pitch irrigation

Manchester City Football Club aims to minimize the use of municipal water to irrigate training pitches as a key part of its sustainability initiatives. Instead, Manchester City irrigates the pitches with captured rainwater and water extracted from a borehole. When the legacy three-pump booster set in the borehole water system became unreliable, Manchester City replaced it with a smaller, more effective booster set from Xylem that has reduced energy use by 25%.

On a hot summer's day, up to 23 metric tons of water can evaporate from the surface of a football pitch. To be more efficient in their water usage, Manchester City prioritizes recycled water for pitch irrigation whenever possible.

At the City Football Academy in Manchester, UK, Manchester City draws water from a 12-million-liter attenuation tank situated beneath the pitches, which collects both rainwater and irrigation runoff seeping through the soil. Remarkably, this tank can fulfill 70-100% of the irrigation requirements for training pitches at the Academy. Manchester City treats the water sourced from the attenuation tank with a Xylem UV treatment solution to ensure it is safe and fit for use.

Aside from the attenuation tank, Manchester City also draws non-potable irrigation water from a borehole. When the booster set for this borehole water system failed, however, Manchester City faced the prospect of relying on the usage of municipal drinking water. Looking at a significant repair cost, Manchester City consulted Xylem, its official Water Technology partner, to recommend a suitable solution, along with three other suppliers for comparison.

Selecting an energy-efficient borehole water booster set

Rather than offering a simple like-for-like replacement, Xylem took a consultative approach to understand Manchester City's flow and pressure requirements. After a thorough assessment of the existing system, Xylem concluded that the failed 7.5 kW, 7-stage booster could be replaced seamlessly by a more efficient and smaller 5.5 kW, 4-stage booster without compromising performance.

The new installation was paired with Xylem's Hydrovar X pump controller, with integrated variable frequency drives and motor to ensure maximum energy efficiency and optimal performance. Nearly 25% more compact than its predecessor, Hydrovar X is manufactured without rare-earth magnets, achieving an ideal balance between efficiency, size and sustainability.

The smaller, more energy-efficient pumping solution reduced the pump replacement cost by 33% and can reduce energy use by 25% annually compared to the previous setup.

A pioneering collaboration between Manchester City and Xylem

"We recognize the importance of responsible and sustainable water usage, especially considering the size of our football pitch irrigation system," says Pete Bradshaw, Director of Sustainability at City Football Group. "Through the upgrade of our borehole water system with Xylem's latest technology, we are steadfast in our commitment to minimizing the utilization of potable water while maintaining our pitch to the highest standards."

The new booster installation has future-proofed Manchester City's ability to sustainably irrigate their pitch using non-potable water from the borehole, complementing the primary source stored in the attenuation tank. The Hydrovar X pump controller is also compatible with Xylem Vue technology, enabling remote monitoring and proactive maintenance. The successful installation of the pumping solution underscores the pioneering collaboration between Xylem and Manchester City.

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