Lommel SK invests in new lining equipment

To get the fields ready to play, soccer club Lommel SK has long counted on the team of greenkeeper Wim Fluyt. Since last summer, the expertise of Footline has also been involved. The Willebroek-based company supplies soccer goals, goal nets, lineation paints and equipment for both the competition and practice fields. 

Footline was born in 2012 as a passion project of Marc Tratsaert. What started with a single high-quality line paint for soccer pitches has now grown into a six-person company and a one-stop shop for the complete equipment of sports clubs at both professional and amateur level. "With Lommel SK, part of the City Football Group, we have added a very nice reference to our portfolio," Marc says proudly.

Quality paints and new goals

Marc found his way to Lommel through his lining paints. "John Ledwidge, the head greenkeeper at Manchester City, swears by Pitchmark's paints and line marking equipment. And let our Footline just be the exclusive main distributor of those quality sports lining paints in Belgium. Lining is really our core business and we therefore offer the full Pitchmark product range, from concentrate paints to ready-to-use grades and other products." According to Marc, however, a quality product is only one part of the equation. "The service has to be right too. For us, that is an absolute priority. By now there are six of us and we can boast a lot of experience and expertise. We work future-oriented, offer the necessary advice and have an eye for the practical concerns of a club. For example, when the soccer goals of Lommel SK needed replacing, we very quickly delivered new goals to the club. In case of problems we try to provide a solution the same day.

State-of-the-art lining equipment

In addition to Pitchmark's lineation paints and new soccer goals, Footline has already supplied the necessary goal nets and two new lineation devices. "Lommel SK opted for hybrid lining equipment, truly the Rolls-Royce among lining equipment. Instead of pneumatic tires, these machines have wide full wheels. In combination with the large discs in the front, this provides excellent stability, allowing the apparatus to keep its straight line very nicely."

Footline itself works primarily with the Linemaster: a state-of-the-art lining machine that, thanks to built-in GPS and satellite technology, ensures a result that is perfect down to the millimeter. "Although most clubs have their own line marking equipment, it still happens regularly that we go on site to apply (new) line marking. It is a service that we offer to our clients, for example at the beginning of the season, when no lines are visible yet, or when mistakes have happened. The Linemaster then provides a guaranteed correct result."

Robot lines

Starting in 2025, Footline is further expanding its own services with the Turf Tank 2 robotic liner. Marc: "The useful thing about the Turf Tank 2 is that this robot lineiner can be used not only for soccer fields, but also for rugby, American football, training fields and smaller fields. Clubs can thus line their fields very precisely and efficiently with the Turf Tank 2, regardless of the type of sport or its dimensions."