Versatile alignment robots lighten the workload

Whether it is soccer, rugby, American football or athletics ... all sports fields have one thing in common: without lines, they are essentially nothing more than a field. Moreover, those lines must be durable, clear and precise. After all, any deviations can lead to games having to be canceled or postponed. To avoid this, Footline supports sports services and clubs of all levels with the necessary paints, lining equipment and an adapted lining service.

Footline has been the exclusive main distributor of Pitchmark's quality line paints in Belgium for more than 13 years. Besides the complete range of both concentrate paints and ready-to-use variants, the company also offers the necessary supporting material, with high-performance line marking equipment as an important pillar. Since this year, it can call itself the exclusive distributor of SWOZI for this purpose. With this, Footline adds the reference for automatic and precise sports field lining to its offer.

Optimal precision

In all, Footline offers four different SWOZI devices: the manually operated entry-level Evo 2, the compact and high-performance Pico, the versatile Cart Pro, and the fully automated SWOZI Auto. "The latter is really the cream of the crop," says Footline's Marc Tratsaert. "Positioning can be done with 4G or RTK-GPS. Thanks to the presence of not one, but two receivers, the alignment robot thereby ensures optimal precision. Soon, moreover, the possibility of positioning with laser and prism will be added, guaranteeing accuracy even in the vicinity of trees or stands - where GPS signals can already be disturbed at times."

Another advantage of the SWOZI Auto, according to Tratsaert, is its flexibility. "Depending on the situation, you can have the robot fully automatic or choose semi-autonomous or even fully manual operation. As a result, the device can be used in almost all circumstances, even in the event of possible signal failures. The option to correct on the wheels on the one hand or on the arms on the other is also interesting. After all, the arm can move a little more freely, so any corrections are more fluid and therefore less noticeable."

All sports

According to Tratsaert, a soccer field can be fully aligned with the SWOZI Auto in just over half an hour. "This is admittedly on condition that the field is already set up in the system. If not, we first enter one or more reference points - usually the goalposts and corners, but if these are not yet present, one point may suffice - and the SWOZI then determines the trajectory itself. This suddenly makes the very labor-intensive work of initial lining much easier." However, the SWOZI proves its value not only on the soccer field. "In principle, we can set the line marking for almost all sports, from rugby and American football to athletics. Provided the right settings are made, the line marking robot can even be used to mark out temporary parking spaces on a meadow or grass field. The device is also suitable for both natural and artificial turf." 

Tailored to each club

Because not every club has the resources to purchase a high-end lining machine or find the right people to take on the lining task, Footline also uses the SWOZI Auto for its own lining service. "Our lineation service is an integral part of our service, and both professional and amateur level clubs use it regularly. In order to streamline this service, we have now worked out different packages: a starter package that provides the first striping of the season, a season package with monthly maintenance striping and optional interventions at tournaments or events, and an all-in package for a complete unburdening, in which we adapt flexibly to the needs. In this way, we hope to give every club the right basis for tightly lined fields."