Sheffield engineering specialist SCX (www.scx.co.uk) has been selected as the supplier of the retractable pitch for the new stadium being built for Tottenham Hotspur.

The company will produce a grass pitch that sits directly above an artificial surface, making the Premier League club’s stadium the first of its kind in the UK to have two pitches inside the same bowl, creating a world-class multi-use venue.

The grass pitch will sit in three long steel trays, weighing more than 3,000 tonnes each, which will separate before retracting under the South Stand, revealing the artificial pitch underneath.

Switching from one surface to the other is expected to take about 25min.

SCX Special Projects — the precision engineering arm of the family-run SCX Group —is preparing to install the movable grass pitch over a 12-week period, starting this month.

Tottenham Hotspur’s new 61,000-capacity stadium is set to open in 2018, as a new world-class sports and entertainment venue for the capital.

SCX used similar engineering technology for the retractable roof over the Centre Court at Wimbledon, guaranteeing play in all weather conditions.

Managing director Simon Eastwood said: “We have a solid reputation for problem solving in bespoke circumstances that involve moving and lifting huge structures at sporting venues. All of the mechanical and control system engineering skills are in-house.”