LONDON SUMMER FESTIVAL 2024 ATHLETE HANDBOOK

The countdown is well and truly on, and we can't wait to see everyone on the TURF at Ealing Trailfinders on the 15th and 16th June. Please find below all the athlete information you will need for the Summer Festival weekend.

This page will be continually updated so please check back every so often to ensure you have all the information provided.

Please can you ensure you have ALL your team members linked to your team on Aretas as soon as possible. Your Team Leader will need to invite you. If you have any queries about how to do this please contact caroline@turfgames.com. 

WEATHER

Please come prepared for the weather - refillable water bottle, sunscreen.  Please stay hydrated throughout the day. Wear a hat in between workouts if you can. In the event of adverse weather (rain / storms) we will assess the situation to both equipment and safety. We may potentially pause the competition until the weather has passed, or amend some workout movements to ensure they are safe. We will keep you updated on any changes via our MC and announcements on Social Media.

Please do not bring your own gazebos or camping chairs. Each end of the main field has a fully covered grandstand. Gazebo's can be a safety hazard if they are not weighted down in wind and there is nowhere in the venue for them to go.

HEAT TIMES

Heat Times are now live! Please note these may change up until the 3rd June so please check back to ensure your times have remained the same.

Please take note of your lane number (first column) - you will be in the same lane in each arena you compete in.  The second column is your heat number in each round you will be competing in.  Some of your heat times have a number in () next to it - the time relates to the heat number of that round you will be competing in.  Some teams will be in different heat numbers in each round.

TEAMS 

ENGINE

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TEAM INJURY / SUBBING ATHLETES

Teams are allowed to change the make up of their team up until the morning of your competition day.  Once you have competed in your first workout, teams are not permitted to sub athletes into their team for any reason. ALL team members at the start of the day must be linked to the team on Team Aretas.  If you do not have the required number linked and the correct team members, you will not be able to compete.

Should your team suffer an injury, or for any reason need to 'replace' an athlete, you will have two options, 1) compete with one less athlete and obtain a score (if the workout allows there to be less athletes then the 5 or 6 prescribed), or sub an athlete in, compete in the workout, but your scores will not be added to the leaderboard. 

Should this situation arise in your team, please consult the master judge / head judge to discuss the scenario and what you will be doing. If you need to pull out your team during the day, please tell a master judge, head crew or head judge so we can make a note, as scores missing from the leaderbaord without prior knowledge can cause issues with podiums. 

WORKOUTS

Team Competition - Click HERE to view your workouts.

Engine Pairs - Click HERE to view your workouts.

Engine Individual - Click HERE to view your workouts.

PRIZES

The winning ELITE team in each category will win:

  • £1,800 cash (Elite - 6 athletes in a team)
  • £1,500 cash (Male / Female - 5 athletes in a team)

The winning INTERMEDIATE + EVERYDAY team (1st place) will win

  • A prize pack from our partners

The winning ENGINE individual or pair in each category will win

  • A partner prize pack

VENUE OPENING TIMES

Below are the times the venue opens and closes each day. You can arrive from these times, check your team in and get ready for the day.

  • 8am until 7.15pm on Saturday 
  • 8am until 6pm on Sunday

A reminder, if you are competing over the weekend, you DO NOT need a spectator ticket to gain access on the day you are not competing. Your athlete wristband, which you can obtain when you check your team in at Registration, will give you access all weekend.

LOCATION

The home of the Turf Games London Summer Festival is Ealing Trailfinders Rugby Club, in Ealing, West London W13 0DD.

VENUE MAP

PARKING

There is limited parking available at the venue, if you are driving and would like a parking space please book it HERE. Otherwise there is parking available in the streets surrounding the venue.

SPECTATOR TICKETS

If you are an athlete and want to spectate on the day you are not competing, you will NOT need to buy a spectator ticket - you will need to show your athlete wristband. You can check in and get these when you arrive for the first time at the venue.

Spectator tickets for your friends and family are now live - get your cheer squad together so they can support you throughout the day - CLICK HERE for tickets.

FOOD, DRINK & THE VENDOR VILLAGE

In between your workouts or on the days you're not competing, you can also enjoy what our vendor village has to offer. There will be a range of food available as well as coffee, drinks and other snacks.

Our vendor village will be open all weekend to provide food and drinks for all athletes and spectators. Our partners PhD, Nocco, Heck and Jubel will be there as well as other vendors serving a range of food options, sweet treats, coffee, ice cream, alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks, a water refill station and a whole lot more.

DRINKING WATER - there will be two water refill points within the venue to refill water bottles. We are trying to reduce plastic and waste - so if you do bring or buy a bottle of water on the day - please make sure you drink it all and don't leave half filled in the arena. We would encourage you to bring a reusable bottle and refill throughout the day.

With tunes playing from the live DJ, over 4,800 athletes competing, and workout action from morning to night, the 2024 London Summer Festival is not to be missed.

VENDORS

PARTNERS

We are pleased to be supported this year by the following brand partners Nocco, PhD, Inov8, Wolverson, Frog Grips, LSKD, Concept 2, Jubel, Heck and Sun God.

DIVISION + DRUGS & ALCOHOL RULES

COMPETING IN EVERYDAY? PLEASE READ HERE TO ENSURE YOUR TEAM COMPLIES WITH THE ENTRY CRITERIA

*Please note - the Everyday Division is designed for 'Entry Level' participants and non fitness industry professionals. Please respect the divisions and enter the appropriate category for both yourself and your team. If your team is deemed to be 'sandbagging' the division, you may have points deducted or could be disqualified. If you have any questions regarding this please contact us.

KEY TIMINGS

SATURDAY 15th June

Heats from 9.00am until 6.35pm, teams competing will be:

  • ALL Elite Teams
  • EVERYDAY Male + Female Teams
  • INTERMEDIATE Male + Female Teams

    Engine Athletes competing:

    • Male Pairs - all ages
    • Female Pairs - all ages

    Venue Opening Time - 8.00am
    First Team Heats - 9.00am
    Last Heat Finishes - 6.35pm
    Venue Closes - 7.15pm

    SUNDAY 16th June

    Heats from 9.00am until 5.35pm, teams competing will be:

    • ALL Everyday Mixed Teams
    • ALL Intermediate Mixed Teams

      Engine Athletes competing:

      • Mixed Pairs - all ages
      • Male + female Individuals - all ages

      Venue Opening Time - 8am
      First Team Heat - 9.00am

      Last Heat Finishes - 5.35pm
      Venue Closes - 6pm

      ARRIVAL INFORMATION

      You will arrive at the venue off Vallis Way through the 'Entry Booth' at Ealing Trailfinders.

      If you are on foot you must head to the Check In Desk - this is applicable for both athletes and spectators. Spectators will need to show their Eventbrite ticket at the entry booth before entering. Athletes can proceed across to check in to pick up wristbands before entering the field/arenas.

      If you are driving and parking in the venue, when you have had your name crossed off the list via a member of staff at the entry booth, you will be directed to park in one of the carparks, following the Marshalls' instructions. Depending on which car park you're in you will need to head to your nearest Check In desk.

      TURF KIDS

      The Turf Kids arena will be back at the Summer Festival and this year will be sponsored by HECK. For all those mini Turfers wanting to test out equipment and functional fitness movements, head to the Turf Kids arena and we will also be registering parent/child pairs and child pairs for the Turf Kids competition held each day in the main rig arena. Time to get competitive... there will be prizes to be won!

      ATHLETE IMAGES

      We will have Sportograf on hand all weekend to photograph you and your team. The links below will take you to the gallery for each day where you can use their facial recognition technology to find all images of you. To know when the images are live please click the link below and register to be notified.

      ATHLETE AREAS

      At either end of the main field are two covered grandstands with seating. These will be the 'Athlete Areas' - where you can place your bags throughout the day and this will be your base when you are not working out. Teams can choose which end they would like to be at when they arrive. Just a reminder, bags are not allowed to enter the workout arenas or warm up arena.

      ARRIVAL TIMES + CHECK IN

      Please arrive well before your first workout as there may be queues at check in. When you arrive at the check in desks please state your Division (Elite / Intermediate / Everyday) and Category (Men's / Women's / Mixed) or Engine and your team name. A member of the TG crew will check your team in. You are also to collect your athlete wristbands. One team member is able to collect these for the rest of the team, however, you will need to give these to your team mates before they enter the venue so you will need to wait for them or come back out of the venue to meet them so they can then enter. You can not enter the venue without a wristband on.

      WHAT YOU CAN/CAN'T WEAR & BRING

      In terms of what you can and can't wear when working out.  

      • Athletes CAN wear - knee and elbow supports, weightlifting belts, chalk, lifting shoes, wrist straps/grips, sunglasses.
      • Athletes CAN'T wear - anything that attaches/wraps around a barbell to aid grip or strength. Athletes in Elite or Intermediate divisions can not wear gloves at any time.
      • Glass is prohibited inside the venue.

      GETTING TO EALING TRAILFINDERS

      Address: Vallis Way, Ealing W13 0DD

      DRIVING/PARKING

      We are pleased to be able to offer some car parking inside the venue. However, there is not enough for all athletes and spectators. If you would like to purchase a car parking space please CLICK HERE and buy your space - it is £20. You will need to show your Event Brite parking ticket at the entrance to the venue. Once inside the grounds you will be directed where to park by the marshalls

      Uber/Taxi

      Head towards Ealing Trailfinders, down Vallis Way and you can get dropped off by the entrance before making your way to athlete check in

      Train

      Ealing Broadway overground and underground is 1.7 miles away. We suggest getting a taxi or bus from here which will be around 7 minutes in a taxi. Walking will take circa 30 minutes.

      Bus

      There are several buses including the 297, E2, E7, E9 and E10 which will take circa 20 mins from Ealing Broadway tube/overground, but please check current timetables closer to the time.

      TEAM REGISTRATION 

      Please ensure ALL athletes are linked to your team as soon as possible. You will not be able to compete on the day without a full team.

      Athletes will receive wristbands on the day when they register. Please wear this while you are at the venue.

      SCORING

      On each station in the arenas, the judge will have the scoresheet where your teams score will be written. Please give the exact team name as per Team Aretas and ensure the judge writes the team name down correctly.  At the end of your workout on that station, you need to check that the score written next to your team name is accurate and sign the scoresheet - this is then final and will be uploaded to our live leaderboard.

      We do advise that you check the live leaderboard on Team Aretas throughout the day to ensure your score has been uploaded correctly. If it hasn't please make your way to the Master Judge in the appropriate arena to query.

      Please note, until ALL teams in your category (i.e. mixed teams) have completed the workout, your points are going to fluctuate.

      ATHLETE WELFARE / RECOVERY / WARM UP

      The athlete warm up gym has 10 lifting platforms with barbells plus other equipment ready for you to warm up on. Any equipment that is used must be put back once finished - please do not leave loaded barbells lying around. 

      We will also have a Recovery Area with multiple physio, massage therapists and strapping available on hand to sort out any niggles. This will be available to use all weekend for athletes for a small charge.

      Over the weekend we will have trained first aid staff in attendance. We know how hard some of you work out and compete, so please do what you can to prepare and recover for the big day.

      Please stay hydrated and drink plenty of fluids on the day. There will be plenty of water points around the venue - both to fill up your water bottle and to purchase. The ground is a 3G synthetic grass pitch which can get a little hot under warm sunlight. Please wear plenty of sunscreen and a hat if you wish.

      We want to make sure everyone has a super enjoyable day so if you have any concerns or injuries please speak to your judge or one of the TG staff. If you are feeling light headed or unwell please let someone know as soon as possible so we can ensure you get recovered and can enjoy the day. 

      COMPETING RULES 

      CATEGORY

      Turf Games is an inclusive functional fitness competition that has divisions designed for people of that ability.  We have division standards in place to help maintain the integrity and fairness in each category, in particular the everyday category.  Turf Games reserves the right to disqualify any team that does not compete within the spirit of Turf Game and the overall fitness community and / or does not follow the division guidelines 

      BROKEN EQUIPMENT DURING A WORKOUT

      During a workout, if a piece of equipment a team is using breaks - i.e. ski erg/rower etc - the team will have the option to use the replacement equipment if available and continue on with the workout. Or at the end of all the workouts, the team will have the option to redo the workout if they choose to.

      RESPECT THE JUDGES. The majority of Crew & Judges have given up their time to come along and help make sure the event runs smoothly. We are determined to make this an incredible day for everyone involved. Should you have any concerns about the workouts, judging etc on the day, please speak to your judge or master judge in a calm and respectful way. Lee Phillips is Head Judge and he will have final say on any disputes.

      LISTEN FOR DIRECTIONS. If you can listen out for any directions, instructions or timings on the day. We will provide you with where and when you need to be somewhere so please do adhere to the schedule.

      ARENA & WARM UP ETIQUETTE. If you take any bottles etc into a workout arena or warm up area, please take it out at the end - please leave the arena/area as you found it, ready for the next team. Also, please place any rubbish in the bins provided.

      ATHLETE RESPONSIBILTY. Athletes are expected to cooperate with judges and event organizers during competition. They must be prepared to display the correct movement standards and take responsibility for their own performance.

      The goal of a Turf Games competition and the judges is NOT to find the craftiest athlete who can blur the line between what is technically acceptable, and what is not. The majority of people have competed at a fitness competition before and should understand what is acceptable and what would be deemed to be ‘cutting corners’ in a workout.

      It is not the judges roll to explain to you the entire workout prior to beginning your workout – ask questions yes, but please read the workout, watch the video and ask any questions either before the event or on the day before you arrive to your workout.

      SCORING. Scoring throughout the day will be via a 'Rank' based system i.e. lowest points wins. So if you come 1st in a workout you will get 1 point, 20th will get 20 points. 

      If for any reason teams are tied on points after the heats, the tie will be broken by a count back system where the team with the highest number of 'better finishers' in the events, will finish higher.

      We are passionate about making the Turf Games a high standard, competitive, but fun event.

      LET THE GAMES BEGIN!