The Story
Four Years.
Four Years.
One Revolution.
GameChanger Cricket Loam was developed in response to a brief from Andy Mackay, ECB Pitch & Grounds Advisor, seeking a loam capable of replicating the bounce and pace of overseas pitches. The goal was to exceed the performance of SUPERNATURAL — Surrey Loams’ benchmark product — whilst remaining practical to grow and maintain.
The result is a trademarked, ECB-endorsed engineered sports loam. In Andy Mackay’s own words: “The positive feedback from players and coaches has been overwhelming.”
2022
Research Begins
Following a brief from Andy Mackay, ECB Pitch & Grounds Advisor, Surrey Loams begins development of GameChanger Cricket Loam — engineered to replicate the bounce and pace characteristics of overseas pitches encountered in places like Australia and South Africa, where loam choice is critical for extra bounce and pace.
The brief set out four key aims:
1. High binding strength
2. Low shrinkage and cracking
3. High plastic limit — this really helps with bounce
4. Acceptable growing medium for C3 grasses
SUPERNATURAL was used as the performance benchmark, with the goal of exceeding it.
The brief set out four key aims:
1. High binding strength
2. Low shrinkage and cracking
3. High plastic limit — this really helps with bounce
4. Acceptable growing medium for C3 grasses
SUPERNATURAL was used as the performance benchmark, with the goal of exceeding it.
2023
First Installation
GameChanger Cricket Loam is installed at ECB Headquarters, Loughborough, and receives ECB Pitch & Grounds Advisor endorsement.
2024
Trademark Registered
GameChanger trademark registration certificate received.
2025
ECB Endorsement
“The GameChanger loam has been a resounding success as the material used to build and maintain the new pitches at ECB Loughborough, now in use for England teams training. We were looking for a soil to give us extra bounce and pace and GameChanger has certainly delivered that. As many grounds people know, it’s relatively rare that cricket people with high expectations make the effort to pour praise onto cricket pitches, so when they do you know that something has gone very well… and in this case the positive feedback from players and coaches has been overwhelming! The programme for use of these new surfaces in the Loughborough marquee was relatively light at the start of October, but when people experienced the quality of surfaces and realised how well it would help them to prepare for the extra pace and bounce in overseas conditions, the schedule became completely rammed. To build completely new pitches and have them play so well at the highest standard of the game within 2 years of construction is astounding. The soil shrinks relatively little, so cracking is controllable; it has been easy to grow grass in and renovate; and it dries relatively quickly so that preparation time of pitches has been shorter. I couldn’t be happier with the results!”
— Andy Mackay, Pitch & Grounds Advisor, England and Wales Cricket Board
— Andy Mackay, Pitch & Grounds Advisor, England and Wales Cricket Board
2026
Available Now
GameChanger Loams are now available to county cricket clubs, groundsmen and institutions across the UK.