Installer Profile: Dean Stokes, Marketing Manager, Trompie Sport
Polytan’s leading South African installer talks quality, sustainability and the impact of Laykold courts on a sport-mad country.
In a growing and fast-evolving South African sports market keen for quality, Polytan partner Trompie Sport is leading the effort in transforming hard court surfaces using Laykold to deliver sustainable, high-performance courts that are built to handle the harshest conditions.
We sat down with Trompie Sports’s Marketing Manager Dean Stokes, a former athlete who understands the life-changing power of sport and is passionate about building top-notch sporting facilities to transform the athletic experience.
Can you start by telling us a bit about Trompie Sport and their work across South Africa?
Absolutely. Trompie is a family run company, and we’ve been in the business for over 30 years. Our headquarters are in Potchefstroom, about an hour from Johannesburg, but we operate across southern Africa.
We started out supplying natural grass to homes and later to schools and sports facilities. From there, we evolved into full-scale sports facility construction, handling everything from rugby and soccer fields to hard courts.
Today, we’re proud to say we’ve built or resurfaced more hard courts than anyone else in South Africa.
How would you describe the current landscape for hard court sports in your region? What’s driving demand?
South Africa is sport mad. From grassroots to elite level, sport is part of the national fabric. Over the last few years, we’ve seen strong growth in demand for high-quality hard courts. A lot of that is driven by institutions like Curro Schools, which has made long-term investments in better infrastructure.
Add to that support from mining companies through their social responsibility programs, and you start seeing real momentum.
Another important driver is athlete development. More kids now have access to quality courts from a younger age, which means they’re training on surfaces that mirror international standards. It’s helping to level the playing field for our athletes globally.
Are you seeing more funding directed toward these facilities, and to the athletes themselves?
Definitely. We’re seeing talent development programs take shape, especially through bursaries from schools and universities. These programs give kids access to the kinds of facilities and coaching they’d never have otherwise.
It’s not just about building courts; it’s about creating pathways and opportunities.
“More kids now have access to quality courts from a younger age, which means they’re training on surfaces that mirror international standards. It’s helping to level the playing field for our athletes globally.”
What are some of the challenges you face when building and maintaining hard courts in South Africa?
Climate is a big one. We get everything from intense heat to heavy rains, and it can get cold too. The temperature swings really test a court's durability, that’s why longevity matters so much.
Laykold’s lifespan outperforms local materials by three to five years, which is a game-changer for schools or institutions working with tight budgets. It also reduces the frequency and cost of resurfacing, which in turn frees up funds to reinvest in student-athletes.
What types of installations are you doing, and which projects stand out?
We work with a mix of clients, such as universities, schools, municipalities, and even mining operations through their CSI (Corporate Social Investment) work.
A standout is Curro Hillcrest High School in Durban, which is hosting ITF tournament (the W35 Hillcrest) this July. It’s a huge milestone to have a South African school host an international-level event on an ITF-approved Laykold court. That surface gives our players real-world experience on the same surface they’d find at tournaments abroad. So, it’s closing the gap between local and international competition.
Your team works across multiple sports. How does Trompie deliver turnkey solutions for schools and organisations?
We handle everything in-house, from logistics and steelwork to installation and maintenance. We’ve built athletics tracks, multipurpose courts, artificial and natural fields, and more, and as well as Laykold, we use other world-leading sports surface brands from Polytan, such as Rekortan tracks and Poligras hockey turfs which gives our clients grand slam and Olympic-level quality.
Why did Trompie choose to partner with Laykold over other surfacing options?
We wanted to work with the best, and Laykold’s resume speaks volumes. Laykold is the surface of the US Open, as well as the Miami Open and Indian Wells, so when we bring that kind of quality to South Africa, we’re raising the standard for all players. It’s about delivering something world-class, not just ‘good enough.’
What makes Laykold particularly well-suited for the African market?
It comes down to three things: durability, customisation, and sustainability. The surface holds up brilliantly in our climate. Laykold also gives us flexibility – we can adjust the pace of the court depending on the needs of the school or the level of play. This matters when you’re preparing players for international tournaments.
And then there’s the sustainability angle. Laykold is a more environmentally friendly product, which is increasingly important here. Whether it’s water shortages or inconsistent power supply (in some parts of South Africa, communities can go days without water or power), our infrastructure challenges mean we really have to think long-term. Laykold aligns perfectly with that. Laykold’s commitment to longevity helps reduce resurfacing cycles.
We’re proud to be at the forefront of this shift because sustainable sport isn’t just about the future, it’s happening now.