Turkish delight

Haslingden-based Linemark, which pioneered the special white-line paint used by 75 per cent of English Premiership clubs, including champions Chelsea, was approached by the Turkish footballing authorities after they saw the company's painted three-dimensional pitchside advertisements.

Linemark, based on Carrs Industrial Estate, has become one of the world leaders for the development and manufacture of grass marking paint for sports pitches.

Clients include 15 of the 20 Premier League football sides, rugby league's Super League and rugby union's national stadiums in England, Scotland and Wales -- Twickenham, Murrayfield and the Millennium Stadium respectively.

Jan Korab, a director at Linemark, said: "We are delighted with the Turkish Football Federation contract. It is a very exciting development."

Linemark was started 10 years ago when then Blackburn PE teacher Tony Holt asked his friend Jan, an industrial chemist, if he could come up with a better way of marking pitches than burning line markings into grass with creosote or weedkiller.

The pair were successful and, after striking up a partnership with global biotechnology experts Monsanto, Linemark was born.

Jan added: "The link with Monstano helped us bring the products to the market and another important step was to gain full Government approval. Now all our products, which we have patented, meet their standards."

As well as pitch marking Linemark has also gained a reputation for its on-pitch branding, painting 3-D graphics and logos on to the turf as well as providing banners and mats.

They have also expanded globally, with established clients in Germany, Austria, Iceland, Portugal, Spain, France and Ireland.

Linemark, which has received help from Business Link to grow, now employs 16 people and its turnover has grown to £1million thanks to its new product Impact which allows pitches to be painted using just three litres of paint rather than the traditional ten.