Meet Michael Sturm, Melos Sales Manager for the Business Unit Components and Systems, EMEA
Michael talks track, technical know-how and tangible achievements.
From toolmaking to the track, meet the hands-on, creative problem-solver who is driving business development across our fascinating APAC and EMEA regions.
Where did your interest in sport begin?
I was born and raised in Germany, although unusually for a German, football was never my game. Running was, and still is, a passion. I ran my first marathon at the age of 15 and competed in middle distance athletics at a regional level as a kid. I played most sports growing up, including basketball and badminton.
Tell us about your route into the sport surfaces business.
My father owned a sports flooring company and when I finished school in 1989, I joined the family business. We installed tracks, sand dressed turfs and Laykold courts.
After a few years I thought I should advance my education, so I trained as a toolmaker. After qualifying, I never actually worked as a toolmaker but I had enjoyed and it allowed me to learn to make parts for my own motorbike. It also increased my technical understanding of machines and how to fix them, which has helped me several times on job sites.
My career journey then took me into the car industry, where I spent two years working in sales for Jaguar Land Rover. I was part of a training program, which the car industry introduced to try and raise the standard of sales within the industry. I loved the experience. It was very structured and the requirements were tough. I learnt how to work with clients in a focused way, to ask questions and understand their needs better, which enabled me to come up with solutions.
What elements of your training have you carried with you into your current role?
Gaining my sales education in the car industry was extremely valuable, particularly when combined with my technical knowledge from the hands-on experience I gained working on site with tools. This technical background means that I can help our partners be more effective on the job site.
My training also taught me to find solutions and not just offer an off-the-peg system. This creative approach to problem problem-solving has served me well throughout my career, especially when I moved back into the sports surface construction industry in technical sales.
Tell us about your current role.
My role is to ensure the products we offer meet the needs of our customers. I work with our R&D and production teams to develop products that meet new market demands including adjusting existing systems to suit a project. With a focus on technical sales, I help our customers find the right technology and products to meet the needs of the project. And every project is different.
I am involved in establishing the certifications for some of our systems which is key to maintaining quality standards and trust, and I work with all parties involved in a project including our partners, architects, end customers, cities and facility owners. It is a fascinating and varied role.
Tell us about the regions you cover.
My role covers the Middle East, North Africa, Spain, the Netherlands, Belgium and North America and I must have visited over 100 countries over the course of my career delivering thousands of tracks, turfs, courts and playground facilities all over the world.
In Europe I sell playground and track components and in the USA my focus is on the components business.
In the Middle East and North Africa, I bring systems and components to the market. This includes our full global product portfolio including Laykold, Poligras, LigaTurf, Rekortan and PolyPlay.
There’s a huge focus on sport in the Middle East. What is the market like?
It is an amazing region to work in. The history and the development of the countries and cities is astounding – the growth in the last 30 years is off the charts.
Many of the Middle Eastern countries have ambitious green-growth futures which is inspiring. They are developing so quickly with state-of-the-art technology and ambitious future planning.
A healthy proportion of the people we work with are part of family-based businesses. Having spent my early career working in my father’s business, I find these companies very good to work with. They have a lot of experience, and feel real pride in what they are doing in their communities.
“Many of the Middle Eastern countries have ambitious green-growth futures which is inspiring. They are developing so quickly with state-of-the-art technology and ambitious future planning.”
Where are the biggest sporting facilities emerging?
Saudi Arabia, of course, has huge plans for sport, and are making a massive investment in facilities. I have never seen anything like it in my 30 years in the business.
And sports facilities are growing across the whole UAE. Many international schools are chasing first-class facilities and the cities are constantly developing new venues and high performance centers. For example, we recently completed the stadium in Dubai which hosted the Asian Under 20 Athletics Championships.
Morocco is the fastest-growing market in North Africa and the focus there is on football because they are hosting the 2025 African Cup of Nations and co-hosting the 2030 World Cup.
What’s your most interesting project?
There have been so many but a standout project was in 2011 in Kandahar, Afghanistan where I worked on the installation of an AstroTurf soccer turf and jogging track at the military base.
What is unique about Sport Group?
We are the manufacturer and have extensive and excellent installation experience through our own global Polytan installation teams. Our manufacturing competitors are, typically, not involved in the installation, but uniquely, we have the full supply chain from product development, to production right through to installation. This gives us continuous feedback from our own installers, and therefore much more quality control on materials and how they are used which in turn, gives the customer much greater support and confidence.
What do you like about the industry?
I'm not really a nine-to-five office person. I like a lot of variety and in this industry, nothing is ever the same. Although I know a lot and can pass on this knowledge, I learn something new with almost every project which is very stimulating.
I like challenges, international work, a mix of construction and sales. And I like solving problems for customers. There is also a very tangible reward. When the job is done you can look back and see something that everyone can be proud of.
What is the future of the industry?
Green technology is the future, and it needs to be advanced by the entire industry, otherwise we will all suffer with new regulations.
It is very important that we continue to focus on facilities which combine different sports. Space is a premium and we want the world to be full of lots of different sports. In North Africa, where there is a big focus on football we run the risk of large track facilities being converted to football-only venues. Stadiums being renovated or planned without running tracks is a global development which is a growing issue.
I also think that the industry must continue to have better regulation and quality testing. The end customer needs to know that what they are receiving onsite is what they have bought. This is a pressing issue and we risk undermining the best interests of the customers and the sports if we do not address it as a collective.
If you are not at Sport Group, where will we find you?
I may still be on a running track, but running, not working! Track and field has been a life-long passion and I have been very lucky to have attended many track events and met a whole host of track people and leaders. The dedication of the athletes is so impressive to me.
I continue to run marathons (my best time is 3h 36mins). The last one I ran was Rotterdam in 2022 and I intend to do more in the future. I am a member of a triathlon team, and an Iron Man 70.3 (1.9km swim, 90km bike plus a half marathon) is firmly on my bucket-list. I will start my harmonized training program for this event soon to be in shape for a race at the beginning of 2025.