Celebrating 90 years of the GMA
BLUES GUY THINKING
How Paul Burgess is transforming Chelsea FC’s turfcare tactics
INSIDE
FIFA World Cup 2026 pitch preparation
Pest management / Get set for SALTEX
/ £7.50
WELCOME
Turf education is key
During the recent UEFA EURO 2024 football tournament in Germany, comments were raised about the pitch in the match between England and Denmark. This is a reminder that the lead into tournament football is always a challenging time as the competition organisers work with the stadia grounds teams and supply their own network of experts.
Occasionally, pitches can fail – making headlines when they do. This is increasingly rare as our sector continues to shift the dial through innovation, technology and expertise, complementing the skills honed by grounds staff over the years. However, the planet’s changing weather patterns can put best-laid plans to rest.
Education is essential to help support pitch managers with these challenges and to this end the GMA’s Grounds Management Framework is gaining traction in the UK. This, combined with the progression of new sportsturf qualifications at Levels 2, 3 and 5 through the Trailblazer Group, show we are heading in a positive direction and creating the foundations to make it easier for future generations to enter the profession. Collaboration and support for sport from the new Labour government will also be key to the sector’s future.
It would be great if international tournament organisers ring fenced some of events’ profits to support the grounds teams in countries less invested than the UK to take up sportsturf management education. That would be a fantastic legacy!
Geoff Webb, GMA CEO
4 TWO-MINUTE UPDATE
News from across the industry
7 BRIEFING
Nominations open for GMA Awards 2025; Learning LIVE shaping up for SALTEX 2024; Ian Blakemore swaps office job for grounds career, thanks to GMA learning support
27 PAS UPDATE
Pitch care advice at Hampshire FA Forum
30 TECHNICAL INSIGHT
The opportunities and challenges in sustainable pest, weed and disease control; grass seed research for fast germination, establishment and recovery
39 IN ACTION
Products and services used by grounds teams around the world
43 MAINTENANCE TIPS
Autumn operations
CONTRIBUTORS
47 PRODUCT NEWS
The latest tools and tech from GMA Corporate Plus members
50 60 SECONDS WITH…
Ian Darler, the Cambridge United FC head groundsman raising funds for mental health support
FEATURES
14 Shaking the Blues
How Paul Burgess is developing high-quality, cost-effective and eco-friendly operations at Chelsea FC
18 ‘We see a bright future’ Alan Ferguson highlights the research behind pitch preparation for the 2026 FIFA World Cup in Canada, Mexico and the US
24 Maximising potential
Pitch management for combined community and professional use at Rothwell Juniors FC
Kirsty
KAREN MAXWELL Editor of Grounds Management magazine
COLIN HOSKINS
DAVID LYNCH Freelance journalist
DR ANDY CARMICHAEL Freelance writer and sportsturf academic
Germination, establishment and recovery
Occasionally areas of turfgrass will have more wear and tear than can be recovered through normal growth levels, and will need to be overseeded or re-seeded from scratch. Here we explain how research can inform the best ways to return sward to full coverage as quickly and healthily as possible
BY GEOFF FENN, RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR, ORIGIN AMENITY DIVISION
When returning turf to full coverage after suffering a period of excessive use, the first thing to consider is seed selection. For winter sports, perennial ryegrass is the species of choice due to its relatively fast growth and ability to withstand wear.
Traditional ryegrass cultivars have all been diploid (two sets of chromosomes), but tetraploid (four sets of chromosomes) cultivars have also been available in recent years. One of the differences between diploids and tetraploids is that tetraploids will germinate at lower soil temperatures than diploids.
Anyone who has used tetraploids will tell you that this type of seed really jumps out of the ground into good growth levels quicker than diploid seeds. At good growing temperatures, both seeds get moving quickly, but if you are seeding at lower soil temperatures, you will usually see tetraploids germinating quickly in larger numbers than diploids. Bear in mind that tetraploids have slightly different traits to diploids, so make sure you understand all the differences before choosing your seed.
SWARD ESTABLISHMENT IN SUMMER
If you are sowing seed in the warmer months, probably the most important factor is managing soil moisture
and ensuring your seed has sufficient water to germinate and establish.
At the Origin Amenity Turf Science and Technology Centre, we wanted to see if adding TriCure Granular wetting agent could improve establishment when rainfall/ irrigation was limited. In a pot trial in our glasshouse, we measured germination and establishment using high-, medium-, and lowirrigation regimes with and without TriCure Granular wetting agent.
We found significant benefit when using the granular wetting agent at
both of the lowered irrigation regimes. We also found an increased speed of emergence
Key points for establishing turf
Use the best seed for your site and situation. Application of TriCure Granular wetting agent improves emergence and establishment in suboptimal soil moisture. For fast recovery in winter, use fertiliser and germination sheets where possible to enable the fastest recovery. Be aware that restricting light to growing plants in spring can slow recovery if the sheets are left in place for too long.
Table 1: Germination percentage of turfgrass at different temperatures
Improved establishment with low irrigation Improved establishment with medium irrigation
period of establishment, all the research would suggest that the application of a wetting agent would help maintain sward coverage established during the period of high irrigation.
at the lowered-irrigation levels when the pots were treated with the wetting agent granules.
When high levels of irrigation were applied, there was no benefit in terms of sward coverage in establishing a new sward with a granular wetting agent. If, however, a drought period followed this initial
WEAR RECOVERY IN WINTER
At the Origin Amenity research site, we conducted a trial, starting in January, on the use of fertilisers and germination sheets to recover from wear. We used our artificial wear machine to wear out a ryegrass sward down to just under 25 per cent coverage. We then used a combination of
germination sheets, fertiliser and ryegrass seed, and measured the improvement in sward coverage over time. During this time, we artificially recreated one match per week to imitate wear from play.
This is one trial where pictures tell the whole story. When we pulled back the germination sheets in the first two months of the trial, the difference in turf growth and quality was clear. Anywhere we used sheets we saw big improvements in sward coverage. When we added both a fertiliser and germination sheets, we saw even more improvement. Keeping the sheets down for too long into spring reduced coverage. We believe the plant suffered from the reduction in light in comparison with uncovered turf. The lesson is to use germination sheets to aid recovery, but always allow the plant access to sunlight when sufficient is available.
Table 2: Germination sheets show the most rapid improvement in sward coverage
Above: Germination sheets applied following the use of the artificial wear machine
Above right and right: Improved turf growth, health and appearance under sheets
