GAME CHANGERS
CONTRIBUTORS
KAREN MAXWELL Editor of Grounds Management magazine
DR DEBORAH COX Managing director, Lagan Valley Scientific
BETH GIBBS
Groundsperson, Wellington School
COLIN HOSKINS Freelance writer and industry expert
DR IAIN JAMES Head of facilities, England and Wales Cricket Board
NEIL RODGER
Principal project manager, STRI Group
BEN WEATHERALL GMA key account manager RL
ASH WILLIS GMA PR and communications manager
WELCOME
Education is everywhere With the Grounds Management Framework now established, the GMA is increasing its influence in education and knowledge sharing within the grounds management sector.
Over the past 18 months, the GMA has witnessed a strong uptake of its accredited training programmes with an uplift of 7 per cent – and remains the only industry association accredited by the Government’s matrix Standard.
The recent GMA Connect pilot events at Ashton Gate Stadium in Bristol and Durham County Cricket Club have successfully brought turf professionals together to share innovative ideas and best practice, and these will continue to be rolled out across the country throughout 2026.
Meanwhile, the GMA NextGen group continues to represent young professionals in the industry and plays a vital role in attracting new talent to ‘empower the next generation’ to explore a rewarding career in the sector.
THESE INCLUSIVE INITIATIVES WILL GIVE MORE CHOICE AND ACCESS TO THOSE PROGRESSING THEIR CAREERS
We have also welcomed the creation of a new Level 5 Sports Turf Technical Manager apprenticeship, developed by the industry-led Sports Turf Apprenticeship Trailblazer Group, which is expected to be delivered later this year. The apprenticeship incorporates the Foundation Degree in Sports Turf, so learners can gain an industry-relevant qualification as part of their training.
These inclusive initiatives and learning opportunities will ultimately give more choice and access to those progressing their careers within the industry. The GMA is committed to delivering quality services and adapting to the changing roles of the modern-day sports-turf manager by helping them to build the relevant skills, knowledge and behaviours to enable them to succeed and thrive.
Geoff Webb, GMA CEO
GROUNDS MANAGEMENT
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Published on behalf of the Grounds Management Association by: Think, 65 Riding House Street, London, W1W 7EH t: 020 3771 7200
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BRIEFING
7 INDUSTRY NEWS
The latest developments from across the grounds-care sector
9 GMA UPDATE
Lord’s and AELTC host Schools into Stadia; GMA Connect events off to a flying start; new Level 5 apprenticeship incorporates Foundation Degree in Sports Turf; GMA reveals exclusive member perks for SALTEX 2025; grounds advice for drought conditions
17 PAS UPDATE
Grounds volunteers get hands-on experience with pre-match prep at Wigan’s Brick Community Stadium
19 NGB UPDATE
The GMA and the ECB have teamed up to ensure all players have access to good-quality, safe cricket surfaces
FEATURES
22 BEST PRACTICE: WEMBLEY STADIUM
Karl Standley on why his 100 per cent recyclable ‘lay and play’ pitches have upped the ante at Wembley Stadium
26 BEST PRACTICE: COMMUNITY SPORT
How London Youth Sport Trust transformed a crumbling sports ground into a top-quality, sustainable grassroots venue
TECHNICAL
33 GRAY LEAF SPOT UPDATE
How worried should we be about Pyricularia oryzae in UK sports turf?
37 THE RISE OF HYBRID SURFACES IN UK SPORT
The latest developments in hybrid technology and the pros and cons of the two main systems
40 IN ACTION
30 INTERVIEW
Beth Gibbs talks to fellow NextGen member Ollie Mahon about the challenges of multi-sport grounds care
50 60 SECONDS WITH…
Warwick Independent School’s Matt Barr on ambition, putting the work in and winning the GMA Newcomer of the Year award
Products and services used by Hearts FC, Keswick’s Hope and Fitz parks, Highfield and Brookham School, AFC Bournemouth, Ipswich School and Pitch Prep NW
43 MAINTENANCE TIPS
Autumn operations
47 PRODUCT NEWS
Product news and launches from Origin Amenity Solutions, STIHL, Ventrac, Dennis, Campey Turf Care and Hunter Industries
THINKING OUTSIDE THE BOX
Wembley Stadium’s Karl Standley explains the progressive, commercial approach his team has adopted for multi-use surface management post-COVID-19
BY COLIN HOSKINS, FREELANCE WRITER AND INDUSTRY EXPERT
Thinking outside the box is not something new to Karl Standley. Over the last few years, he has seen his role as head of the grounds team at Wembley Stadium change considerably.
“At my core I am head of grounds, but I also have a commercial hat on that has led to a new way of thinking postCOVID-19,” he explains.
“My role now is not just to deliver a world-class surface suitable for sports fixtures, but to create a space that can host a variety of events all year round.”
PEOPLE WITH PASSION
Karl’s grounds team, plus his matchday support crew, are collectively “a huge asset to the FA and the stadium – and is a group of which I am hugely proud”. Karl says he is a huge believer in culture and leading by example. “We have an open policy here, and that starts with me. I lead the team, and would take the hit if something negative happens to protect my team, but when it’s good they shine in front of me. That’s because they always give 100 per cent and believe in what they do.”
Key to that thinking is the lay-and-play hybrid turf system Wembley introduced in 2022 – something Karl says has been a game changer for the stadium’s overall operating plan.
The lay and play concept means that formerly unachievable tight turnarounds between music and sport events are now possible, with a new pitch being playable within hours instead of up to the five weeks needed with traditional renovation and grow-in.
“Our initial conversations about lay and play were during the COVID-19 shutdown,” Karl says. “I wanted Wembley to come back quicker and bigger than ever.
“On average we have three new pitches every year and I wanted a process that would reduce traditional renovation and pitch grown-in times from, say, 35–40 days to around three days.
“Crucially, I also wanted a sublime surface that not only suited football but also the other sports we host. In particular, NFL games – the biggest test for any surface – as well as a heavy usage of [sometimes] five games in 10 days.
“Most importantly, we wanted a pitch model that would enable us to expand our sell-out music concert season in this 90,000-seat venue and allow more events at peak times of the year.”
Karl on line-marking duty on
Wembley Stadium’s recyclable playing surface of hybrid perennial ryegrass and single plastic
STRATEGIC PLANNING
Before Wembley could even consider adopting lay and play, the team had to be sure it would work.
It was Karl’s job to prove to the board, and the Strategic Leadership Team (of which he is a key member), that it could be done – and without putting in jeopardy any large-scale events that were already booked in.
Not an easy ask when Wembley hosts England fixtures, FA Cup finals and other major finals every year – plus the UEFA Champions League final on the horizon in 2024.
“Formulating the lay-and-play model for multi-use purposes at Wembley was a huge project” says Karl.
“The entire operation needed the buy-in from the stadium, the FA and multiple stakeholders. It was a
A SUSTAINABLE PITCH
It was a eureka moment for Karl when, using his home barbeque, he converted some of the plastic sward from a hybrid carpet into a usable plastic coaster, and then he knew then that “a 100 per cent recyclable pitch was a reality”.
“The idea of using a pitch that was totally recyclable came to me a few years ago,” he says. “I don’t think it’s right to put hybrid pitches into landfill so I sat down with Hewitt Sportsturf [Wembley’s pitch supply partner] to look at the process of pitch install and removal with a focus on its end of life.
“It proved tricky to recycle the plastics content, as most growers incorporate multiple plastics,” he says.
“After investigating several carpets, we knew we needed one with a single plastic; a pitch that would not only deliver the playability needed, but also meet our recycling target. We then discovered Hatko’s Hybridgrass, containing 5 per cent Omega XL polyethylene (no latex nor PU coated).
MY MOTTO IS ‘FAIL TO PREPARE, PREPARE TO FAIL’, AND WE LOOK AT EVERY DETAIL, EVEN TRACKING THE DELIVERY TRUCKS SO THAT THE TURF IS DELIVERED AT A PRECISE TIME IN OPTIMUM CONDITION
commercial game changer driven by the Wembley grounds team.
“We had to test every stage of the process – including grow time, potential damage during transport and how the turf reacts when it comes into the stadium’s negative microclimate.
“It’s a very precise procedure, with huge logistical challenges, and we closely monitored every stage.
“Our initial lay-and-play pitch was given the thumbs-up by three of our main stakeholders for football and NFL – England’s men’s first team and England’s Lionesses, and NFL teams the Jackonsville Jaguars and Denver Broncos.
“Once we got that, it was full steam ahead,” Karl says.
Achieving a new playing surface that consistently meets all of Karl’s
“Once we agreed on a single plastic, with playability as a core focus, we looked for a way to a recycle the surface. Once the separation of the natural turf and sand was complete, with the help of team member Brendan Abbott, we looked for a solution for the plastic in the carpet.
“I played around with a few things at home to heat and remould it and managed to make a drinks coaster by heating a certain material mix at a set temperature. A week later, I placed the coaster on the Wembley boardroom table during a senior management meeting said: ‘I think we can do this’.
“We went full steam ahead with the project and, partnering with a specialist plastics recycler (Circular 11) have used the polyethylene to create benches and planters, some of which are now used at grassroots football venues.”
The recycling project took around two years to complete and the process is being adopted by a number of Premier League clubs.
playability, stability and aesthetic criteria is a real team effort.
“My motto is ‘fail to prepare, prepare to fail’, and we look at every detail of the entire process, even tracking the delivery trucks so that the turf is delivered at a precise time in optimum condition.
“The grounds team – which comprises five other full-time staff members plus the 25-strong match-day support team, who are all available for pitch installation – is primed and installation is like a military operation with the crew of up to 30 split into three teams/ three shifts to complete the entire installation process.
Two variations of carpet are used to meet the stadium’s high usage: 55mm total depth for football and 60mm for multi-use such as NFL games and rugby events. The sward is kept at 21mm to 25mm depending on the code of sport. Nowadays, the existing playing surface is removed in one smooth operation (no Koroing, nor renovation) and 730 rolls of turf weighing 800 tonnes are laid in strips measuring 1.2m x 10 metres. All this within just three days.
EVENTS CALENDAR
In 2024, Wembley Stadium hosted 40 major events – a number that’s set to increase this year.
Left: Cameron Hutcheon, Liddy Ford, Brendan Abbott, Chris Ross and David Moulds preparing the pitch for the FA Cup semi-finals
Below left: NFL games present a challenge to Wembley’s playing surface
Below right: Getting the goal area ready for action
WORLDWIDE KNOWLEDGE
SHARING AND INNOVATION
Karl says he’s lucky to be able to meet groundspeople from all over the world. For instance, in the same week that he took a call with the Real Madrid grounds team regarding their collaboration, he was joined by Parker McGlone from the Mercedez Benz Stadium in Atlanta, home of the Atlanta Falcons and Atlanta United.
Parker was shadowing the Wembley team as Atlanta prepares for the FIFA 2025 Club World Cup and FIFA 2026 World Cup.
“I met Parker while working on the NFL International series games in Munich, being introduced by Nick Pappas, director of fields at the NFL, a close friend and a true ‘driver’ of grounds-care innovation,” says Karl.
“These friendships are underpinned by mentalities that are focused on innovation, development and pushing boundaries. Add in the likes of Jacksonville Jaguars’ Nick Fedewa, Danny Lossito from the Carolina Panthers and Mike Reno from the NFL, plus so many more, and it adds up to a great team.
“The speed of the re-laying/grow-in model is allowing us to present more availability in our summer calendar to accommodate events.
“For example, we now have multi-night residencies for the likes of Coldplay, Oasis and Taylor Swift – enabling us to deliver some of the world’s best events with minimal downtime and the utmost efficiency, which, as a grounds team, is our priority.”
In fact, this summer, after hosting the last of a series of concerts by Oasis on 3 August, Wembley will stage the Community Shield game, on a new pitch, on 10 August.
THE LAY-AND-PLAY MODEL
Wembley’s lay-and-play model is based on growing the new pitches – often three or four at a time at different stages of growth, 10 to 12 weeks out from when they will be needed – at the turf nursery of County Turf and Hewitt Sportsturf, which adopts a bespoke pitch management plan, to Karl’s specification, based on cultural and mechanical operations, as well as the application of nutrients. These include a popular growth regulator to help increase turf density, improve stress tolerance and enhance playability.
“I want pitches with excellent root mass, akin to those of the warmseason grass surfaces in North American stadia. While the Wembley team knows how to ‘push a pitch on’, I wanted to get as close as I could to the US model.
“The comparative ease of installation of the lay-and-play model also means we can run transitions as we did in 2024 for the Heavyweight Championship fight, where one third of the surface was removed post-fight, re-installed and played on within a few days of the event.”
“During a previous pitch removal and installation, we ran ‘the Oasis scenario’ under similar time constraints. We found weak points and bottlenecks, then we developed the solutions. We now know how to manage that process and, while there will always be the occasional curve ball, my experienced team can adapt and overcome,” explains Karl.
“During a new pitch install, 800 tonnes of turf will be removed and 800 tonnes installed in just two and a half days. It’s 24 hours a day work and is pressure at its best. It’s something we challenge ourselves, our suppliers and the venue to do. It’s the hallowed Wembley turf after all.”
