IN ACTION
Controlling the flow at Fulham FC Sportsturf Irrigation has been using Rain Bird products at Fulham FC’s grounds for four years, saving time and money and giving great results Sportsturf Irrigation, under Andy Burbridge, has been managing Fulham FC’s irrigation requirements for over four years. During this time Andy has not only supplied the Rain Bird irrigation system for Craven Cottage, but also for the club’s Motspur Park training facilities. Here, five pitches are irrigated by pitchside and on-pitch sprinklers, all controlled by two ESP-LXD controllers. “Sportsturf Irrigation’s technical knowledge and professionalism coupled with excellent response times have been vital to us and key to our longstanding working relationship,” says Dave Tatnell, head groundsman. Sportsturf Irrigation was originally called in to examine specific leakage problems with existing irrigation mains and unacceptable levels of water wastage at Motspur Park. The company’s ability to provide a solution, including installation of a new pump set, resulted in Fulham FC seeking advice on how to improve the existing irrigation at the training ground to make it more effective, more controllable and able to meet the needs of modern football training regimes. Water conservation and reducing expenditure on water were also very important requirements. “Our approach with any project of this type is to look at the site as a whole. We used our experience to provide seamless integration of irrigation across the whole facility rather than on just a pitch-by-pitch basis,” says Andy. The first Rain Bird ESP-LXD controller was specified to control the irrigation for three training pitches constructed from sand and soil, and sand and fibre. A second unit controls the more demanding irrigation requirements of two hybrid SISGrass pitches. Eagle 950 pitchside and 8005 on-pitch turf top sprinklers provide uniform and highly
reliable irrigation and two 150m3 water tanks were also installed next to the pump house where the controllers were located. The Rain Bird IQ Cloud Sportsturf desktop management Irrigation’s Andy system is located in the Burbridge (right) with Fulham’s Motspur Park pitchside Dave Tatnell office. Its flexible programming allows grounds staff to carry out many different functions including comprehensive coverage to the pitch stopping and starting irrigation for pitch preparation and to “slick up” programs and stations, using event logs the new hybrid pitch in just four minutes to check on activity, and increasing at half time on match days. Irrigation or decreasing watering schedules in is all securely controlled using another accordance with predicted weather Rain Bird EXP-LXD decoder-based conditions. Water can be saved by controller which allows PC, smart reducing sprinkler usage by as much phone or manual operation pitchside by as 50% in wet spells and if necessary the grounds staff. increasing it during dry weather. This All of Sportsturf Irrigation’s level of control, combined with the current 12 Rain Bird installations impact of the new irrigation system can be closely managed using the right across Motspur Park, is estimated IQ Cloud management system. to bring in financial savings on water Andy runs both desktop and mobile usage by as much as £15,000 per annum. versions of the program, allowing him It was also important for the via a communication cartridge to grounds team to change irrigation interrogate at his convenience all of his regimes and override pre-programmed customers’ Rain Bird ESP-LXD irrigation schedules as quickly as possible during controllers under his management, training sessions. “We can be asked to including Fulham’s. ‘slick up’ just certain parts of the pitch “IQ Cloud is very versatile and for certain periods of time or even allows me to change programming just for training sessions with certain schedules on behalf of clients, players. Through GSM modules mounted run diagnostics and fault-finding in the controller, we do this easily programs, identify emerging problems pitchside with our customised mobile before the customer does and make Rain Bird app that we can use from our recommendations for improvements. smart phones,” says Dave. This more often than not means not Sportsturf Irrigation has worked having to go on site, saving my clients’ alongside contractor Kestrel Contracts time and money and in the football at Motspur Park since summer 2016 and world especially, where reaction times with Clive Richardson Limited sports are paramount, this helps to ensure the ground design and construction at best possible service,” says Andy. Craven Cottage. In 2017, a new Rain Bird irrigation system was installed For more information visit there and was required to provide www.rainbird.eu
thegma.org.uk | GROUNDS MANAGEMENT 25
