The Groundsman August 2017

THE

GROUNDSMAN WWW.IOG.ORG

AUGUST 2017 £4.00

ACHIEVING EXCELLENCE IN GROUNDS MANAGEMENT

IN A LEAGUE OF THEIR OWN The IOG award-winning team at Nottingham University has now got its sights set on grass glory

INS IDE

PITCH RENOVATION IN GEORGIA IOG BOARD REPORT & AGM MINUTES LONG-TERM GRASS SEED DEVELOPMENT TRIALS PRODUCT SHOWCASE: ARTIFICIAL SURFACE MAINTENANCE, SWEEPERS, BLOWERS, COLLECTORS & VACS

TECH UPDATE

The Met Office’s best tools for forecasting the weather page 28

Contents

August 2017 FIELD GOAL

REGULARS 05 Welcome

Award-winning pitch maintenance at the University of Nottingham page 16

Media scrutiny

06 Update

The latest industry news

15 SALTEX 2017

Registration is now open

20 Member benefits

The IOG Board report and AGM minutes

28 Technical update

The Met Office advice

16

37 Product showcase

Artificial surface maintenance, sweepers, blowers, collectors and vacs

45 Tools & guidance

Maintenance and weather

FEATURES 16 COVER: Best practice

The award-winning grounds team at Nottingham University

27 In action

Bespoke seed mixes and the Ventrac 4500

31 Grass seed

20

Long-term development trials

ON THE COVER

32 Profile

Preparing Georgia for a rugby world championship

The David Ross Sports Village at Nottingham University

43 In action

Cost-effective solutions

50 Grow with the IOG

Training courses to get you and your pitch ‘match ready’

32

43

THE GROUNDSMAN

Editorial address: 28 Stratford Office Village Walker Avenue Wolverton Mill East Milton Keynes, MK12 5TW t: 01908 312511 Managing editor Karen Maxwell e: kmaxwell@iog.org t: 01908 552987 Features editor Colin Hoskins e: editor@iog.org t: 01634 832 221 Product editor Marianne Rawlins e: mariannerawlins@jppublishing.co.uk t: 01225 337777 IOG membership and general enquiries t: 01908 312511 e: membership@iog.org Magazine subscriptions Sue Fernandes t: 01908 312511 e: accounts@iog.org Subscriptions £72 UK, £82 Europe, £112 rest of world Publisher James Houston Head of Design Simon Goddard Advertising Parminder Sangha e: parmindersangha@jppublishing.co.uk t: 0203 859 7097 Published by James Pembroke Publishing The Groundsman is published monthly by the Institute of Groundsmanship. All material is copyright of the Institute of Groundsmanship and may not be reproduced without permission. The publishers do not accept responsibility for any advertisement appearing in the journal and cannot be held liable for editorial omissions or errors. The views expressed in the journal are not necessarily those of the Institute of Groundsmanship.

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Welcome

Contributors

Media scrutiny

Karen Maxwell Managing editor

High-profile sporting events enable our industry to proudly display our professionalism, dedication and skill. Yet it appears that the higher the profile then the greater the interest… and the pressure.

Too often, when a surface is called into question in professional sport, the resulting media interest creates a level of intensity and pressure on individuals that is both unnecessary and unwarranted.

We have supremely engineered and technologically advanced surfaces, which are honed by great turf professionals who use a combination of skill, application, science, hard work, dedication, commitment and passion, and are backed up by suppliers of innovative products. Yet for all these attributes, we remain subject to the vagaries of the weather and the resultant challenges. In the south east of the country, for example, we have recently experienced a severe lack of rainfall which has been compounded by intense summer heat.

Regrettably, in the build-up to The Championships at Wimbledon, these conditions caused a great amount of comment during the first week of the tournament. As players went public with their views, the result was intense public scrutiny of the courts via the national and international media. Yet the reality was that the courts held up well in week two and normal service was resumed.

I am yet to meet anyone who sets out to prepare a poor surface, so are our modernday athletes and players over-pampered? Is there an imbalance in expectations?

While it seems we are pushing the boundaries to constantly improve the playing surfaces that today’s athletes demand, do our top grounds professionals get a fair deal for the dedicated hours they put into preparing those surfaces? Are the ramifications of any criticism fully explored or understood?

Because of the intense scrutiny that any imperfection, perceived or otherwise, throws up, our professionals are under the spotlight more often. Perhaps it’s a case of the standards being so high that any apparent issue is magnified to a far greater extent than before? There certainly appears to be a wider interest in the surfaces produced by the wider public than ever before.

Are we therefore victims of our own success? Of course, the great thing about sport is that nobody can truly predict an outcome; favourites don’t always win. But what is for sure is that wherever sport is played the surfaces here in the UK are in the main a key contributor to successful sporting outcomes.

Conscious of the need to provide the core skills required to be a modern-day groundsman, we are progressing with our plans to roll out a Nationwide Framework for Natural Turf, linking standards of facilities (backed by evidence) alongside a complete suite of qualifications.

Many of the issues raised above will be on the agenda for this year’s Learning LIVE education programme at SALTEX. The full programme will be released in September, but visitor registration to the show is open now – so, sign up (at www.iogsaltex.com) to attend, listen, network and engage at the Birmingham NEC on 1-2 November.

Colin Hoskins Features editor

Chris Bennett SALTEX press officer

Steven Davey Met Office sport, leisure, industry and infrastructure manager

Colin Wooster Head groundsman at Charlton Park Rugby Club

Geoff Webb Chief Executive The Institute of Groundsmanship

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Dan Prest IOG head of member services

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Update THE LATEST HEADLINES FROM THE IOG AND THE INDUSTRY

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IOG NEWS

Read all the latest news and updates, and discover what members are entitled to www.iog.org

RUBBER CRUMB

Statement on 3G pitches

New FAQ advice and information available THE IOG HAS contributed to the production of a series of frequently asked questions on the use of rubber crumb in 3G pitches. Led by Sport England and other stakeholders these FAQs (at www.groundsmanship. co.uk/3Gpitches) are provided for general information only.

The FAQs are based on information, research and material that is currently in the public domain and will be continually kept under review and updated as necessary. However, they are not intended to be comprehensive guidance or to replace the need for specialist technical advisors on specific sites/projects or concerns.

The IOG will continue to monitor any new evidence arising especially concerning the cause and link associated with the issue of Hodgkin’s and non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma associated with rubber crumb infill.

A position statement in response to questions and concerns regarding third generation (3G) artificial grass pitches was also agreed: “Third generation or 3G artificial grass pitches are recognised as durable, safe, year-round playing surfaces, able to withstand intensive use and all kinds of weather. They mean more people can benefit from all the associated social and health benefits of physical activity.

“Concerns have, however, been raised about the safety associated with these pitches and their constituent parts, most commonly the presence of rubber crumb. The IOG takes these concerns very seriously.

“The IOG has monitored numerous independent scientific studies on this issue, which have reported a very low/ negligible level of concern for human

6 THE GROUNDSMAN August 2017

The joint statement addresses safety concerns

health as a result of 3G pitches and rubber crumb.

“Indeed, the European Chemicals Agency has recently published its own findings, following an extensive EUwide study, and has found no reason to advise people against playing sport on 3G pitches with rubber crumb.

“The Sports and Play Construction Association (SAPCA), the UK trade body for the sports pitch industry, is developing a voluntary industry standard that will provide minimum requirements that go above and beyond what is currently required for rubber crumb under European regulation.

“The IOG, Sport England and leading sport governing bodies all support this approach and will continue to work with the industry to provide reassurance that pitches in this country are safe.”

• The key stakeholders are the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport, England Hockey, The Football Association, the Football Foundation, the IOG, the Rugby Football League, the Rugby Football Union, SAPCA and Sport England. www.groundsmanship.co.uk/3Gpitches

SAVE THE DATE

BOOKINGS FOR IOG AWARDS NOW OPEN

TICKETS ARE NOW available for this year’s IOG Industry Awards being held in Birmingham on Wednesday 1 November.

The event, sponsored by Rigby Taylor and Top Green, is on the evening of the opening day of the SALTEX exhibition, and will be hosted by talkSPORT radio presenter Mark Saggers with after-dinner entertainment

by Kev Orkian.

Kev has performed at some of the UK’s most well-respected comedy venues and private functions for the royal families of Oman, Dubai and Abu Dhabi, as well as the 89th birthday celebrations for Prince Phillip.

IOG chief executive, Geoff Webb, said: ”Now in its ninth year, the IOG Industry Awards this year have some new categories that reflect the diversity of the industry, and in particular we welcome the new professional awards for football that recognise, nationwide, those working at all levels.”

Places cost £90 for IOG members (£180 for non-members).

Download the form from www.iog.org/awards, complete and email to events@iog.org or call 01908 552 988.

U P D AT E

NEWS

BRANCH UPDATE

YORKSHIRE BRANCH NEWS

CAFRE College students – last year’s SALTEX College Cup winners

TEAMS SIGN UP

SALTEX College Cup 2017 gathers momentum THE IOG is pleased to announce that seven land-based educational colleges have now confirmed their attendance in the SALTEX College Cup competition, sponsored by Ransomes, which will be held on 1 November within SALTEX at Birmingham NEC. One team of four students from Askham Bryan College, Bridgwater & Taunton College, CAFRE Greenmount Campus, Kirkley Hall Campus at Northumberland College, Moulton College, Myerscough College and Writtle University College will be taking part in the competition.

Commenting on the confirmed entrants, organiser and IOG head of

MEMBER BENEFITS

IOG MEMBER OFFER INCLUDES:

WHAT’S ALL THE NOISE ABOUT? THE IOG HAS teamed up with Earlsmere Ltd, the UK’s leading provider of noise and vibration testing services, to offer a special deal to IOG members.

Earlsmere is offering a 15 per cent discount on equipment vibration and noise tests, and vibration training packages – a £225 saving on the standard package price of £1,495.

The offer includes free machinery maintenance and usage software.

For more information please contact the IOG membership team, on 01908 311 512 or email tgray@iog.org.

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member services, Dan Prest, says: “The SALTEX College Cup is a great opportunity to demonstrate the effort that both the colleges and the students go through to ensure they are up to date with technical advances and industry trends as well as understanding the fundamentals of horticulture and groundsmanship.

“The winning team will receive the SALTEX College Cup and a £500 cheque for the college’s turf department, while each student will receive a £50 Amazon voucher and will be offered the chance to gain a day’s work experience at an elite sporting venue.”

30 handheld power tools/ petrol OPE products tested, certified and tagged (Hand Arm Vibration) 10 ride-on items of plant, mowers or similar tested, certified and tagged (Whole Body Vibration) Training in the causes and prevention of arm-hand vibration. Includes course notes, certificates and Q&A session Limited offer TOOLMINDER software included (RRP £395) include free upload of your data.

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THE YORKSHIRE BRANCH has said farewell to long-serving IOG member David Evans, who has retired after 31 years as Leeds University’s head of grounds and gardens.

The Yorkshire Branch secretary, Rod Heyhoe, has been awarded honorary life membership of the All Rounder Sports Bradford Premier Cricket League for services to the league and groundsmanship over many years.

There was a good attendance for the Branch’s visit to Anfield on June 7; thanks to head groundsman David Roberts for ensuring everyone had a great day.

MEMBER OFFER

THREE MONTHS’ FREE PROSPECT MEMBERSHIP UNDER THE TERMS of the IOG’s partnership with Prospect, the trade union that represents football officials, cricket umpires, grounds staff and other sports professionals, IOG members can enjoy the first three months of Prospect membership for free.

Make the most of this offer by joining Prospect now – to ensure that you get the right advice and are protected should you end up in a dispute situation at work.

For more information, visit www.prospect.org.uk

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U P D AT E

NEWS

SPANISH SIGNING

GREENTEK SIGNS AGRONIMER DEAL

GREENS CARE FIRM GreenTek has signed a deal with Agronimer for the Murcia-based firm to distribute its products in Spain.

Agronimer has been John Deere’s official dealership for more than 45 years.

The move will introduce GreenTek brands such as the Thatch-Away Supa-System, True Surface Rollers and Aero Quick to the Spanish John Deere portfolio. www.greentek.uk.com

DISTRIBUTION DEAL

MANAGER MAKES FIRST SIGNING SIX MONTHS into his job as central area turf manager for Charterhouse Turf Machinery, Richard Lucas has appointed his first new dealer.

Charlies Groundcare will be distributing the Redexim range of products in the Shropshire region.

Ian Trevor, sales manager at Charlies Groundcare, which also sells John Deere products, said: “We’re delighted to be working with Charterhouse and adding their vast selection of machinery to our portfolio.” www.charterhouse-tm.co.uk

The ECB is testing SISGrass pitches

FIRST TEST

ECB TRIAL HYBRID PITCH THE ENGLAND CRICKET Board (ECB) has installed two SISGrass wickets at the National Cricket Performance Centre in Loughborough.

The ECB is the first to install a trial wicket using SISGrass Universal.

The pitches combine natural turf grass with around five per cent of twisted yarn. In football, that has led to considerable improvements in stability and durability and the ECB wants to find out whether there could be equivalent advantages for cricket.

Chris Wood, the ECB’s pitches consultant, said: “Most Premier League venues now use hybrid pitches, and I think it’s obvious that those pitches have been of a far more consistently high quality, around all clubs and throughout the season.”

In other SIS news, Birmingham City will kick start the new Championship season on a new SISGrass hybrid pitch.

The stitching of the turf took place at St Andrews in June, in preparation for the new season under boss Harry Redknapp. www.sispitches.com

NEW £1.8M RUGBY FACILITY THE IRISH RUGBY Football Union (IRFU) is investing £1.8m in a new high-tech rugby facility as it ramps up its bid for the 2023 World Cup. The facility, which will include a gym, a covered half-pitch training facility and three full-sized outdoor rugby pitches, will be part of Sport Ireland’s National Indoor Arena, on the National Sports Campus in Abbottstown, and will be used by all of Ireland’s international men’s and women’s teams.

IRFU chief executive Philip Browne said the centre would be a “significant leap forward” for the sport.

IRFU chief executive Philip Browne

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Are you making the most of your IOG membership? We have membership packages to suit all sectors of the industry, and there are fantastic benefits, from bespoke training to discounted turf care advice.

Find out more at: www.iog.org/ membership/packages

8 THE GROUNDSMAN August 2017

GreenFields is expanding its team of groundsmen SPORT TURF TECHNOLOGY specialist GreenFields is looking to expand its team by employing a groundsman and junior groundsman with immediate effect.

The groundsman position will be part of a national maintenance team working at a number of high-profile

sporting venues – with the main base at the Ricoh Arena, Coventry. The junior groundsman will be part of the grounds team based at the Ricoh Arena and will assist with pitch maintenance and day-to-day operations.

Please contact: mark.bucknall@ greenfields.eu for more information.

U P D AT E

NEWS

NEW TEAM

REESINK RECRUITS A RECRUITMENT DRIVE by Reesink Turfcare in East Anglia has proved successful, with five new members joining the team in St Neots, Cambridgeshire.

Stuart Hall joins the company as service manager and Andrew Carpenter comes on board as parts supervisor.

Stuart was formerly workshop manager at John O’Gaunt Golf Club, where he worked for 25 years, and Andrew Carpenter worked for Lely Turfcare for nine years.

Stuart and Andrew will be supported by a team that includes three new technicians. Matt Thomas and Liam Pindred join the mobile technician team and Keith Knight joins the internal workshop team. www.reesinkturfcare.co.uk

New team members Matt Thomas, Liam Pindred, Stuart Hall, Andy Carpenter and Keith Knight (far right) with existing team member Matt Ragus (second from right)

NEW FRANCHISE

PRICE TURFCARE DEAL PRICE TURFCARE has been awarded the UK and Ireland distribution rights for the Ryan range of turf maintenance equipment.

Initially, Price Turfcare will be the joint distributor alongside existing distributor Ransomes Jacobson, but it will become the exclusive UK distributor at the beginning of 2018. priceturfcare.com Price Turfcare will sell Ryan products

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The LTA is investing £125m in tennis facilities

COURTS REVAMPED

LTA INVESTS IN GRASSROOTS FACILITIES THOUSANDS OF COMMUNITY tennis courts across the country will be revamped as part of the Lawn Tennis Association’s (LTA) largest ever grassroots investment.

The national governing body will plough £125m into the transformation of British tennis courts over the next 10 years.

As part of the strategy, 750 courts will be covered and a further 4,000 will be floodlit. In addition, online booking and entry systems will be implemented for 3,000 courts so that facilities can be booked from mobile phone, computer or tablet.

Clubhouses and social spaces linked to courts and clubs will also be refurbished.

To deliver the project, the LTA plans to work with local authorities and businesses to put together funding packages for facilities. It is hoping to unlock a further £125m for the project.

Local authorities, tennis clubs, parks, businesses and educational institutions are being asked to bid for funding.

Alastair Marks, participation director at the LTA, said there had “never been a better time to invest” in tennis. “At a time when more and more people are enjoying the resurgence of British tennis, we’re focused on getting the next generation of players on court and having fun,” he added. www.lta.org.uk

BUSINESS DEAL

Firms join forces to share skills

SHERRIFF AMENITY, the fine turf and landscaping division of Agrovista UK, one of the UK’s leading agronomy firms, has acquired Terra Firma (Scotland), one of Scotland’s largest specialist suppliers to the amenity and local authority markets.

The deal will allow the two firms to combine existing technical expertise and product ranges to provide land managers, local authorities, contractors, groundsmen and greenkeepers in Scotland with a full agronomy service, research-driven advice, product innovation and access to an

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extensive distribution network.

Simon Gough, founder of Terra Firma (Scotland) said: “The combination of both companies’ industry knowledge, experience and customer service ethos will form a strong, sustainable and service focused business model moving forward.”

Chris Clayton of Agrovista said: “The acquisition will provide synergies across the business.”

The new structure will retain all existing staff and the combined team will be led by Simon Gough. www.sherriffamenity.com

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U P D AT E

NEWS

PRODUCT UPDATE

SHOWCASE Find more products in our Showcase section Page 37

The latest developments in irrigation, sharpening and transportation

3 LET THE DONKY DO THE WORK 10% DISCOUNT

XFS Dripline limits root in�ltration

1XFS DRIPLINE SYSTEM RAIN BIRD

RAIN BIRD HAS released a new 1.6 litre per hour dripline system that promises to limit the risk of root infiltration.

Sub-surface dripline irrigation is recognised as being the most efficient method of watering shrubs, plants and grass but its effectiveness has been compromised by the risk of roots getting into the emitters and the limitations of available flow rates.

The new XFS Dripline system has smaller emitters, which are less likely to be compromised, and releases copper ions that bind to an attacking root tip.

The lower water flow means that longer runs of XFS dripline can be used, resulting in more efficient irrigation system layouts and less on-site cutting and joining for the installer. www.rainbird.eu

2 555 SRI GRINDER NEARY

CHESHIRE TURF MACHINERY is the first company in the UK to install the new Neary 555 SRI professional grinder. The firm has installed the machine with workstation tail lift at its base in Stockport. It boasts a fast, efficient action for spin grinding and delivers an even sharper, longer lasting relief angle on all professional mower blades. www.prosportukltd.com

12 THE GROUNDSMAN August 2017

Neary supplier Ian Robson of Prosport and Mark Woodward of Cheshire Turf Machinery

SINCE ITS LAUNCH in 2015, the environmentally friendly Donky has become a popular choice for landscape managers and Etesia UK’s electric wheelbarrow is now available with a 10 per cent discount.

Lightweight, comfortable and fuel efficient, the machine is suitable for a variety of jobs including cleaning, landscaping, snow removal, and transportation of liquids and work platforms.

Working in complete silence, the Donky can move up to 250kg or 180 litres (400 litres with the boards) in one trip. It also features a tray emptying function controlled by a central lever.

A 1,700W engine, electronic advance management and two driving wheels with an agricultural profile mean the Donky is comfortable traversing difficult terrain and it is widely used on building and landscaping sites, breeding farms and plant nurseries and for snow clearing, green space maintenance and vegetable farming. www.etesia.co.uk

U P D AT E

S A LT E X

Online registration will make your entry to SALTEX quick and easy

YOUR INDUSTRY, YOUR SHOW

By Chris Bennett

The countdown to Europe’s largest annual turf management event has officially begun, marked by the opening of online visitor registration

S

ALTEX 2017 takes place at the NEC, Birmingham, on 1-2 November, and the event has already attracted over 250 exhibitors – a number that’s set to grow in the weeks leading to the event. Confirmed to return are many leading brand names spanning the whole turf management industry, including manufacturers and suppliers of world-class products and services for the maintenance of pitches, grounds, landscaping, parks and estates.

SALTEX will also once again boast unique show features such as: Learning LIVE – a free-to-attend education programme offering grounds and open space practitioners across all disciplines, volunteer as well as professional, the chance to increase their CPD points.

Outdoor demonstrations – providing an opportunity to see a number of products in action directly outside the SALTEX halls 6, 7 and 8.

The SALTEX College Cup – a national student-led sports turf challenge sponsored by Ransomes.

Pathology & Soil Science LIVE – allowing visitors to look in detail at the symptoms of some common turf grass fungal disease problems.

The Young Groundsmen’s Conference sponsored by Rigby Taylor and Top Green – an ideal opportunity for young people looking to advance their career in the groundscare industry.

Ask the Expert – free pitch care advice from the IOG’s team of regional pitch advisors based in the IOG Hub. The IOG Industry Awards – the UK’s biggest celebration in groundsmanship held on the evening of the first day (1 November) at the National Motorcycle Museum.

NEW for 2017! Careers advice area – the chance to receive one-to-one advice from industry expert Frank Newberry on how to progress your career, write a compelling CV and perform well in an interview situation.

REGISTER ONLINE TODAY

Visitors can register to attend SALTEX via the website – www.iogsaltex.com – and will receive a confirmation email with their

SALTEX press officer

badge to print and take along to the show in November, to gain free entry.

“The registration process is simple and takes a couple of minutes to complete, saving you time on the day and giving you longer to enjoy the show,” says Matthew Knight, event director.

He continues: “We’ve already got a fantastic range of exhibitors lined up – the world’s best manufacturers and suppliers which will use the show to present their latest products and innovations, offers and promotions. Combined with the show’s unique features, there truly is opportunity at every turn for anyone involved or working in the turf management industry.”

Located in the centre of the UK, whether you are travelling from overseas or within the UK, the NEC is incredibly easy to get to by car, rail or air.

SALTEX 2017 is free to attend.

To register your attendance and beat the queues visit www.iogsaltex.com Follow SALTEX on Twitter @IOG_SALTEX and Facebook – www.facebook.com/IOGSALTEX

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www.iog.org THE GROUNDSMAN 15

IOG BEST PRACTICE

THE PITCH SHERIFFS OF NOTTINGHAM Having won the 2016 IOG Industry Award for Best Maintained Artificial Pitch, the University of Nottingham grounds team’s mission now is to elevate its grass pitches to similar levels of national recognition

ABOUT GREG SMITH Greg Smith’s groundscare career started in the 1980s, at the Boots Athletic Club Sports Ground. He then joined Notts Country FC and enjoyed 15 years as head groundsman then stadium manager, before joining the University of Nottingham in 2015.

16 THE GROUNDSMAN August 2017

By Colin Hoskins Features editor

C

ontinued improvement is the name of the game for the University of Nottingham’s sports ground manager, Greg Smith, and his team. Since he joined the university in 2015, Greg has instigated a maintenance regime designed to put all the playing surfaces at the university into the national spotlight.

Local recognition of the standard of the pitches is already noted, not only by the students who regularly use them (every Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday – the site offers sporting opportunities to 33,000 students and 5,000 staff “and they clearly appreciate what we do”, says Greg), but also by community groups including the Beeston Hockey Club (the club’s men’s side plays in the England Premier League) and Notts County Ladies, the Nottingham Outlaws rugby league team and the Notts County FC Academy. In addition, the site is used as a training base for local Rugby Football Union and Football Association courses, as a Notts County Centre of Excellence and by Notts Schools FA.

ULTIMATE GOAL

Greg’s ambitions for his playing surfaces on the wider national stage have already taken a major step forward, after the university won the 2016 IOG Industry Award for Best Maintained Artificial Surface. Now his sights are set on gaining similar status for the grass surfaces.

“After 15 enjoyable years as head groundsman then stadium manager at Notts County Football Club, the lure of managing and maintaining the university’s host of multi-sports surfaces was too great,” says 50-year-old Greg. “I wanted to get back to my ‘roots’.” These go back to

the 1980s when at the Boots Athletic Club Sports Ground his remit included natural grass football, rugby, cricket, tennis and bowls, as well as artificial hockey pitches.

“On joining the university, I relished the challenge of improving the pitches and, of course, working with a great bunch of lads. As sports ground manager, I was admittedly a little nervous about the potential lack of my hands-on involvement in the pitches and the fact that I would be in charge of a team of seven (the university’s groundscare team is headed by an estates grounds manager plus a grounds manager oversees a team of 50 gardeners).” But he does try to get on the grass as often as he can, and the team management challenge has been met, he says, by some judicious management skills training gained at the university.

ALL-ROUND EXPERIENCE

He has plenty of pitches to get on – all soil-based – 28 football, nine rugby, two cricket squares and a bowls green, plus four hectares of artificial surfaces covering five pitches, which includes two new synthetic surfaces costing more than £2.5 million.

As soon as he took on the university role, Greg set about instigating a concerted programme of regular vertidraining and slitting combined with concentrated/regular topdressing (a Mansfield Sand product “that offers more rootzone than sand”), overseeding (with Johnsons 7 and selective feeding and weedkilling – a mixture of Headland Amenity and Sherriff Amenity products).

Pitch drainage was also addressed.

Interestingly, he says that by topdressing – usually with 60 tonnes per

www.iog.org THE GROUNDSMAN 17

IOG BEST PRACTICE

The university’s grounds team celebrate their award with the IOG’s Chris Gray (fourth from right)

MACHINERY MATTERS While the University of Nottingham grounds team is actively looking at the use of electric equipment, Greg Smith and his team have quite an armoury of pitch care machinery, including: Mowers – Wessex and Major gang units, three Dennis FT510s (for cricket and bowls), Jacobson Fairway (five-unit) and John Deere 265 3B fairway Tractors – two 75hp Cases, Kubota 25/30 compact Viladernum vertidrainer, Dakota 420 topdresser, Wiedenmann 2.1m Terra Spike, 48in Hayter Harrow Redexim 1200 brush/rake/ litter remover, and from Sisis – Rotorake, Twin Play, Flexicomb and 1000 collector.

18 THE GROUNDSMAN August 2017

full-size pitch – and using a dressing that is predominantly rootzone, Greg says he is creating a top-layer playing surface that is “a more beneficial and ‘warmer’ surface”.

SYNTHETIC SUCCESS

For now, however, Greg and his assistant head groundsman Pete Bullimore –“a great asset to the team” – can bask in the glory of winning the IOG award for their artificial surface maintenance. They’ve certainly got their hands full with two 3G surfaces for soccer, American football, rugby and lacrosse, plus sand- and water-based hockey surfaces (one of each type).

Led by groundsman Andy Gough – who also looks after the bowling green – the guys responsible for maintaining these surfaces (seven members have undergone training in artificial surface maintenance) employ a regular routine of brushing and cleaning (using a Kubota B20 50 tractor with Redexim 1200 cleaner/brush, also Sisis brush and groomer, plus Greentech brush, using different brushes in different directions). They also consistently check rubber crumb levels and the goals, as well as carry out selective weedkilling. Replay Maintenance visits every month to clean the surfaces and perform a once-a-year deep clean/de-compaction service.

All maintenance information is recorded, ie date pitch visited, brushing angle, litter removal, bins checked/emptied, markings checked, leaves removed (in season).

“We’re trying to not only maintain the surfaces to the highest level but also to extend their working lives,” continues Greg.

“Each artificial gets about 58 hours of use each month, from 6.30am through to 10pm, and this maintenance regime helps to keep them in tip-top condition – in fact, with this

“It is clear that more planned maintenance has led to more playability” regime our oldest (eight years) synthetic surface has maintained its standard of play for the past few seasons.”

The hours of use in term time does restrict the amount of maintenance the team can do – though every Thursday the grounds team’s ‘block booking’ of the pitches allows this essential maintenance – “but during the summer and winter breaks of eight and three weeks, respectively, our maintenance hours are clawed back”, adds Greg. This applies equally to the grass pitches: “I use a spreadsheet to ‘block out’ pitches that need renovations, working around the playing schedules.”

There is no doubt that regular maintenance is the key to success, he concludes. “This applies to both synthetic and natural surfaces – indeed, after the first year, pitch playability on the natural football and rugby surfaces rose from 58 per cent to 98 per cent. It is clear that more planned maintenance has led to more playability,” he points out, “and I firmly believe that correctly maintained and managed grass pitches can compete above usual expectations with synthetic surfaces in terms of hours of play.” But that’s another story…

Contact the IOG for information on synthetic turf maintenance courses: training@iog.org

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IOG BOARD REPORT

NOTICE OF ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING AGM Notice is hereby given that the Annual General Meeting of the Institute of Groundsmanship (IOG) will be held at The Hilton Hotel, St George’s Park on Wednesday 20 September 2017, commencing 12pm. The meeting is due to finish by around 1:30pm, followed by lunch and a tour of the National Football Centre facilities.

Included in this copy of The Groundsman are: Report from the Board Minutes of the 2016 AGM (on pages 23-24).

If you would like to attend this year’s AGM, please contact IOG headquarters by phone on 01908 312511 or email iog@iog.org.

Last year‘s SALTEX show

YOUR BOARD’S REPORT Better knowledge and understanding ensure better surfaces for sport, increasing capacity, quality and outcomes.

The IOG, with its range of programmes, events and a wide-ranging learning portfolio – combined with a membership representing every aspect of groundsmanship ranging from the iconic sports stadia to the local community – reflects well the groundsmanship profession and the volunteer base. The IOG truly ‘Serves you through the Seasons’. On behalf of the IOG Board of Directors, we report on another proactive year of progress by the Institute, for our members, promoting groundsmanship, across the UK and abroad.

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SALTEX

Let’s report first on SALTEX – still the UK’s leading show. Since taking the landmark decision to relocate SALTEX to the NEC, we have worked hard to deliver an event that takes the industry forwards and, to quote last year’s report, ‘which represented our past but also secured our future’. The result was a turnaround in attendance by exhibitors and visitors alike. In year one at the NEC (2015), there were over 8,700 visitors from 43 countries across the two days to view over 260 exhibitor stands. SALTEX 2016 built on the success of the previous year by delivering consistent visitor numbers and an increased exhibitor attendance (294).

We launched the SALTEX College Cup in 2016, aimed at college students, with a fantastic winning prize that included the successful college team helping to prepare the pitch for the FA Cup final at Wembley Stadium. And Learning LIVE, the SALTEX education feature, staged over 26 hours of presentations, panel debates and seminars.

Groundsmen of all ages and experience came to listen and learn in large numbers.

The Board of Directors thanks everyone who helped make SALTEX such a success, and we extend our grateful thanks to the generous Award sponsors and to those who exhibited and visited.

We are in good shape as we approach SALTEX 2017, with more exhibitors and another packed programme.

2 2016 was the biggest SALTEX show to date at the NEC

MEMBERSHIP

Membership income remains strong and brings new opportunities for growth. In October 2015, our strategic commitment to provide excellent member networks and services was strengthened with the appointment of Tim Gray to the newlycreated role of director of business and membership. Tim has been busy reviewing

MEMBER BENEFITS

“Building on the work of the previous year, we have continued to expand and deliver our learning platform” our services and benefits, and promoting the ideal of the IOG ‘Serving you through the Seasons’. We are always looking to improve on past performance by delivering a range of benefit options that are tailored to the needs of the sectors where groundsmanship is practised. Our membership is wide and varied, and we have learned that there is no ‘one size fits all’ approach. We continue to develop and serve.

We have also changed the look and feel of The Groundsman magazine, and increased our communications and member services with monthly digital newsletters and product information, plus the ever-growing social media platforms. This aspect of the way in which we interact as an association means we have to react and put in place new strategies alongside the more traditional approach of a hard copy monthly magazine, to truly meet members’ requirements and deliver sustainable commercial growth through excellent member services. The IOG continues to consult more widely with members to identify other initiatives that members value, so that we can continue to support members throughout their careers, whether they are professionals or volunteers.

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THE IOG AWARDS

The 2016 Industry Awards ceremony was, like the previous year’s event, a sell-out.

Linking the awards to SALTEX (the awards are held on the evening of the opening day of the exhibition) has created an event at a time of the year when groundsmen can come together – and linked to an exhibition which is the industry’s shop window, has created an occasion that is truly enveloped in a feeling of ‘your industry, your show’ where

Guests at last year’s IOG Awards

IOG BOARD REPORT

suppliers and users gather to celebrate the diversity of our industry – and its wealth of expertise – across the sports turf sector.

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IOG LEARNING

This remains a key pillar of the IOG, essential to enhancing career potential with a range of courses available at all levels.

Building on the work of the previous year, we have continued to expand and deliver our learning platform – not only due to a stream of enquiries for customised courses, but also linking our ‘standard’ training and education approach into the development of a National Framework for Natural Turf, a system that links the standard of a facility to the type and level of qualification required to manage and maintain it. So, IOG Learning starts with a basic certification level, or a certificate of attendance for volunteers, and progresses up to degree-level qualifications for professional career development.

The IOG also moved from being a frontline deliverer of apprenticeships to working with the Department of Business Innovation & Skills to develop the criteria for the Sports Turf Operative Apprentice standard. Having gained approval over the course of the year, this standard will provide opportunities to integrate with the more defined approach within a common, clear framework that provides signposts both for the employer and employee of what is needed academically, alongside an individual’s experience and day-to-day knowledge.

Continuous professional development (CPD) will also be promoted to further advance an individual’s skills and knowledge.

We also continue to improve our online learning presence to significantly increase our offerings and provide ease of access to potential learners. Online learning will feature as part of the IOG portfolio alongside the already established practical and class-based courses.

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THE GROUNDS AND NATURAL TURF IMPROVEMENT PROGRAMME (GaNTIP)

The Board is proud of the progress made with this important initiative we started in 2014. Under the direction of Jason Booth, the GaNTIP team of regional pitch advisors (RPAs) has successfully created a solid platform of improvement and investment into natural turf pitches, working alongside the Football Association (FA), the Football Foundation and the England & Wales Cricket Board. The programme continues and as we approach the AGM we are in the process of expanding the team and the commitment until 2021.

Regional pitch advisor Ian Powell

2014-17 showed these Year Two and Three Achievements: Created a larger support network that will enable the County FAs to offer a quality service Met the FA’s Pitch Improvement Programme demands (and targets) alongside County FAs Continued to raise awareness of the availability of an RPA and services within County FAs Presented over 40 workshops for both in-season and renovation maintenance procedures Developed a new report and data template that will enable more relevant information to be gathered Achieved sustainability of natural turf pitches through enhanced education and training of volunteer and professional grounds managers, through improved maintenance and provision of specialist equipment and materials Provided an enhanced network of support and expertise available to the people and organisations maintaining natural turf pitches, particularly those working at local level.

It’s important – but equally concerning – to report that GaNTIP has uncovered a massive void of knowledge and awareness of pitch maintenance, often with playing facilities and quality of provision the last thing on the list at clubs – over 50 per cent of which have no fixed annual budget for grounds management. Of those that do have a budget, the average is around £2,000.

GaNTIP desired outcomes 2017-21: Enhanced player experience Increased player participation Increased pitch capacity to sustain activity Fewer cancellations due to poor quality of surface in either adverse weather conditions or periods of drought Support for and development of the volunteer network Provision of a support network during a continuing period of austerity at both national and local government level.

GaNTIP has been a catalyst for change in

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IOG BOARD REPORT

Young IOG Board director Will Graves (second right) with school children at Leicester City FC

the culture of thinking and the approach to grassroots sports facilities – for example, it has the support of all the Cricket Grounds Associations – and due to the team of RPAs, we have seen significant awareness of the IOG’S role and achievements over the last three years.

The latest focus of Board and staff has been on extending GaNTIP from 2017 to 2021. Key to the programme’s continuing success is to record the findings, charting the initial standard of surfaces then monitoring the improvement of the surfaces. This, along with producing case studies to highlight and promote the good work being done, sets a sound foundation for ongoing investment into grassroots natural turf projects. It’s widely accepted that better playing surfaces bring more participation, at all ages, male and female.

GaNTIP is leading the way.

THE YOUNG IOG BOARD OF DIRECTORS (YIOG)

The YIOG Board continued to attend various industry events and visit schools throughout the year, passing on their groundscare experience to promote the profession. With

“GaNTIP has uncovered a massive void of knowledge and awareness of pitch maintenance” 22 THE GROUNDSMAN August 2017

the generous support of Rigby Taylor and Top Green, the YIOG repeated the ‘Your Career, Your Future’ conference, a free-toattend event at SALTEX. The YIOG attracted further sponsorship from Toro Reesink and produced a three-year plan for growing this initiative with a host of innovative inputs and ideas. Among these were the outstanding ‘Schools into Stadia’ events. These target schoolchildren aged 14-plus who are undertaking GCSE level science. The full-day events – at Arsenal FC, Leicester City and Stoke City – utilised the links between groundsmanship and the children’s curriculum.

The YIOG group also travelled to France spending time with Jonathan Calderwood at Paris Saint-Germain and Tony Stones at Stade de France, gaining an insight into the approach to the profession in France, comparing and contrasting with the UK industry.

The Young Board has also dramatically increased its social media following. It continues to work to create opportunities for engagement with our profession and to promote groundsmanship to a wider audience, whether by attending schools’ career sessions, or attending events such as the Chelsea Flower Show where sports turf as a career was fully promoted.

The IOG is grateful to the YIOG sponsors, to the clubs involved in the Schools into Stadia events and to Jonathan Calderwood and Tony Stones. There is no doubt that the YIOG group is spreading the message of ‘Get Into Grounds’ and helping to raise the profile of sports turf management.

IN SUMMARY

Your IOG has built on the success of the first year’s new-look SALTEX, maintaining the visitor presence and increasing the number of exhibitors. We will continue to strive to improve the event – while also maintaining all our other key initiatives and programmes such as GaNTIP, a well-rounded learning programme, the annual IOG Awards and a proactive YIOG. And we are continuing to progress vital new initiatives such as the Pitch Grading Programme and a new National Framework for Natural Turf.

Ours is a committed and proactive Board. Its membership reflects well the industry sectors where groundsmanship is represented. We argue over the right priorities for our great profession – there is always new work in progress. Following a very good meeting last year with a cross section of our membership, we are now actively looking at how we can improve our approach to our regions and branches as well as better represent the interests of members in Scotland, Wales and Ireland. The Board and staff continue to monitor financial performance, and we have a sub-committee of the Board and senior management who meet regularly to review our financial performance and discuss strategy.

So, we continue to work from the ground up to truly ‘Serve our members through the Seasons’.

For and on behalf of the IOG Board of Directors: Geoff Webb, chief executive, and David Teasdale, chair.

MEMBER BENEFITS

AGM M I N U TE S 2016

MINUTES OF THE 2016 AGM The 2016 AGM for the Institute of Groundmanship was held at Leicester City Football Club on 21 September 2016

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Fixed Assets; the Investment Portfolio, which had a Market Value at the Balance Sheet date that was 22.5 per cent better than being reported. Although there is no certainty as regards how things will progress, post Brexit, the portfolio does appear to be returning well.

Following the change in the year end date, the Trade Debtors figure was much higher at the balance sheet date due to the invoicing cycle associated to SALTEX; which also affected Creditors.

The auditor was happy to take questions; none were put to her.

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Resolution 1 – to approve the accounts: proposed Ian Wall, seconded Fred Hammond. Unanimously approved.

Ordinary Business: to transact the following ordinary business:

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Opening by the IOG chairman, David Teasdale, who welcomed everyone and thanked them for attending. Chair recorded that the meeting was quorate.

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Apologies received – Will Graves, Anthony Facey, Alex Latto, Dougie Robertson, Richard Ayling.

Voting details – It was explained that Ordinary resolutions require a simple majority.

Approve the minutes of the 2015 Annual General Meeting (at Headingley Carnegie, 8 September 2015): proposed Les Gibbs, seconded Len Smith. Approved with no objections.

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RESOLUTION 1 To receive and approve the Statement of Accounts and the Balance Sheet of the Institute for the 15 months ending 31 March 2016. Chair introduced Ruth Stepney from the auditors, Sherwoods.

Ruth explained that to change the IOG financial year end to March, the Board had agreed to extend this financial year to 1 March 2016, which covers a 15-month period.

The auditor explained some of the more significant items that were included in the Balance Sheet. Including Tangible

Resolution 2 – to approve auditors for the ensuing year: proposed Les Gibbs, seconded Bob Smith. Unanimously approved.

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RESOLUTION 3 To ask for approval to proposed changes to the Articles of Association, such changes having been made available to members in advance of the meeting.

The chair and CEO explained the reasons for the changes proposed.

Generally, the Government and its agencies were seeking major progress towards better governance across the sports sector. The IOG Board therefore had discussed and agreed a range of

Last year’s IOG AGM in the King Power Stadium press room

“The Board was seeking to appoint a president and patron to strengthen the Board and the IOG and to enhance the links with members” policies to be put in place in order that going forwards the IOG may potentially qualify for future funding under guidelines issued by Sport England.

Secondly, the Board was seeking to appoint a president and patron to strengthen the Board and the IOG, and to enhance the links with, and service to, our members.

Third, the Article changes also reflect updates to the existing IOG

www.iog.org THE GROUNDSMAN 23

IOG BOARD REPORT

ONLINE UPDATES Please note that any proposed changes to the IOG’s Articles of Association and details of any elections that are required will be posted on the IOG website (www.iog.org) during August.

This will also provide members with access to the relevant voting and proxy forms. We would invite any voting members who do not have access to the internet to contact the IOG head office, 01908 312511, and register to receive a voting pack in the post.

Bob Smith (centre) won the 2015 IOG Lifetime Achievement Award, sponsored by ICL and Syngenta

“The Pitch Grading Programme, a key cornerstone for the future of the industry, will be progressed in the coming months and will link to a framework for qualifications” Branch and Regional structure. It was proposed to establish a new Regional structure both geographically and in format relating to committees. Going forwards, committees at Regional level would reflect the sector representation already established at Board level. These changes will be lined up to be effective from April 2017 in which the IOG will discuss with members the implications and logistics of managing the change process. Eleven committees would be established to include one each for Scotland, Ireland and Wales, with eight Regional Committees in England.

QUESTIONS

CEO noted that Mike Lewis had submitted questions on this matter in advance, as follows, with the responses given: Bearing in mind many Regions and Branches will have pre-arranged meeting dates, when should the present structure be dissolved?

(CEO): We are suggesting April next year but we can be flexible if everyone is not ready.

Q A

24 THE GROUNDSMAN August 2017

Q A

When will nomination forms for the new structure be available?

(CEO): We will look to work with members during the transition period. April is the target. However, we want to get the change right so the target date may have to move.

Q A

At present the Regions and Branches have their own AGMs. Will this continue?

(CEO): Everything will need to be reviewed in the round and we will discuss the Regional AGM process as part of this.

CEO then explained about the Pitch Grading Programme which would be a key cornerstone for the future of the industry. This will be progressed in the coming months and will link to a framework for qualifications commensurate with the complexity of any given site or location. The idea is to bring new understanding to the approach to assessing the quality of a natural turf pitch as well as linking quality to training and education, as well as the

need to continually update skills required to manage sites now and in the future.

Resolution 3 asked the meeting to approve the proposed changes to the Articles of Association: proposed Derek Walder, seconded Les Gibbs.

Unanimously approved.

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ANY OTHER BUSINESS No items were raised.

CEO Geoff Webb explained that Bob Smith had been made a member of the ’12-yard club’ and awarded a special cap by BBC Sport. There are only around 20 members of the club worldwide. The room congratulated Bob on this notable achievement.

The 2015/2016 National Quiz winner was Teesside Branch and Karen Maxwell accepted the trophy on behalf of the branch. Runner up was Yorkshire Branch and Rod Heyhoe received the trophy from the chair.

The chair thanked John Ledwidge of Leicester City FC for arranging our use of the club’s facilities today and also for providing a post-AGM tour.

Chair announced the AGM was closed.

By Order of the Board of Directors Geoff Webb, CEO, The Institute of Groundsmanship, 28 Stratford Office Village, Walker Avenue, Wolverton Mill East, Milton Keynes, MK12 5TW

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IN ACTION

THE ROOT CAUSE Bespoke seed mix keeps Beaufort Polo Club looking beautiful WITH 90 ACRES of fields and grass areas and just a small team around him, the head groundsman at Beaufort Polo Club in Tetbury needs a simple but effective maintenance regime.

Wiodek Sterkowicz believes that the key to coping with the demanding conditions that polo brings is the right grass seed.

“We have to cut the grass every other day to keep it at the ideal height of 25mm,” he said.

“As well as maintaining cutting heights, the grass must be incredibly wear tolerant and establish quickly – often we have less than seven days to fill divots and re-establish areas that have sustained damage.”

JUST THE JOB Ventrac 4500 makes light work of rough terrain at Tottenham’s training centre

Rupert Price (right) of Price Turfcare with Darren Baldwin at Tottenham’s training centre

Wiodek started using Johnsons Sport Seeds Tetraploid Perennial Ryegrass in 2016.

“The plant was stronger, retained good coverage and just looked and performed better,” he said.

“It has also really helped to develop our root zone and the deeper and stronger root system we now have can easily withstand the play – that really is key for us.”

This year Wiodek is using a bespoke mixture, delivered through his local distributor Sherriff Amenity, consisting of Double tetraploid perennial ryegrass, Berlioz and Bizet cultivars.

“We’re very fortunate that all of our fields were purpose built with generally light, free-draining

THE STEEP LANDSCAPED area surrounding Tottenham Hotspur FC’s world-class training centre in Enfield, north London, can be difficult to maintain.

Darren Baldwin, head of playing surfaces and estates, didn’t think he’d be able to find a machine that could cope with the rough terrain – until he came across the Ventrac 4500.

“I looked at the machine, and to be absolutely honest, I doubted its ability to perform here,” he said.

“We took it to the western end of the complex, which we are developing as a community area and where we have a large perimeter

“It knocked down and mulched vegetation that was probably 2m high and on some very severe slopes”

Beaufort Polo Club head groundsman Wiodek Sterkowicz

soil. The high-quality surfaces we’re now achieving mean we can play in even the wettest of conditions, and it’s still safe for the horses and players.

“It was great to receive many positive comments from players on the condition of the fields last season and we’re on track to achieve the same high standards again this year.”

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For more information visit www.dlf.co.uk

bank, which we have not touched since we moved here from our old training centre in Chigwell.

The compact tractor was fitted with the Tough Cut deck and Darren was blown away by the machine’s performance.

“It knocked down and mulched vegetation that was probably 2m high and on some very severe slopes. I was amazed that a 24hp machine could clear unmaintained areas with apparent ease.”

Darren, who purchased a Finishing deck and Trencher attachment for the machine as well, was also impressed by its versatility.

“Changing the numerous attachments is so easy,” he said.

“The Trencher attachment, which can reach a depth of 1.2m, will be invaluable when we are doing renovation work in the future.”

Darren’s right-hand man Paul Jones added: “The access to the blades under the decks is easy with some clever engineering and the versatility is second to none.”

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For more information visit https://priceturfcare.com

www.iog.org THE GROUNDSMAN 27

TECHNICAL U P D AT E

Steven Davey Met Office sport, leisure, industry and infrastructure manager

WHY FOCUS ON WEATHER?

Everyone is disappointed when games are called off due to adverse weather, so the key to getting surfaces and stadia prepared is to plan as far ahead as possible using some of the world’s best weather forecasting tools

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wide range of weather can have implications for a grounds team’s operations: excess rainfall can lead to ground saturation; no rainfall may require up to 15,000 litres of water (around 2mm of rainfall) to water a pitch; snow and lightning bring health and safety issues; wind can affect the stability of equipment and assets around the event; and frost can be particularly frustrating, making pitches without undersoil heating unplayable.

We have seen numerous effects of the weather on sports over the past few seasons. The question is, could these events have been foreseen? With the right support from the Met Office, the answer is most probably, yes.

With the right forecast, clubs can help prevent people driving hundreds of miles without seeing a game, and forewarn staff and fans when challenging conditions occur. Potentially, it is possible to make late cancellations a thing of the past.

NEW DEVELOPMENTS

Weather forecasting has come a long way over the past five years. The way the Met Office records data, from observation stations, radar, satellite and even commercial aeroplanes, to the way the forecast is presented, is world leading. The developments allow the Met Office to bring the UK industry operationally critical weather information by: New Met Office supercomputer – one of the world’s most powerful supercomputers, leading to more detailed forecasts for precise geographical locations.

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TO O L S & GUIDANCE

What can we learn from the weather in August 2016? page 46

This can attribute a piece of data to every grain of sand on the planet More innovative and accurate automated weather stations across the UK, including the upgrade of 15 ‘dual-polarisation’ radar stations, giving far more accurate rainfall and snow information across the UK New weather visualisation and analytical tools for planning, decision making and alerting around locationspecific events – namely, the VisualEyes service.

VisualEyes is the Met Office’s location-specific weather alert system. It contains a range of weather layers and a long-range view out to 14 days, using

WHAT IS THE MET OFFICE? The Met Office is a Trading Fund within the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS). It provides weather and climate forecasts so people in the UK and around the world can be safe, well and prosperous. Its aim is to be an accessible expert partner to UK plc, including supporting the British sport industry.

The World Meteorological Organisation ranks the Met Office as one of the top operational services in the world. It is one of the world’s most trusted weather providers working at the forefront of weather and climate science, helping people make decisions based on the weather, based on the forecasts produced.

T E C H N I C A L U P D AT E

THE MET OFFICE

The et O ce is one of the orld s most trusted eather providers

location-specific probabilistic forecasting. The main benefits to using VisualEyes are: The ability to manage decision-making around weather risks The opportunity for increased efficiency and preparedness – VisualEyes’ planning charts quickly identify the optimum times for specific operations The reassurance of staying fully informed – wherever your team is on match day, with device responsive mobile access to critical site-specific weather conditions with email and SMS alerts.

VisualEyes enables users to choose from two distinct weather views to suit individual needs – Control Room view or Weather Chart view, which includes Smart Windows.

Control Room view provides the visual aspect of weather monitoring. The map viewer allows users to pick specific timeframes and interrogate the weather story at that specific time.

Weather Chart view lets users view a probabilistic weather forecast compared against your own operational threshold. If the weather breaches your set threshold, email and/or SMS alerts can be issued in order for you to take action.

“With the right forecast, clubs can help prevent people driving hundreds of miles without seeing a game”

TALK TO A FORECASTER For when you need to speak to an expert, forecasters at the Met Office HQ operations centre are on hand 24/7/365. You can ask for any weather information or forecast for any land area in the UK (international locations also available). This is a popular service within the sport and leisure industry, as it is perfect for when one needs further support on top of the VisualEyes service.

Forecasts appear on a box plot, with the upper and lower bounds illustrating the forecast 5th and 95th percentiles, with the most likely outcome within the inner bounds.

The tighter the box plot and box, the greater the forecast confidence. Rain and snow accumulations, wind and gusts (including wind at height), lightning, temperatures and visibility can all be used to trigger alerts.

Smart Windows is a tool within the Weather Chart that is used for identifying both favourable and unfavourable weather combinations. Different weather types can be combined to identify when and when not certain operations can take place.

Steven Davey is the Met Office’s sport, leisure, industry and infrastructure manager.

For more information, he can be contacted by email at: steven.davey@metoffice.gov.uk

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www.iog.org THE GROUNDSMAN 29

GRASS SEED DEVELOPMENT

LONG-TERM RESEARCH FOR LONGTERM GAINS Once you realise that the development of any new grass type takes around 15 years, you start to appreciate the effort that grass seed suppliers put into providing the sports turf industry with products that are truly fit for purpose

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By Colin Hoskins Features editor

visit to Rigby Taylor’s research station at Les Alleuds in France’s Loire Valley is an eye-opener for anyone interested in sports grass.

Jayne Leyland, grass seed and line marking product manager, explains that the station team plants 15,000 new varieties every other year. It takes 15 years for a new variety to reach the market so that means around 90,000 grass seed types are being assimilated and scored at any one time.

The fine-tuned process in France – which begins in greenhouses then, as the plants are selected and gradually thinned out, on outdoor trial plots – results in new cultivars that must conform to DUS (distinct, uniform and stable) protocols before they reach the National List.

Rigby Taylor grass is assimilated and selected based on a number of main characteristics: Fast establishment High wear performance Good wear recovery Mowing response Disease tolerance Drought tolerance Texture and colour.

The new grass cultivars gradually progress from the greenhouses onto open plots (bottom)

“Disease and drought tolerance are increasingly becoming more important,” says Jayne, “as legislation limits the types of chemicals we can use and climate change affects irrigation demands.”

She adds: “Because diploids have effectively reached a plateau in terms of shoot density and fineness of leaf, for example, it is clear that tetraploid perennial rye grasses have an enormous future.”

Two new cultivars were progressing through the selection process at Les Alleuds and a new tall fescue, excellent for drought tolerance and deep rooting, is expected to hit the market in 2018.

Diploid perennial rye grasses have two paired sets of chromosomes within each cell. Tetraploids have four and it is this doubling of chromosome sets that gives them such a great future. The benefits include: Double the chlorophyll (compared to diploids) High vigour for fast establishment Deeper, denser rooting Superior disease and drought tolerance (25 per cent reduction in required irrigation) Superb colour Extremely hardwearing Good shoot recovery and growth in cooler temperatures.

“Tetraploids are being well received across the amenity and sports turf sector,” says Jayne.

“Blended with diploid rye grasses or mixed with fescues, they are performing well on football and cricket pitches, on racecourses and on golf courses, for example.”

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For more information visit www.rigbytaylor.com www.iog.org THE GROUNDSMAN 31

AHEAD OF THE GAME

GEORGIA ON MY MIND

By Colin Wooster Head groundsman at Charlton Park Rugby Club

When the call came from World Rugby for someone to advise on pitch renovation in preparation for the 2017 Under 20s World Rugby Championship in Georgia in June, Colin Wooster didn’t hesitate

I Line marking by hand takes around 3-5 hours compared to 20-30 minutes with a marker

32 THE GROUNDSMAN August 2017

first visited Georgia as part of the 2015 World Cup Unity Project, which saw volunteer groundsmen and coaches from Kent and Essex working with the Georgian Rugby Union to devise and deliver development plans to support the growth of the game.

We undertook pitch assessments and provided advice on remedial works and annual maintenance programmes, as well as helped to train grounds staff.

I cannot say that I accepted this latest opportunity without some trepidation

– not only because of the responsibility of producing the quality pitches that such a prestigious event requires, and the pressure of my work being seen on a worldwide TV stage, but also because of an adverse report by an agronomist on the country’s training and match pitches.

February 2017 saw my arrival in a very snowy Tbilisi, the capital of Georgia. It sits within a ring of mountains, which gives the area its own micro climate. Apart from some violent thunderstorms that roll continually around the mountains, the

F E AT U R E

AN ENGLISHMAN ABROAD

The Avchala pitch in June, ready for the tournament

climate is similar to that in the UK, albeit slightly hotter in the summer and slightly colder in the winter.

My first visit was to the AIA Arena in Kutaisi, a key rugby-playing region. The complex has three natural turf pitches, one floodlit, and a floodlit artificial surface. It sits in a disadvantaged area but I was pleased to learn that the artificial surface was providing rugby coaching and playing facilities for children of all ages on most nights of the week.

The grass pitches had been set aside: one for the nine-game pool stage of the tournament; the other two as training grounds for two teams. Local football clubs had been hired for the other two training venues. While one training pitch had suffered considerable overuse, the second was not too bad. But the proposed main playing pitch was dead, with clover being the only green on it.

The groundsmen appeared quite keen on the use of pesticides and fungicides but it appears not always at the correct application rates. I felt that

this, along with the use of agricultural fertilisers, may have contributed to the appearance of the pitch – though the extensive use of Kentucky Blue grass, which goes dormant in the winter, was probably a further factor.

In Tbilisi, the Avchala stadium pitch was scheduled for two pool stages, with four teams in each, as well as several play-off games – 18 games over a three-week period. Here the grass showed more sign of life and there was a lot more of it, though it was interspersed with a good deal of clover. At least, I thought, we could use the existing grass roots to anchor the new grass shoots.

We then visited most of the proposed training venues – some were still building sites and all had their problems.

One, in Martkopi high up in the mountains, was covered in eight inches of snow making assessment difficult. The exception was the Rustavi stadium, which was probably the best pitch in Tbilisi, but it was not used for matches – it was the England training base.

“Apart from some violent thunderstorms the climate is similar to that in the UK, albeit slightly hotter in the summer and slightly colder in the winter”

I compiled detailed reports on the required renovation works, along with the exact amounts of sand, seed and fertilisers to be used, as well as watering regimes.

These were duly translated into Georgian and passed onto the local groundsmen.

ON THE RIGHT TRACK

The weather had improved by the time of my second visit, in March, and a considerable amount of work had been undertaken. Most of the pitches were looking more like beach volleyball courts after having some hefty tonnages of sand dressing applied. Some were still awaiting the process.

The main playing pitch at Avchala was greening up and the sward was beginning to thicken nicely, but the Kutaisi pitch still had a long way to go.

Some shoots were showing from the roots of what original grass was left, but there was little sign of new grass growth.

This gave me cause for concern that the sward would not be thick enough by June.

There was a good pitch adjacent to it.

Would we need to use it? Would World Rugby allow it to be used?

I delivered an afternoon training session covering topics such as aeration, correct use of fertilisers, grass seeds and watering. The session was well attended by 20-25 rugby groundsmen, plus a football groundsman. www.iog.org THE GROUNDSMAN 33

AHEAD OF THE GAME

The Kutaisi main pitch in February (above) and (left) in June 2017

Martin Maytum (far right) and Colin (centre) with Avchala groundsmen

UNWELCOME GUESTS

Fair weather at the beginning of May saw my final inspection visit to check whether any last-minute adjustments needed to be made. One or two training pitches were giving cause for concern; the turf had not bedded in properly or the irrigation systems were not working. Out of it all, only two training pitches did not make the grade and alternatives were found.

The AIA Arena, which had improved considerably, was still looking a bit bare in places. So, I recommended a further programme of overseeding, fertiliser and an increase in the watering programme plus the use of grow sheets (plastic covers). To my delight and relief, I returned at the end of May to find that the groundsmen had worked their magic. The pitch was a good colour and had a good thick sward of grass.

My only concern was how would it play?

Would there be a sufficient root system to cope with scrums, for example? There was.

However, back in Tbilisi, another problem was developing in the form of Mole Cricket infestation. The problem comes when the eggs of these digging insects hatch in

“The eggs of these digging insects hatch in the spring” spring. The nymphs live happily beneath the surface munching on the grass roots and when I walked the surface at the beginning of May, although there was quite a thick sward it felt very unstable underfoot. Nobody in the UK seemed to know much about these creatures, and the insecticides that were used in the past have now been banned.

Ecological solutions, like parasitic wasps, are difficult to administer, so the only answer was to make life difficult for them.

The plan was to aerate and fertilise – we had to try to keep the roots growing faster than these beasties could eat them. It worked; by the time of the first kick-off the root system had stabilised (though the insects may have grown wings and flown on).

On 29 May, I flew into Georgia with Martin Maytum, another volunteer pitch advisor.

Martin would look after the Kutaisi complex while I took on the Avchala stadium. We

ABOUT COLIN Colin Wooster has been head groundsman at Charlton Park Rugby Club since 1990, is an RFU volunteer pitch advisor, worked as a volunteer groundsman at Twickenham during the 2015 Rugby World Cup and continues to work closely with the Georgian Rugby Union.

34 THE GROUNDSMAN August 2017

worked with the local groundsmen who were mostly elderly guys and very set in their ways. Convincing them to use things like spray markers instead of painting the lines by hand met with varied degrees of resistance and success.

It was pleasing to see that at both complexes the grounds guys had managed to stripe the grass on the pitches. This was no mean feat and again took a long time as they only had one cylinder mower at each ground. Martin told me it could take 12 hours to cut the Kutaisi pitch two ways.

Repairing the pitches between games also threw up a few problems in trying to get the local guys to use forks to mend stud tears and divots. Instead they preferred to stamp them down with the heel of their boots.

RIGHT RESULT

In the end, though, the tournament was a great success and the pitches looked and played well. Tournament director Simon Kibble of World Rugby and Georgian Rugby operations director, Lasha Khurtsidze, took time out to thank the grounds teams and said how pleased they were at the way the pitches had turned out. The good news is Georgia wants us back, both on the education front and on improving the products they use for their pitches.

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Colin Wooster can be contacted by email: blackgsps@aol.com

Product showcase

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FOCUS ON: ARTIFICIAL SURFACE MAINTENANCE, SWEEPERS, BLOWERS, COLLECTORS & VACS

The new-look court at Ecclesall

COURT MAKEOVER

GRASS IS GREENER WITH REPLAY

The Sisis Osca

OSCA WINNER

Tractor-mounted brush takes pitches to another level

THE SISIS OSCA, a tractor-mounted, powered oscillating brush with a 1.9m working width, is equally effective on synthetic turf with sand or rubber infill. The two oscillating brushes stand the carpet fibres up and redistribute the infill evenly, minimising compaction on the surface and improving its performance.

The Osca’s working width should mean fewer passes are needed to complete a pitch than more conventional drag brushes.

The aggressive brushing action agitates the upper infill level of the KEEP IN TOUCH

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surface from side to side as well as brushing forward, helping to reduce surface compaction and encourage the fibres to stand up straight, which reduces the risk of contamination and drainage problems and leaves a consistent playing surface. www.sisis.com

“The two oscillating brushes stand the carpet fibres up and redistribute the infill evenly, minimising compaction”

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REPLAY’S REJUVENATION process uses compressed air to remove the contaminated top layer of infill, restore the pile to vertical and fill again with new clean infill.

Ecclesall Lawn Tennis Club in Sheffield enlisted Replay’s help to bring its four artificial grass courts back to a safe and playable condition.

Club secretary Martin Gilmour said: “The club is sandwiched between two residential roads and with the gardens that surround us we get problems like leaves that drop, but the biggest issue is the shade, especially on the bottom court.”

This combined with the mild conditions and sporadic rainfall experienced over the past couple of years meant moss had become an issue, making the courts slippery and dangerous.

Fortunately, Martin had chosen 15mm pile when the courts were installed and tests showed that there was still a good amount of life left in the carpet.

“Already we’ve had many comments from players on how fantastic the courts are now,” said Martin. www.replaymaintenance.co.uk twitter.com/the_iog

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PRODUCT SHOWCASE FO C U S O N : A R T I F I C I A L S U R FAC E M A I N T E N A N C E

SYNTHETIC SUCCESS

SWEPT AWAY BY SISIS KIT MAINTAINING THE two synthetic sports surfaces at Bloxham School in Oxfordshire used to be a timeconsuming task, but that’s all changed thanks to the purchase of two pieces of Sisis equipment.

Tom Hall, the school’s deputy head groundsman, uses the SSS1000 and the Sisis Twinplay on the sand-filled and sand-dressed surfaces.

The Sisis SSS1000 is a tractormounted sweeper that can be pulled by any machine.

There are no tools required to adjust the brush or the angle of the draw bar, and the draw bar lifts to an upright position for easy storage.

Any infill that is collected is returned back down to the surface.

The Sisis Twinplay tractormounted frame can be fitted with several attachments; Tom uses the straight and zigzag brush.

“We have a problem with ash seed

38 THE GROUNDSMAN August 2017

falling onto the synthetic surfaces,” explained Tom. “We used to manually clean them using blowers, handheld brushes and bags, but the SSS1000 makes the job a lot quicker and allows us to spend time on other tasks.” www.sisis.com

Synthetic success at Bloxham School

TA S K CALENDAR Find out what’s on your to-do list page 45

PRODUCT SHOWCASE FO CUS O N : SW EEPERS , B LOW ERS , CO L L EC TO RS & VAC S

BRUSHING UP

The Pellenc Cleanion ensures a clean sweep

PELLENC HAS LAUNCHED the Cleanion – a pedestrian batterypowered brush suitable for removing debris from natural and artificial grass, and other hard surfaces.

The Pellenc Cleanion is a selfdriven brush which is powered by the ULiB battery seen on the rest of the company’s range of tools. With a large working width and a long operating time of battery charge sufficient for demanding professional use, the Cleanion has a range of uses, including removing debris from grass and hard surfaces and, with the attachment of a snow blade, clearing snow from streets and paths. It is suitable for

The brush has adjustable speed and direction

paths, drives, constructions sites and car parks, and is effective on tarmac, block paving, concrete, grass and artificial surfaces.

The Pellenc Cleanion powered brush has adjustable speed and direction, as well as variable speed control for forward and reverse. Brushing

pressure is also reflected in the LCD screen. Optional attachments, including a snow plough, can be changed using the quick-release coupling, and the machine comes with a foldable handle for easy storage and transport between sites. www.etesia.co.uk

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PRODUCT SHOWCASE FO CUS O N : SW EEPERS , B LOW ERS , CO L L EC TO RS & VAC S

T EC H U P D AT E

Focus on weather forecasting page 28

BLOW-BY-BLOW ACCOUNT

A QUIET BLOWER FOR NOISESENSITIVE AREAS

The Mega Twister in action

BLOWN AWAY

Tailor the Mega Twister to meet your needs INCREDIBLY MANOEUVRABLE, with 230° of swivel, the Mega Twister from Wiedenmann blows a mighty 390m³ per minute, making a significant impact to collecting and efficient work management.

Due to its whisper turbine, the Mega Twister is ideal for blowing leaves on park grounds, in residential areas, and on golf courses. The unique swivel mechanism allows the leaves to be blown continuously in

“The Mega Twister is ideal for blowing leaves on park grounds in residential areas, and on golf courses”

one direction without backing up or turning around.

It offers two add-on features: a goose neck spout so the wind nozzle can be set parallel to the floor; and an electrical operation to the nozzle that allows tractors with just one double spool valve to operate the ‘left to right’ swivel action hydraulically and the ‘up and down’ motion via an electric ram.

Users can also direct the outlet spout to different angles depending on the conditions, particularly on undulating ground.

The large support wheels float with the undulations of the ground. www.wiedenmann.com

FIVE YEARS AFTER the release of its first-generation batterypowered handheld blower, the Airion 1, Pellenc has launched the Airion 2.

The new-generation handheld blower is more powerful, accurate and comfortable, based on customer experience feedback.

As with the older version, the Airion 2 can be used near noisesensitive areas such as hospitals, hotels, schools and campsites.

It is also perfectly suitable as a cleaning tool for roads alongside sweepers at any time of the day and works just as effectively as a replacement for the traditional sweeper in towns as it does in parks and gardens.

Weighing just 2.55kg, the power of the Airion 2 has been enhanced by 30 per cent compared to the first version and is the only battery-powered blower available on the market with a thrust of 17.5 newtons, while its low noise (79 decibels) can reduce the nuisance for the operator and the working environment. It is also waterproof to IP54 standards. www.etesia.co.uk

Using the Airion 2 is a comfortable experience

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PRODUCT SHOWCASE FO CUS O N : SW EEPERS , B LOW ERS , CO L L EC TO RS & VAC S

LIGHT WORK

New Makita backpack packs a punch THE NEW Makita EB5300TH Back-Pack Blower is a refined version of the 75cc machine.

Powered by a 52.5cc version of the advanced MM4 engine, this blower is lighter at 8.9kg when dry and delivers 15m³/minute maximum air flow volume with a maximum velocity of 82m/second.

This performance is ample for all leaf management operations but reduces the arm strength required to control the direction of the nozzle during a full day’s work.

The engine is separated from the frame by four isolating damper springs ensuring vibration is greatly reduced allowing longer run time and greater operator protection.

The fully padded backpack

harness adds to operator comfort.

The telescopic pipe and nozzle is adjustable to the operator’s height and protection from static electric shock is achieved with ample insulation distance between the grip and nozzle.

This high-spec model has an antiicing valve which prevents icing up in cold conditions and is compliant with EPA Phase 2 and EU Stage 2 exhaust regulations. It also has a convenient carry handle for easy transport. www.makitauk.com

“The performance is ample for all leaf management operations”

The Super 600

SUPER STAR

IDEAL TOOL FOR TRICKY TERRAIN AVAILABLE FROM WIEDENMANN is the Super 600, a three-in-one flail mower, collector and verticutter.

It’s the ideal machine for negotiating tricky terrain because the 4,500-litre tank needs filling less regularly. Its sister model, the Super 500, boasts a still very respectable 2,500-litre tank. Both machines have a 2.1m-high dump facility as standard and plenty of settings to allow easy tipping into bins and trailers.

Two optional kits can be fitted to the Super 500 and 600 post purchase: the golf course kit is fitted to the front roller and replaces the two tyres; the super contour kit comprises an additional back roller and extra anti-scalp rollers for those with deep ridges and furrows. www.wiedenmann.com

COMING UP

• In September’s issue: brushcutters, topdressers and spreaders • In October’s issue: SALTEX preview, aeration

Say goodbye to leaves with the new Makita backpack

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42 THE GROUNDSMAN August 2017

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IN ACTION

“It has been a very cost-effective solution for me”

Adrian Cutli e at Maginn Park

TAILOR-MADE TREATMENTS A cost-effective solution for Maginn Park in Ireland ADRIAN CUTLIFFE HAS been voluntarily maintaining the surface at Maginn Park in Buncrana, Ireland, for the past 15 years.

Maginn Park is the official HQ of the

HOLDING THE LINE Leeds United FC relies on Ecoline+ for its marking paint LEEDS UNITED Football Club’s groundscare team has been using Pitchmark Ecoline+ line marking paint since 2015 and is currently adding a fourth Eco Club spray line marking machine to its kit. Ecoline+ is a low volume ready-to-use marking paint.

When used in combination with Pitchmark’s Eco markers and special

“Paint has to be quick drying and cost-effective”

Inishowen Football League and the temporary home of Derry City FC. With approximately 72 games per season and just a three-week renovation period each year, Adrian has his work cut out to keep the pitch in good shape.

At the start of every season Adrian and Colman Warde of ICL sit down to design a tailor-made iTurf programme for the pitch.

Adrian starts in early March with an application of ProTurf 20.0.7. This is followed in late April by the first of a monthly foliar application which Adrian

nozzles, the atomising technology allows you to mark a football pitch with as little as 1.5 litres. Kiel Barrett, Leeds United’s head groundsman, and his team use Ecoline+ in the Elland Road stadium and across all eight first team training grounds and academy pitches.

“What we were looking for was supreme quality in our marking paint,” says Kiel. “We want the brightest and it has to be quick drying but also very cost-effective.” With these criteria laid down, Kiel had a demonstration

by Pitchmark in 2015 and was immediately impressed with the results, placing an order with one of the company’s dealers, Countrywide Turf and Amenity. He says he is also very pleased with the high level of service and support he gets from Pitchmark and equally praises the consistency of the product.

In the busy Leeds United groundscare schedule Kiel wanted the paint to be quick drying so they can water as soon as possible after application. They use

applies from March to September.

In early May, SierrablenPlus Spring Starter is applied as a base feed, which gives Adrian long lasting results for three months.

During Adrian’s short renovation period he uses ProSelect Premium Pitch and Sportsmaster Spring & Summer to promote seed strike. In early August, he will apply SierrablenPlus Active 19.5.18 + 2MgO as a base feed. An application of ProTurf 12.5.20 is also made to help aid recovery through the autumn and winter period.

“As a premium brand, most would expect the ICL iTurf programme to be out of reach for a volunteer with a very limited budget,” says Adrian.

“I would strongly argue otherwise because it has been a very costeffective solution for me. The results have been outstanding.”

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For more information visit www.icl-sf.co.uk

Eco Club battery-powered spray line markers to achieve the most accurate lines without ghosting and find the machines straightforward to use and easy to maintain.

“On match days the speed at which we work relies heavily on the quality we get with the Pitchmark system,” says Kiel. “We made the right choice and I would recommend it to anyone.”

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For more information visit www.pitchmark.com

Leeds United wanted the brightest marking paint

www.iog.org THE GROUNDSMAN 43

Tools & guidance MAINTENANCE CALENDAR AND WEATHER UPDATE

MEMBER BENEFITS

The IOG Board report and minutes from the 2016 AGM page 20

SEPTEMBER OPERATIONS BOWLING GREENS

Hollow-tining a green can be readily carried out within a day using a suitable machine which may be designed to collect the cores or staff may be used to brush, rake and shovel up the cores as soon as the machine starts working. If the cores are dry, a litter blower vac can be used to blow most of the cores into defined areas of the green making it easier to remove them.

Once the hollow-tining and clearing up has been completed, the green should be cut to provide a satisfactory playing surface. This hollow-tine operation can also be carried out a second time, at the end of the playing season.

CRICKET SQUARE

With the season now closing, or closed, a thorough renovation of the square will be required.

Mow the whole square to 5mm or so, to produce a fairly clean top surface.

Scarify thoroughly: this could be from three to 10 passes/occasions.

It is important that if the square is to be aerated, ideally with a punch action solid tine machine to 100-150mm depth, that sufficient irrigation is carried out beforehand to assist in tine penetration.

Sarel spike the square then overseed at 34-50g/m2. Typically a pure 100 per cent perennial rye grass mixture is applied to the whole of the square.

A pre-seed fertiliser containing approx 5-8 per cent of nitrogen can be applied.

CRICKET OUTFIELD

Now is the month to reduce the amount of mowing; also, height of cut should be raised to 25-35mm after the final game.

The onset of winter sports games will mean that an application of fertiliser will help and assist in creating strong growth to help sustain the required usage throughout the winter.

FOOTBALL

The pitches should be in excellent condition by now. A few divots may have been made, and these should be repaired/replaced wherever possible. A light topdressing may be needed in a few places.

Weeds can be a problem. This is the last realistic month for any selective herbicide application, although the grass should be growing well if an application is to be considered.

Thin areas can be seeded and a germination sheet applied to help make the most of the remaining good growing conditions.

RUGBY LEAGUE

Mow at 30mm every day plus a once weekly cut at 25mm to remove annual meadow grass seedheads.

Vertidrain bi-weekly going down

to a maximum depth of 12 inches with 4-inch spacings.

Fertilise – generally using 12+0+9 or a 14+2+4, 12 x 25kg.

Brush every morning – this will help stand the grass up and eliminate morning dew.

Spray – an application of selective weedkiller will be required, plus liquid fertiliser.

Irrigate as often as possible as time constraints and training times allow.

RUGBY UNION

Mow – at 30mm everyday. Plus a once weekly cut at 25mm.

Aerate – Vertidraining bi-weekly going down to a maximum depth of 12 inch with 4-inch spacings to aid drainage and root development.

Fertilise – with a pedestrian cyclone spreader, generally using 12+0+9 or a 20+10+10 if a flush of growth is needed – 12 x 25kg.

Topdress – generally not required but if needed then use medium grade sand or a 70/30 rootzone depending on drainage.

Brush – every morning using a tractor-mounted dragbrush, this will help stand the grass up and also remove morning dew.

Irrigate – irrigate as often as possible as time constraints and training times allow.

TENNIS

Commence renovation as soon as possible after the end of the last match.

A typical renovation programme will probably include the following: – irrigation to soften the surface soil profile – initial aeration to penetrate the surface layer – further irrigation to soften the

lower soil profile – further aeration, this time at a greater depth – scarification to remove any thatch build-up and lateral growth – mowing to produce a clean surface – overseeding (especially important along the base line and service boxes) making sure to use the correct type of grass seed – topdress with a suitable loam, with 1-3kg/m2 being suitable depending on the degree of wear and aeration equipment used.

If a fertiliser has not already been applied, now is the time to do so.

HORSE RACECOURSE

This is the main renovation period for flat racing courses.

Where race meetings finish at the end of September, renovation will occur during early October.

Typical renovation work will include: – scarification (or chain harrowing with the tines facing downwards) – deep aeration – mowing grass to a shorter length to expose thin areas –fertiliser application, if not undertaken at the end of August – overseed thin and bare areas – topdress thin and bare areas – light roll – irrigate, particularly seeded and thin areas.

GOLF COURSE

Renovation of the greens will be a priority this month.

Aeration of the fairways can be carried out before the soil becomes too wet.

Traffic areas around greens and tees should be forked, or cultivated if relatively bare, then seeded or turfed.

www.iog.org THE GROUNDSMAN 45

TOOLS & GUIDANCE

W E AT H E R

AUGUST TOP TIPS • Minimise turf stress that may trigger Anthracnose • Watch out for Leaf Spot on hot humid days • Regulate turf growth to enhance turf health • Use GreenCast to predict disease attacks

PLAN NOW FOR WINTER SURVIVAL

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ake advantage of good growing conditions in August to prepare your turf for winter. Long hours of sunshine can build essential carbohydrate reserves, but plants need adequate water and nutrients.

This season has already seen record temperatures and extreme dry conditions in the south and east, contrasted by wet and cooler conditions in the north.

Long-term weather models are pointing towards continued above-average temperatures and below-average rainfall.

Once again the pattern is for prolonged dry spells, with any rain in short, sharp interludes.

Last August saw the return of abovenormal temperatures – after two consecutive seasons of cooler conditions – along with longer sunshine and average rainfall; ideal for stress-free growth.

STADIUM LEAF SPOT Hot humid days in August can be the precursor for Leaf Spot breaking out, especially in a sheltered sports stadium environment and where cutting height is being reduced ready for the playing season. Attacks of melting out now will leave little chance for recovery. Medallion TL has proven extremely effective in preventing turf damage to stadium and training ground playing surfaces.

JET MOVEMENT The jet stream that typically dictates UK August weather has, in the past, been predominantly circular – leading to gentle and gradual change between weather systems, and more predictable weather patterns. More recently, the shape has become more angular, leading to far more dramatic swings and extremes of heat, wind and rain etc. Meteorologists see no reason for this enhanced changeability to alter in the near future.

• The reference average August temperature for the UK has risen by over 0.7°C for the period 1981-2010, compared to 1961-1990.

• The past decade has seen an average 50 per cent more rainfall, compared to historical average.

• Extreme August weather, with sporadic flooding, has been experienced in 75 per cent of years over the past decade.

• Temperatures have been significantly below the long-term average twice in the past 20 years.

Managing moisture becomes a greater challenge under extremes of rainfall weather patterns. Qualibra wetting agent effects, built up over a summer programme, ensure rapid penetration of surface water, to minimise the effects of heavy rainfall and keep surfaces dry, but then hold soil moisture deeper in the profile to encourage greater root mass development.

Used in conjunction with Primo Maxx II, to concentrate chlorophyll levels in the leaf, it enhances summer sun photosynthetic activity, giving a real chance to minimise effects of stress on plants and build carbohydrate root reserves.

Relieving summer weather stress on plants is an important Integrated Turf Management tool to minimise risk of Anthracnose outbreaks in dry periods.

However, if high risk occurs – particularly around maintenance weeks or high wearand-tear competitions –and while plants are still actively growing, an application of Banner Maxx or Headway can help plants to cope.

Proactive disease planning in the summer will ensure turf is in the best health going into the winter.

IOG

RECRUITMENT

TO ADVERTISE IN THE GROUNDSMAN CONTACT PARMINDER SANGHA:

48 THE GROUNDSMAN August 2017

E parmindersangha@jppublishing.co.uk

T 0203 859 7097

IOG

TO ADVERTISE IN THE GROUNDSMAN CONTACT PARMINDER SANGHA:

E parmindersangha@jppublishing.co.uk

CLASSIFIEDS

T 0203 859 7097

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GROW WITH THE IOG

NEXT MONTH

More advice on continued training and development

TRAINING

Are you and your pitch ‘match ready’?

The maintenance of playing surfaces has progressed greatly over the past 10-15 years, and the training and education of groundsmen has been at the heart of that process

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By Dan Prest IOG head of member services

aking responsibility for your learning and development can improve your confidence and the ability to negotiate with those around you. Being proactive about your education can help you to make challenging decisions – whether they include requesting a piece of equipment or even influencing players and coaches to train elsewhere.

Our one-day training courses cover all sports, issues and technical advances to typically allow those entering the industry to progress from Level 1 (Introductory) to Level 3 (Advanced) with the general theme being the initial awareness of the basic tasks through to how to effectively develop and work to a maintenance programme.

Our face-to-face training courses are timed for seasonal delivery and there is a good range of courses taking place from August through to September (see box, right).

IOG qualifications – which take approximately 11 months to complete from Level 2 to Level 6 – are broadly academically comparable to school through university levels and will really give the candidate the full knowledge to be able to apply their studies to their working days. The IOG qualifications are new and updated versions of the historical Nationals and are supported by expert industry tutors and examiners.

These qualifications are available online with selfstudy and give a great deal of flexibility.

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Wembley Stadium head groundsman Karl Standley prepares for The Emirates FA Cup �nal. Karl is currently studying IOG Level 6 Professional Certi�cate in Turf Surface Consulting

AUGUST/SEPTEMBER TRAINING COURSES 4 August, Level 2 Winter Pitches, Beversbrook Sports Facility, Wiltshire 9 August, Level 1 Cricket Autumn/Winter, Radley College, Oxfordshire 24 August, Level 1 Bowling, Olney BC, Buckinghamshire 4 September, Level 2 Reinforced Pitches, Tottenham Hotspur training ground, Hertfordshire 5 September, Level 1 Cricket Autumn/Winter, Bramhall CC, Cheshire 5 September, Level 1 Cricket Autumn/Winter, Hursley Park, Hampshire 6 September, Level 1 Cricket Autumn/Winter, Fenners Cricket Ground, Cambridgeshire 10 September, Level 1 Cricket Autumn/Winter, Stafford CC, Staffordshire 16 September, Level 1 Cricket Autumn/Winter, Harlow CC, Essex 26 September, Level 1 Winter Pitches, Met Police Sports Club, Surrey 28 September, Level 2 Bowling, Salts BC, Yorkshire

If you are interested in attending any of the courses, please contact Diann or Su: learning@iog.org / 01908 552984

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