U P D AT E
NEWS
U P D AT E
NEWS
NEWS
The John Lyon grounds team
EQUIPMENT UPDATE
TIME-SAVING TECHNOLOGY TWO NEW KIT arrivals for a busy Middlesex grounds team are saving up to five working days a month. The Wiedenmann Terra Spike GXi8 HD and the Wiedenmann Super 500, delivered in October, are significantly reducing time spent on aeration, collecting and scarifying, the team has said. Chris Lynch, grounds manager at John Lyon School, Harrow-on the-Hill and his two assistants, Mark Chandler and Joe Naughton now have breathing space to tackle different projects. The site, at Sudbury Fields in North West London, has four full-size football pitches, three junior size pitches, four training zones and three cricket squares. On any given afternoon, up to 200 pupils and PE staff from the
independent boys’ day school make full use of the playing facilities. “With our previous aerator, we could expect to cover all 28 acres, minus the cricket squares, in five to six working days, said Chris Lynch. Now with the GXi8 HD, the sports fields with the cricket squares included can be done in less than three days. “We’re also saving at least two days a week with the Super 500. Just the other week all pitches were raked quite roughly to take out dead grass. Lots of material came out. We took the Super 500 across and in one pass it picked everything up. I was beyond impressed. All 28 acres collected with one pass in just over two days.” www.wiedenmann.co.uk
MONEY SAVER
STMA conference discount IOG MEMBERS ARE eligible for discounted entry to the annual STMA Conference & Exhibition, which will take place in Phoenix, Arizona, USA from 22–25th January 2019. The conference offers an opportunity for delegates to network, attend seminars and handson workshops and learn about the latest technology in groundscare.
You can also join a tour of college and municipal sports facilities in the area. The discounted entry price is US$375 (£331), compared to the full price of US$505 (£445). You can take advantage of the lower price by visiting www.stma.org and adding the 2019 conference to the shopping cart and using the promotional code: ConfReg-2019STMAafflOrg.
DIARY DATE
NORTHUMBERLAND FA NATURAL TURF PIP EDUCATION NORTHUMBERLAND FA, with help from GaNTIP regional pitch advisor Ian Powell, will be hosting a Pitch Improvement Programme (PIP) educational event at the Close House Hotel and Golf Resort, in Newcastle Upon Tyne on 21 February 2019. This event, which will run from approximately 10am to 4pm and includes lunch and refreshments, will include a keynote address from IOG CEO Geoff Webb, funding advice from The Football Foundation’s Adrian Morris and Mark Woodhall from Northumberland FA and practical advice from Ian Powell (above), as well as practical turf care demonstrations, including: 1 Cutting & Mowing – Greenlay 2 Deep Aeration – Wiedenmann 3 Pre/Post Match Slitting – Dennis Sisis 4 Line Marking – Fleet Line Marking 5 Over Seeding – Rickerby’s/ Redexim Charterhouse. The cost is £10. Visit https:// eventspace.thefa.com/FALearning to book your place, or for more information, email: andrew. cook@northumberlandfa.com
www.iog.org THE GROUNDSMAN 9