Photo: Head groundsman Dan Ross
MAINTENANCE
T E C H N I C A L U P D AT E
PLANNING YOUR PITCH RENOVATION
What does pitch renovation time mean to your club? A considered plan will ensure you can maximise a pitch’s carrying capacity – and with that comes the need for skilled professionals to maintain the playing surface Renovations underway at Sheepmount Athletics Stadium
F By Dan Prest IOG head of member engagement
30 THE GROUNDSMAN July 2018
aced with an increase in turf maintenance activities, machinery and technology, grounds managers have an ever-more important role. Not only should they have great technical expertise but they should also be able to plan projects and manage resources, and implement these skills to maximise financial return. A grounds manager needs to plan and organise work effectively to ensure tasks are completed efficiently and at the correct time of year. If a work programme is in place, it can help with setting staffing levels, machinery requirements, contract hire operations, material requirements and budget cashflow forecasting. This is useful when discussing matters with line managers.
The information collected by the grounds manager could support either side of the discussion and might make the difference between winning or losing the debate.
DEFINING OBJECTIVES
The grounds manager should have concise objectives. For example, “at the beginning of May we will start and complete a major renovation of a football pitch within a twoweek period”. There must be a good reason for making that decision, because it will have to be defended in discussions with the club secretary, coaches and other managers. The grounds manager may find that, following justifiable comments from users and a detailed pitch assessment, many areas (not necessarily all) have issues, such as: