PROFILE
MARTIN FORD
P I TC H GRADING
Watch out for an update on the new scheme in a future issue
By Colin Hoskins Features editor
RAISING THE GAME
Martin Ford can look back on 11 successful years as IOG/ECB fine turf manager, during which time he has not only improved the standard of cricket pitches but also helped to raise the standard of natural playing surfaces across all sports PQS helps to keep playing surfaces in tip-top condition
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hen in 2007, Martin Ford took on the job as the IOG and England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) fine turf manager – a role initially designed for the nationwide assessment of premier league cricket clubs’ pitches and squares’ Performance Quality Standards (PQS) – he said that he hoped that the principles and benefits of the innovative scheme would eventually be considered by sports governing bodies as the de facto standard for every turf-relevant surface. Today, he can look back on 11 years of tremendous achievement: There are now more than 70 trained pitch advisors The [cricket] Premier League PQS has been wholeheartedly adopted throughout England and Wales, and is filtering down to
other levels of the sport, and The principles of PQS are now also forming the bedrock of the IOG’s groundbreaking Pitch Grading System – a series of standards for natural turf pitches in all sports and at all levels down to grassroots. “Designed to determine the quality of a square or pitch against nationally recognised British benchmark standards, PQS is an essential element of good management practice and is a clearly defined, no-nonsense way of keeping playing surfaces in tip-top condition,” says Martin. “A bad pitch can lead to bad play and can be unsafe (ie unpredictable bounce) and PQS clearly underpins the principles of fair, competitive play on surfaces of the highest standards possible.” Pioneered more than 30 years ago by IOG member Peter Dury, a former Notts County
ABOUT MARTIN FORD A former treasurer of the IOG, Martin Ford is a Royal Horticultural Society Master of Horticulture, a keen cricketer and someone who has been involved in sports clubs – in particular local authority sites – throughout his career.
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playing fields officer, PQS (which can also be applied to artificial surfaces) involves three categories of pitch measurement: Physical structure – profile/make up Presentation quality Playing quality – performance. Within these the PQS criteria embraces length and density of sward, total ground cover and desirable/undesirable grasses, and the assessment includes testing soil samples and flatness (by spirit level). “Importantly, the role of the pitch advisors embraces an assessment of the pitch/square in line with PQS which, once fully understood by the clubs, is an effective self-assessment tool for continual improvement.” In addition, Martin’s role as fine turf manager – “which has certainly reinforced the importance of good quality pitches; if you don’t have a good pitch, you won’t have
“If you don’t have a good pitch, you won‘t have good games and you won‘t attract good players”