By Darren Symonds Regional pitch advisor
RAIN DOESN’T STOP PLAY! The implementation of improved maintenance regimes, and the use of new equipment, has helped one community football club to transform its pitches and minimise match cancellations caused by wet weather
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y initial visit to Gerrards Cross & Fulmer FC’s King George’s Field site – the main playing venue of the Buckinghamshire-based FA Charter Standard status club that has around 200 players in 12 age groups from under 6 to under 18 – was in May 2016. It was under the auspices of the Football Association’s Pitch Improvement Programme (PIP), and I found the ground suffering in certain areas, primarily due to drainage issues. We provided advice on improvements to general maintenance and renovation practices, as well as machinery procurement. Today, two years on, the hard work and dedication of the grounds team – Paul Colloff and Phil Mooney – has been rewarded with a much-improved playing surface and new machinery, part-funded through the PIP. PQS (Performance Quality Standards) measurements taken during the initial visit benchmarked the pitch as ‘intermediate’, with heavy wear and tear through the middle and in the goalmouths. Now, however, there is a marked improvement – 40-90 per cent overall – in both areas. Taking into consideration the ground is also used for cricket, as well as this spring’s harsh weather, such improvements are testament to the efforts of Paul and Phil.
“We receive regular compliments from opposition teams on the pitches”
With the pitches being used as cricket �elds in the summer, grass had to be left meticulous at the end of the season
The initial recommendations also highlighted the need for linear decompaction, as well as the application of 50 tonnes of 70/30 root zone. Overseeding with rye grass was also needed as part of the renovation process, and the ground required twice-a-year fertilisation, plus regular cutting, brushing, slitting and surface grooming.
DRYING OUT
There is a specific area on the site that tends to sit wetter than most, and the club has been working hard to eradicate this problem. After the initial PIP visit, recommendations were given for the top dressing, increased decompaction and general maintenance practices. The improvements were made and now the team has the option of installing a suitable drainage system in this area. While carrying out the improvements suggested by PIP – which also involved Paul and Phil attending a GaNTIP Winter
Pitch Maintenance workshop – the club also managed to take advantage of funds for additional machinery. Commenting on the newly acquired 36hp tractor, tractormounted turf maintenance kit and rear roller rotary deck, Paul says: “The equipment has made a dramatic impact on our ability to prepare and maintain a high standard of pitches. In the two months we’ve been using it we have had no cancellations due to rainrelated problems, and we receive regular compliments from opposition teams on the state of the pitches. Being a dual-sport site, the equipment allowed us to successfully transition the football pitches into a cricket outfield and the ground was as good as it normally is at the end of summer.” For more information on GaNTIP or the FA’s Pitch Improvement Programme (PIP), contact your local County FA (www.thefa.com) or visit www.iog.org
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www.iog.org THE GROUNDSMAN 15