The pitch before (right) and after the drainage and irrigation works
SLICK WORK AT HANWELL TOWN FC Hanwell Town FC’s investment in new pitch drainage and an irrigation system has led to a significant upgrade to the Powerday Stadium’s playing surface and reduced winter cancellations
T By Rob Donnelly Regional pitch advisor
he improvements at the Greenfordbased club, which competes in the Bostik League South Central Division at Step 4, has not only had a positive impact on the players – the upgraded pitch will support the development of the first team as well as the under-18 side, which plays in the Allied Counties Youth Football League East Division – but the grounds staff now also have a pitch that is ‘easier’ to keep in optimum condition all year round. The project was made possible by a £73,580 Premier League grant delivered through the Football Stadia Improvement Fund (FSIF), the sister organisation to the Football Foundation. The club had previously received two other FSIF grants, totalling £17,115, towards upgrades to the site. After tough weather conditions towards the end of last season, the club committed to significantly upgrading the pitch and contacted Middlesex FA. As a result, I visited the ground and provided advice and support on pitch quality improvements. The
“It means we can now water the pitch at night in just 78 minutes instead of having sprinklers running 24/7” 12 THE GROUNDSMAN May 2019
FA’s Pitch Improvement Programme provided the framework for advice, support and access to funding streams. More than 3,000m of drainage has been installed (lateral drains spaced every 3m), after which the pitch was fraise mowed to remove the top layer, followed by topdressing with 120 tonnes of sand and re-seeding. A state-of-the-art, fully automated Rain Bird pop-up irrigation system was also installed. The trenches for the irrigation also act as additional drains.
MAJOR INVESTMENT
Commenting that the works represented a major investment for a club at this level, head groundsman Tom Duffy – who is accredited to Level 3 in Sports Turf Management and is a pitch advisor for Middlesex FA – said the work will transform the pitch for years to come. In addition to aiding post-season grass restoration “it means we can now water the pitch at night in just 78 minutes instead of having sprinklers running 24/7”, he said. “On match days we can slick up the surface in just 12 minutes simply by using an app on my phone.”
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For more details of GaNTIP, visit www.iog.org