Funding enabled the BCSA to purchase essential machinery
CHEERS TO COMMUNITY SPIRIT! The GaNTIP team joined forces with Broughton Community Sports Association to reinstate its pitches
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ormed as a collaborative association between Broughton Ravers JFC, Broughton Cricket Club and Broughton Town Council, north Lincolnshire-based Broughton Community Sports Association (BCSA) is targeted to lead improvements in all aspects of its facilities and provide a sports hub that the community can be proud of. The playing surface at the Phil Grundy Sports Centre has historic issues with chafer grub damage; the latest being in August 2018 when the damage was so severe that only two of its seven pitches could be used during the 2018/2019 season. On a community action day, however, a team of volunteers got together to repair
“The PIP report enabled us to work collaboratively with other users” 18 THE GROUNDSMAN November 2019
significant areas of the field with materials and machinery supplied by the council. But despite their considerable efforts, further support was required and today, in partnership with the Lincolnshire County FA and the Grounds and Natural Turf Improvement Programme, the remarkable turnaround of the field continues. BCSA won the tender for the maintenance of the field from April 2019 and, based on recommendations made after The Football Association’s Pitch Improvement Programme (PIP) visit in November 2018, the pitches were treated with selective herbicide, de-compacted and over-seeded with perennial ryegrass. Critically, a more frequent and appropriate mowing regime has also made a real difference.
THE RIGHT TOOLS
Another key area for improvement was to equip BCSA with appropriate machinery for surface maintenance and to reinstate areas more efficiently should the chafer grubs return. Partnership funding of over
By Julien Morris regional pitch advisor
£20,000 from the Football Foundation in combination with more than £12,000 of funding generated by BCSA has enabled the purchase of a 36hp compact tractor, a rear roller mower, a turf combination grooming attachment, a tractor-mounted fertiliser spreader and a tractor-mounted disc seeder. The PIP re-visit in August 2019 reported that the pitches improved from ‘Inadequate’ to being graded as ‘Community 2’ in the IOG’s Pitch Grading Framework, in the space of nine months. Most importantly, all seven pitches are back in use for the 2019/2020 season. Sean Clixby, BCSA chair, said: “The PIP report has helped us produce a schedule of works and has enabled us to work collaboratively with other interested users of the site to further its improvements.” With big plans for the installation of a 3G pitch to complement the grass pitches, it looks like there’s an exciting future for recreational sport in Broughton.
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See www.iog.org for more on GaNTIP and the Pitch Grading Framework