GuernseySport


Lunar Energy... I


was invited to visit Guernsey by Shane Moon, Head Groundsman at the island’s


Footes Lane Stadium, one of the sites run by the States Of Guernsey Culture and Leisure Department, who are responsible for promoting and maintaining a range of sporting services. Shane has been with the States of Guernsey Leisure and Culture Department for twenty-six years, and has worked at most of the sports facilities on the island during his time with the department.


He has spent the last seven years at Footes Lane. The 13- acre site was redeveloped in 1992 at a cost of £1.2 million to provide a much improved stadium pitch, a Polyflex all weather floodlit athletics track and a full size artificial turf pitch, which has recently had a purpose-built hockey pavilion added.


A major development of the Shane Moon


Garenne Stand, seating 720 spectators, has transformed the complex into a showpiece venue for sporting events on the island. Guernsey Rugby Club have two rugby pitches adjacent to the site, but rent the stadium pitch for all their first team fixtures and when hosting overseas touring parties. Shane has to manage an ever-growing list of fixture and events. In the course of a year, footfall can reach 150,000, much of it


In the UK, sand is usually


delivered to site at around £25- 30 per tonne. On Guernsey, Shane has to pay around £125 per tonne due to the cost of transporting materials and machinery to the island. The total cost for topdressing just one pitch is a staggering £12,000!


Sand and topdressings can only be sourced from mainland UK, hence the cost. In fact, all grounds maintenance machinery and amenity supplies, such as seed and fertlisers, have to be imported from the mainland. All of these supplies come


through local dealer, Stan Brouard Ltd, who have been in operation since 1950. Originally


from local schools and football clubs who use the pitch for matches and training camps. During my visit, Southampton


Football Club were holding a week long football camp, which involved children of all ages being coached by the club’s staff coaches.


Every year, Shane organises


the renovation of the stadium pitch, usually going through a process of scarification, aeration using a vertidrain, applying 90 tonnes of imported sand from mainland UK and overseeding with Advanta MM50, a perennial rye grass seed mixture. A relative straightforward job you might think, but it usually comes at a cost!


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