Southampton FC training camp at Footes Lane
agricultural and horticultural suppliers, the company has had to divesrsify into amenity products as the other two sectors have declined.
Once the football and rugby seasons
are over, the stadium pitch is marked out for athletics field events. During the summer Shane spends much of his time at the stadium, mowing 2-3 times a week. This is the peak time for usage. The States of Guernsey recoup some of the costs of the facility by charging up to £360 a day to hire the stadium. Shane also oversees the work on two bowling greens. The sward is maintained at a winter height of 10-12mm and, between April and September, they are cut every other day at 5mm. One of the greens has a unique characteristic - it has Cotula (Cotula squalida) growing in the sward. This southern hemisphere evergreen plant is used as a grass substitute, often on bowling greens, in New Zealand. Many
Footes Lane marked out for rugby
years ago, the Cotula was introduced onto the green, by a previous greenkeeper, and has now become quite established. Shane did try to eradicate it a couple of years ago, by spraying the whole green with glysophate and heavily deep scarifying the base of the plant in the hope of killing it. However, it managed to re-establish itself and is now back with a vengeance.
The cost of digging up the whole
green and relaying a new one is prohibitive, so it looks like a case of having to live with it. In New Zealand, Cotula is used extensively for playing bowls on when cut below 2mm, so Shane is considering changing his maintenance regime to favour the Cotula and let it become the dominant playing surface. Guernsey could end up with one of the only Cotula bowling greens in the northern hemisphere. Disease, worms and moss problems are treated with appropriate chemical
products such as lawn sands, moss killers and fungicide treatments when required, Shane likes to adopt a more cultural method of control by carrying out effective regular maintenance operations such as brushing, aeration and scarifying to keep the sward open and free draining. Feeding is kept to a minimum to promote the finer grasses he sows each year. There are few pests on the island - no moles. foxes or badgers - just rabbits, that tend to be a problem everywhere! The States of Guernsey are also
responsible for maintaining all the school playing fields (sixteen junior and six secondary), road verges, parks and open spaces.
These are overseen by Contracts Manager, Peter Jackson, who has a large team of groundsmen and gardeners in his charge. Peter also undertakes contracts work for the various sports clubs on the island.
GuernseySport What is Quest? Other facilities visited...
Beau Sejour Leisure Centre, which was successfully revamped between 2001-03, now offers facilities and services of the highest quality for sports and leisure pursuits.
The Centre’s Manager, Martyn Boourgaize, is responsible for promoting and delivering a wide range of activities and events on a daily basis and has a dedicated team of staff who have helped the centre gain a much deserved ‘Highly Commended’ accreditation by Quest (see right). This puts the centre into the upper echelons of leisure centres in the UK.
The Northern Athletic FC pitch is tended by Jose Alvarez, one of the island’s football and tennis coaches, who undertakes work on the ground in his spare time. Jose helps to mow and mark out the pitch every week, spending up to twenty hours a week at the club. He is assisted by Gary Cortez, the club’s fixture secretary, who also has committed many years to the cause of looking after football facilities on the island. The States of Guernsey provide a
vertidrain and seeder for end of season renovation.
Quest is the UK Quality Scheme for Sport and Leisure.
Quest is a tool for continuous improvement, designed primarily for the management of leisure facilities and leisure development. Quest defines industry standards and good practice and encourages their ongoing development and delivery within a customer focused management framework.
There are two models to use for your team:
1.The Facility Management (FM) model is aimed at the management of any facility which provides an activity for customers; public, private, trust and voluntary sector.
2.The Sports Development (SD) model is aimed at the management of any team which provides or facilitates participation in an activity; public, private, trust and voluntary sectors.
Although initially designed for the sports and leisure industry, the good practice is flexible enough to relate to all cultural activities.
Each of the areas identified above has both a self-assessment improvement programme, and the opportunity for an independent external assessment.
To kick start the assessment process you will need to purchase a Quest Pack. This purchase includes subscription to the members only area of the website where you can access all the best practice guidance documents as well as benchmarking data and case studies.
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