Laurence Gale MSc meets ECB Pitch Advisor Geoff Calcott going about his work
Defining QUALITY
I
f there is one rule of thumb I have learned from working with natural turf it is that we can only ever improve the performance of our playing surfaces if we know what we are dealing with. We have to have a clear objective of what we want to achieve.
By this I mean we need to understand what condition our facilities are in at any given point in time. Once we know this we can then begin to make improvements. Therefore, we need a set of objectives to aspire to and the ability to measure the condition of the facility at any one time to clarify our position. In recent years we have seen the introduction of Performance Quality Standards (PQS) to evaluate turf and soil quality.
Most of the sports governing bodies, in line with other institutions, are now recommending the use of PQS assessments as a tool to help improve pitch quality and to enable clubs to obtain relevant funding for pitch
40 improvements
The English and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) have now developed a mechanism whereby clubs of all standards can acquire the services of an accredited ECB Pitch Advisor to assess their grounds. Performance Quality Standards are a means of defining the quality of a product. For cricket facilities there are three clearly definable areas, of which the most important is the pitch followed by the square and the outfield. However, the playing standards of these essential surfaces are determined by the quality and suitability of the components; the soils, herbage, location, climatic conditions and availability of resources (people, machinery and materials).
The quality standards have to be adjusted according to the time of year and, therefore, should be regarded, not only as standards of provision but also as objectives to aim for at specific times of the year.
Performance Quality Standards do not indicate how a job should be done, they specify quality criteria to which the product must conform on completion or during service.
In essence, by the mere fact that you
are measuring and recording information about the condition of your facility enables you to monitor its performance and address any problems that may be identified during the inspections. The whole process is not about trying to lay blame, it is fundamentally about improvement and ensuring the facility is fit for the level of play required. Within the PQS there are three categories of measurement that relate to the overall quality of a facility:
1. The physical structure - the profile make up
2. The presentational quality - the visual aspect
3. The playing quality the performance ratings
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