GEARYING UP AT CHARLTON
Laurence Gale MSc meets Paul Geary, Head Groundsman at Charlton Athletic FC’s training ground, and finds out that play off failure has resulted in budget cutbacks!
P
aul Geary has been Head Groundsman at the Charlton Athletic’s training ground since 1994 and, in recent years, has played an important role in the development and upgrading of the playing surfaces at the facility. Paul is responsible for overseeing all the works carried out, which includes end of season renovations, drainage works and ground improvements, together with the normal, ongoing maintenance schedules.
The training ground provides both natural and artificial playing surfaces. These include eight full size and two smaller natural grass pitches and one 6000m2
club since 2000 and Alf Bloomfield, who joined in 1998. The attitude of the grounds department is one of continuous improvement, both in personal development through education and also by raising standards in the field. To that end Paul completed an MSc in Sports Surface Technology at Cranfield University in 2005, and has already implemented some of things he learned, particularly soil sampling and management. This has lead to improved standards on the site.
3G artificial
pitch. The grass pitches were sown down on various indigenous soil types from a sandy loam to heavy clay.
Including Paul, there are four staff who maintain the facility. His deputy is Darren Jepson who joined the team last year, and who is nearing completion of an FdSc in Sportsturf. They are assisted by Tony Provan, who has been with the
The club has also invested in a number of projects to improve the pitch facilities at the training ground. This involved the installation of a new fully automated irrigation system that serves three pitches, and the installation of a bypass drainage system to one of the pitches.
In addition, adjacent land was
purchased to construct another training pitch and a small sided games area at a cost of £100 000. The 3G artifical pitch cost £600,000
The training ground
3G Artificial
Vertidraining behind a Tym tractor
The training ground staff
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104 |
Page 105 |
Page 106 |
Page 107 |
Page 108