it follows that a better standard of care is undertaken, and required, with many clubs employing dedicated groundstaff. Here are three examples of what equipment is required at three different levels; grass roots league 4/5, National league and Premiership.
Grass roots League 4/5 level clubs
The work is predominantly carried out by volunteers. These clubs usually have two or three pitches to look after and they tend to be soil-based. They tend to get very basic maintenance, in most cases just a cut and mark out during the season, with some token of end of season work.
Recommended Machinery / Equipment required:
• A compact tractor with trailed cylinder gangs or rotary mower deck, or a motorised triple ride-on rotary /cylinder mower
• A Sisis Quadraplay to help restore the pitches after play and keep the grass brushed and raked
• Outfield slit tines /solid spiker
• 21” pedestrian rotary mower to cut lines and smaller areas
• Strimmer to cut around obstructions
• Line marker. The spray jet line markers are more efficient and quicker than transfer wheel markers and are able to paint uneven surfaces
National League Clubs
Many National League clubs tend to have even more pitches to look after, often as many as eight. These tend to be soil based, with the exception of perhaps the first team pitch that may have been upgraded in terms of drainage performance, either by having an extensive drainage system, along with a modified upper rootzone (sand
ameliorated in the top 100mm of soil.
This investment often means that these modified pitches need an increased level of maintenance in terms of mowing, watering, feeding and aeration regimes.
Their basic needs will be similar to the grass roots level clubs, however they should invest in some additional machinery to cope with the extra workload:
• A 1.5 metre wide vertical solid tine aerator or a 1.5 metre wide linear aerator for decompacting
• A 1.5 metre wide uni- spread topdresser to apply sand and soil
• A 1.4 metre wide dimple or disc seeder for over seeding
• A tractor mounted fertiliser spreader
• A dedicated ride on triple cylinder mower for cutting at least twice a week
• A 45-55hp tractor to power the additional equipment
• A self propelled irrigator for watering
Premiership Clubs
Most premiership clubs now have a dedicated stadium pitch and a number of training academy pitches that may be on the same site or at another location. With the emphasis on attracting top class players the playing surfaces at the club have to be in the best condition and well presented. The only way to achieve this is to increase the level of maintenance inputs and upgrade facilities to cope with the high demands of the modern game. These pitches are in demand seven days a week particularly the training pitches. Many of the top flight clubs in recent years have gradually upgraded their stadium pitches, often moving to a more sand dominated reinforced rootzone free draining construction. However, these types of pitches require a higher
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 |
Page 109 |
Page 110 |
Page 111 |
Page 112 |
Page 113 |
Page 114 |
Page 115 |
Page 116 |
Page 117 |
Page 118 |
Page 119 |
Page 120 |
Page 121 |
Page 122 |
Page 123 |
Page 124 |
Page 125 |
Page 126 |
Page 127 |
Page 128 |
Page 129 |
Page 130 |
Page 131 |
Page 132 |
Page 133 |
Page 134 |
Page 135 |
Page 136 |
Page 137 |
Page 138 |
Page 139 |
Page 140