Machinery
Compact tractor 25-48 hp Ride on mower
Rotary mower front or rear mounted
Cylinder mower 3-5 gang - trailed or mounted
Pedestrian mower 75-91cm width
Pedestrian rotary mower up to 53cm working width
Tractor mounted aerator Topdresser spreader Fertiliser spreader Scarifier
Line marking machine Trailer
Sisis Quadraplay (4 unit) Strimmer
level of maintenance inputs to keep them in tip-top condition, resulting in the club having to employ full time groundstaff and the appropriate equipment to maintain their pitches. The frequency of feeding, mowing and other cultural practices are magnified several times over. Mowing is often carried out on a daily basis, sand based pitches need more feeding and watering. Groundsmen at this level prefer to box off the clippings when mowing and they also like to lower the weight of the machine to reduce compaction. Therefore, many Premiership Groundsmen use 36” walk behind cylinder mowers with collection boxes such as Allett, Dennis and Ransomes. The groundstaff also spend more time watering, feeding and aerating their pitches. They would also have a sprayer to apply fungicides, weedkillers and fertiliser products.
End of season renovations
Whatever level of club, there is a need to undertake end of season renovations to improve the performance of pitches. The level of maintenance undertaken will be
Cost new £12-20k £11-30k £1-18k
£9-20k £3-9k
£200-£1500 £3-18k £3-20k
£100-1000 £3-20k
£200-£800 £1-8k £3k
Second hand values £4-12k £5-10k £1-10k
£1-12k £1-3k
£50-£400 £2-10k £2-7k
£50-500 £2-10k
£50-£150
£500-£2000 £500-£2000
£175-£450 Do not buy second hand
dependent on the condition of the pitch. The norm is to mow and scarify out some surface debris, decompact the pitch, fertilise, topdress and overseed. Usually, clubs at the higher level have the machinery to do this work themselves. However, for the majority of clubs, it will be a case of employing a sportsturf contractor who is geared up to complete this work quickly and efficiently.
Listed below is what I consider to be the basic minimum level of renovation works undertaken at the end of the season. It is based on a 7000 square metre rugby pitch.
Recommended basic minimum work
1.Scarify entire area to remove thatch and surface debris
2. Decompact entire area with rotary decompactor/vertidrain
3.Supply and apply 60 tonnes of silica sand with a partical size range between 0.125ml and 2.0ml
4.Supply and apply 7 x 20kg bags of a perennial ryegrass mixture at a rate of
20gm per square metre using a specialist seeder
5.Supply and apply 10 x 25kg bags of re- seed fertiliser at a rate of 35gm per square metre.
6.Dragmat entire area to incorporate above into surface
The total cost for the above programme is in the region of £4,700 + VAT.
At the end of the day clubs will have to face up to fact there is a cost for maintaining winter games pitches. Based on the above recommendation, plus the ongoing general maintenance, the annual cost of a single soil based pitch is likely to be around £8-10k. A hefty amount for most local clubs. These costs can be reduced if the club undertakes some of the work in house, but that depends on having the right equipment and skills. Contractor prices generally come down if there is more than one pitch to maintain, so maybe there is an opportunity for several clubs to join together and benefit from the economies of scale.
Clubs could also look at ways of generating the necessary funds by organising a series of activities with all the proceeds earmarked solely for pitch maintenance. For example, most clubs run Sundays morning sessions for kids, in some cases with a couple of hundred turning up. A token charge of £1 would potentially bring in several thousand pounds - a significant contribution to the maintenance fund. There are many imaginative ways by which clubs have raised money, but I suppose what I am saying is that, unless clubs give pitch maintenance the highest possible priority and the funding to support it, the decline in standards will continue. As a consequence it will become difficult to attract youngsters into the game, and existing players will move on or out of rugby altogether. Look after the grass roots of any sport and it will thrive. All it requires is for clubs to see the importance of taking that statement seriously and literally.
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