LIVE AT LEEDS
Preparing for a top of the table clash between Leeds Rhinos and St. Helens, which will be screened live on Sky TV, brings unique challenges
renovation works, quite simply because the seasons never end! If he is lucky he may get a
W
hen I returned to Headingley two days later to catch up with
Jason Booth, he was preparing for the top of the table clash between Leeds Rhinos and St Helen.
Jason and his assistant, Kiel
Barrett, had been mowing the pitch post to post, overseeing the logo painting and setting up the initial line marks for pitch lining.
Jason has been Head
Groundsman at the club since 2001 and has improved the pitch to such an extent that it is now regarded as one of the best playing surfaces in both codes of rugby. It’s remarkable feat when you consider that, because he has to cater for both codes, the playing seasons overlap leaving him with little or no clear period for traditional ‘end of season’
two-week window to carry out some renovation works but, usually, it is a case of getting as much work as possible completed in between matches. Jason must have one of the most unique challenges in stadium groundsmanship as the 50-year-old soil based pitch has to provide well over 60 games and training sessions. He has a staff of three to help him maintain both the stadium and training ground pitches - Kiel Barrett, Ryan Golding and Allan Wright. Over the years they have continued to raise the standard of the pitch. They work very hard to ensure the pitch is at its best, both in performance and presentation, for every game. Having taken over from his mentor, the redoubtable Keith Boyce, the previous Head Groundsman, Jason is now highly respected by his peers, players and management staff.
It has not been easy and
there are still many issues to face, particularly with the ground improvements earmarked for the future. New stands are to be built to increase crowd capacity. This alone will bring new problems with shade and air flow. However, his biggest decision is likely to be whether to upgrade the pitch to a sand based reinforced system or to keep his trusted soil based pitch, but with improved drainage. Whatever decision he takes,
the current condition of the Headingley Carnegie pitch is a credit to his commitment, dedication and drive.
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