I had to be a mechanic, accountant, debt collector and all things in between ...
person. I listened to other business people and grew from there. I had a big break in the summer of 2006 when I secured the maintenance contract of an internationally renowned food manufacturer in Northants on their seventy-two acre site. I also won some local Business Centre contracts and got involved again at Rushden & Diamonds when Ewan Hunter departed to Nottingham Forest.
To advertise in this section contact Classifieds
Peter Britton on 01747 855335 email:
peter@pitchcare.com
SPORTS TURF CONTRACTORS
www.EARTHBOUND
SERVICES.co.uk SPORTS PITCH SPECIALIST
Kettering Town FC
pitches, on average, once a month. Renovation is pretty basic, forty
In the summer of 2007 I landed the contract at Corby Town FC. By now, I had sharpened up my business acumen to go alongside my groundsmanship skills. Currently, my team and I have built the business up to a stage where we own several vehicles, a trailer, an assortment of triple and hand mowers, hand tools and our own premises. We have spent a lot on marketing to continue to grow the business. I’m proud of my staff: one full time member, one part time plus four or five key sub- contractors. All work is scheduled with
flexibility built in. Agreeing the contents of a contract is key. This cuts out many unnecessary and time consuming conversations. For example, all work at Business Centres is programmed in and carried out accordingly, i.e. lawns presented well, bedding plants set in, large lawns kept tidy, trees and shrubs kept looking good and weeds kept under control. I still keep my hand in with the
football clubs. Experience has taught me to have good communication with the manager and coaches of clubs, but stick to the points. I put a brief list on dressing room walls so that users know what is expected of the pitch. There’s usually some brief dialogue on Friday mornings about pitch requirements, and we go from there. Kettering and Corby have similarly constructed pitches - average (very!) drainage systems and 70:30 constructions. They have improved though, and those sleepless Friday nights when it’s raining have become fewer! I devised a plan of maintenance for each pitch that suits their individual needs and budgets. It may not be Premier League quality, but it does suffice. For both clubs I vertidrain four times a year, in September, December, March and June. In conjunction with aerating I fertilise straight after with 12:3:9 in summer and 4:0:8 in winter. The fertilising works better when there’s oxygen in the ground and the plant has a chance to take the nutrients up better. We oversow with perrenial ryegrass during renovations. After each game, divoting takes no longer than a couple of hours and we mow two or three times a week in summer and once a week during winter. We brush the
An instant solution to poorly drained pitches this season. The Sandmaster can provide drainage solutions by injecting sand into the turf by continuous channels without any disruption to play.
tonnes of sand, aerate, brush in seed and feed. We spray for worms and weeds in late September/early October. We are currently hand stitching (bit by bit) Desso into goalmouths. Currently, money is a bit tight -
ALSO •Koro Cutting •Laser Grading •Stone Removal •Excavations
01883 340969 email:
earthbounds1@aol.com FTS
everywhere! We constantly keep an eye on the accounts and budget accordingly and try to set money aside for a rainy day. I feel pressure - pressure for my employees and their families, my customers who expect high standards, pressure from the bank, suppliers etc, etc! The last three years have aged me and given me a different perspective. I will continue to try and grow the business and branch out into different areas over time, if I can. I still stay in touch with people in the profession. I have a lot of admiration for those involved in the stadiums because you cannot produce a top class surface without good experience and dedication. The standards set at the top do filter down the leagues, and the levels of pitch maintenance in non league are far higher than when I was a lad. I recommend becoming self
Sportsground & Amenity Contractors
• Sports Pitch Construction • Earthworks • Maintenance • Drainage & Irrigation • Custom Grown Turf
• Install n Playball Turf Tiles 01400 251605
www.fine-turf.co.uk info@fine-turf.co.uk
Cricket Pitch Specialists
Unit 5, Beenham Industrial Estate Reading, Berkshire RG7 5PP Tel: 0118 9714420 Mob: 07768 696291 Fax: 0118 9714522
www.fts-sportsturf.co.uk
Natural and synthetic pitch construction
A. SMITH GRASS SERVICES A Healthy Solution to the Perfect Surface
TEL: 01473 652982 MOB: 07759 542773
employed to anyone, but it’s not for the faint hearted. The security angle to me is backing yourself and your judgement and experience. If you believe, then you will believe it’s possible. I always scrutinise and question myself ,but I’ve built up a good network of people and I’m more focused on the business now and clearer about what the future holds. I don’t look back now. I’m lucky
that I’ve had both experiences and I prefer being in control of my own destiny. I can dictate events and I will do my best to educate managers as we progress. I keep in touch with Jim Buttar
at Spurs and Ewan at Nottingham Forrest (hi guys!), both are tremendously dedicated groundsmen who work long hours and have long journeys. People like that are the future of the industry. I’ve tried to take bits from all the people I’ve worked with and come across to help me now. Combining that with the business side of things has certainly been an interesting learning curve. Here’s to getting through a possible recession! PS: Thanks Brads for an
GWAZAE DEEP GROUND PROBE AERATION KORO FIELD TOP MAKER • SCARIFYING VERTI-DRAINING • HOLLOW CORING SEEDING • TOP DRESSING
Email:
adrian@grassservice.com Website:
www.grassservice.com VIBRA-TINE SAND MASTER
Kevin Baker
Tel: 01256 880488 Email:
info@kestrelcontractors.co.uk
OLIVER WARRINER ASSOCIATES
OW
SPORTS TURF CONSTRUCTION, RENOVATION & MAINTENANCE THROUGHOUT YORKSHIRE AND GREATER MANCHESTER
KORO FIELD TOPMAKER • SCARIFICATION BLEC GRADING AND LASER LEVELLING CULTIVATION AND INITIAL SEEDING
TEL: 01484 684946 MOBILE: 07841 484977
EMAIL:
owasc1@hotmail.co.uk
VERTI-DRAINING • SAND SPREADING OVERSEEDING • PIPE DRAINAGE GRAVEL, SAND AND LYTAG BANDS
Consultancy, Management & Renovation of Sports Surfaces
Winter Pitch renovation BLEC Groundbreaker and Sandmaster attachment Koro Field Topmaker
Midlands & North Wales
Mobile: 07779 333010 Tel: 01889 567449
www.vitalturfmanagement.co.uk Email:
lee@vitalturfmanagement.co.uk
excellent mower, it’s putting in the hours now, I can tell you!
To subscribe to pitchcare magazine log on to
www.pitchcare.com or telephone 01902 440 252
131
www.kestrelcontractors.co.uk
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