End of season wear
Keeping a good rapport between the management and players is a must. I feel it is vital that we understand and respect each other’s needs and find a middle ground
That included two bags of R314 which was drilled down the wings to hold for warm ups wear. Fifteen bags of pre-seed feed (6:9:6) was then applied.
Excessive wear on linesman’s run
I now had just a six week close season to grow in the surface in time for four pre-season home games. Two days after completion 25mm of rain fell in seven hours, which was a real test for the new drainage. There was no surface water anywhere and, apart from seed wash off in two of the corners, it was a job well done.
End of season wear in goalmouth
Germination took eight days and a further eleven days to reach 55mm across most of the pitch. Temperatures remained low for the time of year and the stadium’s shaded east wing and south goalmouth took a further eighteen days to fully establish. Eventually, the Dennis G670 came back out of the shed to lightly roll the surface. This was followed by seven rotary cuts in different directions with a Husqvarna ride on, the first at 50mm gradually reducing, on a daily basis, to 35mm. Once at that height the Dennis took over, steadily taking the height down to 27mm. After the first cut I began a
Koroing off Dragmatted level and overseeded 70
rigorous high dose feeding and watering programme to push the plant along. Feeding was fairly intense as the sward was slow to thicken up. July began wet and cool. The sward was not as thick as I had hoped and, in the wet conditions, leaching was a problem causing some leaf spot and red thread on the wings. However, once the temperatures rose towards the end of the month, the feed kicked in, the soil became warmer and I was now cutting daily to keep on top of the new growth! Within six weeks the surface was playable. The first linemarking was performed with a demo of Fleet’s Beamrider. I was really impressed! We hosted three games in seven days against Championship 1st team sides from Bristol City, Reading and Birmingham City. These were followed, one week later, by Wycombe Wanderers. The pitch stood up really well and there was very little damage.
I always speak to the away coaches. My pitch rules (all in line with the Football League handbook) are pinned on the wall of the dressing room. I point out the warm up areas etc. and I am very particular. It drives me crazy to see my hard work getting a hammering when coaches go off and do their own thing, such as goalkeepers spending longer in the goals, and then the reserve keepers getting in on the act. That’s when I intervene. I just wish all teams would abide by the rules. I am lucky to have a good working relationship with the gaffer, Jim Harvey. He usually rings me at least twice a week so he knows the condition of the pitch leading up to match day. He is also very supportive when it comes to board level approval for my requirements. In turn, I support his passing style of play by providing a good surface. Keeping a good rapport between the management and players is a must. I feel it is vital that we understand and respect each other’s needs and find a middle ground. My aim, this season, is to produce a better surface than I did two years ago (which won an award). Each season I will try to improve the surface. To date I have added Fibresand to both goalmouths and linesman runs. I’ve put in infield pop up watering sprinklers to control water usage more efficiently and to aid match day watering to add extra zip to the passing game - dragging hoses out onto the centre of the pitch was simply impractical. We are the only club in our league with infield pop-ups, which is a staggering fact when you consider the teams that are playing in it! It goes to show how far I am pushing the club forward. I want the Forest Green pitch to become the benchmark for other non-league clubs so that they are ready to perform in the Football League should they gain promotion.
Ongoing maintenance
This is dependent on weather conditions and fixtures. Mowing takes place a minimum of three times a week - 26mm during the summer which is raised to 28mm for the winter. I aerate on a
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