Under the present circumstances Rob is struggling to get the pitches into the condition they should be
As for the maintenance of the pitches, Rob is restricted by the very limited resources. He has only recently acquired a John Deere triple mower and a Fleet Kombi spray jet marker to help maintain the pitches.
The stadium pitch only gets aerated when funds are available. Last year he managed to have it spiked three times and fed twice with some 9:7:7 NPK fertiliser. End of season renovations
are pretty much non-existent. Rob tries to increase grass cover by regular mowing and overseeding by hand when conditions allow.
During the playing season he mows the pitches at least three times a week,
maintaining a cutting height of 35mm and, between October and March, cutting at 50mm. Most games tend to be played on Sundays so Rob usually gets the stadium pitch ready the day before using the JD Triple to stripe it up before overmarking. On the day of the match
Rob arrives around 8.30am to prepare the changing rooms and lay out all the kit. At 11.00am he inspects the playing surface and puts the flags and post protectors out. Once the pitch requirements are complete, he then spends the rest of the match day tending to the changing rooms and looking after the players’ needs. Mondays are usually taken up by cleaning the dressing rooms and tidying up around the pitch. It is not until Tuesday that he manages to get back onto the pitch, hand forking the divots back and then using the triple mower to clean up and mow the pitch.
The rest of the week is
spent repairing and mowing both the stadium and training pitches. It is clearly apparent that
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Rob loves his job. Under the present circumstances he is struggling to get the pitches into the condition they should be for a club of this standing. He says that the only way forward is for him to have the resources at his disposal to bring the pitches up to a professional standard, which means more than just cutting and marking them out.
He is working with the club to identify the resources which would see the much needed investment in enhanced and additional equipment required. His wish list includes a compact tractor and SISIS Quadraplay, along with an appropriate budget for end of season renovations, allowing scarifying, decompacting, overseeding and topdressing operations to be undertaken on all pitches. His commitment to the club cannot be disputed. However, under the present circumstances, even with all the hours he works, voluntarily or paid, it is hard to see how he can produce and maintain the standards of playing surface to which he and the club aspires until the necessary resources are available.
The club recognises his needs and the requirements of the pitch maintenance programme, however the current economic climate is making it difficult to invest in enhanced resources. A well-presented playing field provides so many benefits. Players become more confident, and their injuries less, plus the speed of the game improves, making it more enjoyable for both players and spectators alike. A quality playing surface will also attract new and better players which, in turn, will help bring the success the club desire.
A quality playing surface will attract new players which, in turn, will help bring the success they desire
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