performance. Also, at that time, the club where considering sharing the ground with Bristol Rugby Club, so the idea of having a more resilient, softer pitch seemed a logical step. The three main advantages over other
fibre reinforced sand dominant pitches are:
1) A reduction in surface hardness - less jarring of limbs and lower risk of player injury.
2) An increase in surface resilience - more energy feedback to players feet, therefore a less tiring surface.
3) A further increase in rootzone cohesion - increased traction, therefore less surface disturbance.
Work began in May 2007, with Premier Pitches installing the new fibre and rootzone materials and Pugh Lewis putting in additional sand slits to improve drainage performance. The top 100mm was koroed off,
replacing it with 1400 tonnes of new rootzone material, of which 3.3% was made up of the new fibrelastic material. The pitch was then laser levelled and overseeded with MM60 seed. Some zeolite was put into the pitch to
improve the CEC (cation exchange capacity) of the rootzone along with a programme of PrimoMaxx to increase shoot and root density whilst, at the same time, controlling excessive top growth. It was then a case of promoting a dense grass cover and deep rooting to tie everything together. It was then business as usual, with an intense programme of feeding, watering and mowing to get the pitch ready for the new season. Mowing is undertaken with two Dennis
G860’s making good use of the brush, verticut and sarrel roller cassettes. Craig maintains a height of between 18-23mm during the closed season, raising to 25mm for the playing season. Blades are sharpened every six weeks. The only major difference to the maintenance regime in that first year was a change in the frequency and timing of his aeration works. On the old fibresand pitch a programme of weekly solid tine spiking, backed up with a monthly deep vertidraining, was the norm. However, with the new, softer fibrelastic, Craig changed the frequency of aeration to monthly, ensuring that none was done too close to a game to avoid destabilising the pitch.
Craig was pleased with how the new pitch performed in the first year. The players from Bristol City and visiting teams praised the quality of the surface, and there were certainly fewer divots to repair. The renovations for 2008/9 were
restricted to fraise mowing the vegetation off, topdressing with 60 tonnes of sand and overseeding with MM60. With the purchase of a pedestrian Toro
Procore aerator, Craig reverted to a weekly programme of aeration with the aim of encouraging deeper rooting whilst, at the same time, maintaining porosity and free draining properties of the top 100mm of the pitch profile. With over thirty games played at the
ground, along with a number of corporate matches, the pitch continued to perform well throughout the season. To help Craig monitor the performance of pitch, the club employed the services of the STRI who undertook a number of tests throughout the playing season measuring:
• Pitch hardness with a 2.25 Kg Clegg
Hammer dropped from 0.45m
• Grass cover (BS EN 12231: 2003) • Surface Traction
• Volumetric water content of the top 60mm
It would appear, from the results of these tests, that the new pitch exceeds the standards of performance for league football pitches. After two years of testing, and seeing the benefits the players get from improved comfort and traction, this concept appears to be a way forward in the development of better pitches. So much so that the players are now complaining about the hardness of the training pitches!
And, that appears to be the next investment at Bristol City, so that the playing conditions at both the stadium and training grounds are pretty much the same.
What are you like?
Andrew Roberts - fancies tickling the ivories and looking for a good thatcher!
Who is your hero and why? My Grandma. She was just a good person and taught me manners, right from wrong and to respect other people. She died last year aged 96.
What is your dream holiday? The great outdoors, sun and beach - Canada was great!! New Zealand next?
What annoys you the most? People who say or promise they will, but never do!
What would you change about yourself? That’s obvious! A little bit more of a thatch layer on top!
Who are you? Andrew Roberts - Territory Manager for SISIS Equipment Ltd. Thirty-two years in the industry and have experienced both the dealer and manufacturer’s side of it. I have business experience in sales, service and marketing. I’ve seen a lot of changes to our industry over the years! Some much needed, others not.
Status? Married to Catherine with two children, Charlotte and Toby.
Who wouldn’t you like to be? A Traffic Warden, lots of abuse for doing their job.
Favourite record, and why? I like certain artists/bands from most musical genre. My current favourite is Kings of Leon - Only by the night.
Who would you choose to spend a romantic evening with? My wife, Catherine.
If you won the lottery, what is the first thing
you would do? Have a drink after I recovered from the initial shock?
If you were to describe yourself as a musical instrument, what would it be? A classical guitar.
What is the best advice you have ever been given? Treat people how you want to be treated.
What is your favourite smell? A fresh, invigorating sea breeze (ah the smell of the sea!).
What three words would you use to describe yourself? Friendly, helpful and conscientious.
What talent would you like to have? To be able to play the piano.
What makes you angry? Bad service.
What law/ legislation would you like to see introduced? Must it be a law? Can we legislate against all this awful weather we have had since August last year?
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104 |
Page 105 |
Page 106 |
Page 107 |
Page 108 |
Page 109 |
Page 110 |
Page 111 |
Page 112 |
Page 113 |
Page 114 |
Page 115 |
Page 116 |
Page 117 |
Page 118 |
Page 119 |
Page 120 |
Page 121 |
Page 122 |
Page 123 |
Page 124 |
Page 125 |
Page 126 |
Page 127 |
Page 128 |
Page 129 |
Page 130 |
Page 131 |
Page 132 |
Page 133 |
Page 134 |
Page 135 |
Page 136 |
Page 137 |
Page 138 |
Page 139 |
Page 140