There may not be any research to prove that teams play better on a well maintained surface, but some say it affects their will to play well. Can this be why the Leicester Vipers Rugby Club had a cracking 2008/9 season?
VIPER T
he Vipers are a ‘normal’ small rugby union club where attention to detail and boosting nature, along with the biological management
“Clubs need to learn to stop using their pitches like an old door mat.
Remember, no pitch equals no players, no revenue and, then, no club”
Ian ‘Keep off my grass’ Reid, Head Groundsman, Leicester Vipers RFC
approach, is providing a cost effective, high quality first class pitch. Now being described by the Leicestershire RFU President as being “possibly the best playing surface in the county”, great appreciation is being heaped on lone groundsman Ian Reid for the hard work and results he has achieved with the pitch. Praise enough for him to be nominated by the club for the Volunteer Groundsman of the Year Award.
Ian has been a member of the club since he left school in 1966, firstly as a player, then a committee member, Vice President, Fixtures Secretary and, finally, a volunteer groundsman. In 1994 the members decided they wanted someone to sort the pitches out, he volunteered and said he would do it for a year! Fifteen years on he still works relentlessly at the club and is just as passionate about producing a first class pitch as he was at the beginning.
“Back then, good contractors were hard to come
by, and I could never get them exactly when conditions demanded and, to be honest, our budget was very limited - still is if I’m honest! Which is why I offered to step in. The first thing I did was to persuade the committee to invest in some equipment - a 1966 Massey 135 tractor and an old Ransomes 340 gang mower - so I could, at least, introduce a proper mowing regime” explained Ian. “The club had let their pitches fall into disrepair and, like many clubs, little was known about the requirements of sportsturf until I started working. I needed to expand my knowledge more, so I attended a Winter Pitch course at Loughborough University, which was invaluable.”
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