Rootzone removal
Rootzone removal continues
Laser grading
U2 concert in action
June 2009: Turf replacement following Take That concert
After the phenomenal success of the “Take That” concert in June the first twenty metres of the pitch at the Hill 16 end was replaced and returfed. “It was a tough decision to dig out the Desso, considering it had served so well for the previous three years. With annual fixtures of between seventy and eighty per year, including all codes of Gaelic football [run by the GAA - Gaelic Athletics Association], rugby, soccer and concerts, you do need a very stable surface. However, when you have stages down for over a week, on steel trackway, and matches just days afterwards, the only option is lay and play turf ” said Richard Hayden of the STRI, who works closely with Rob Ellis, Senior Groundsman at Croke Park in Dublin. “It’s a project management and advisory partnership, we have with the STRI, rather than a traditional advisory role” says Rob, who served at Huddersfield’s Galpharm stadium before moving to the jewel in the crown of the Emerald Isle. “As a team, we face enormous challenges; there is never a dull moment ” says Rob, who is assisted by Paddy Walsh and Marcel Bantea. “The big challenge was how to make a soil based sod on a fibresand pitch perform like a sand based Desso reinforced pitch. With just a week of bedding in, continuous tweaking of hardness and moisture within the turf achieved the end result. The new and the old matched perfectly and it was a huge confidence builder for what lay ahead just a month later.” Under the direction of stadium
director, Peter McKenna, and a specially appointed GAA committee, plans were underway to replace the whole pitch after U2’s up and coming ‘360’ concert.
88
Just some of the ninety refrigerated trucks
June - July 2009: Planning
The decision to use turf from County Turf in Scunthorpe didn’t come without controversy, with nationalist elements within Ireland claiming the use of British turf at Croke Park was, at the least, questionable. “We are not politicians; we are
professional consultants” says Richard. “The turf product we wanted wasn’t available in Ireland so we found it in the UK. Common sense prevailed after a few politicians had had their “rant” he says. “I stand by my decision.” Ireland held its breath and waited, in anticipation, for a car crash TV-like episode to unfold. It didn’t happen.
Sunday July 12th 2009: Rootzone removal starts
As fifty staff from locally based sportsturf construction firm, Clive Richardson Limited, rolled on to the pitch, the spectacle of ten excavators, sixteen dumpers, eight tractors, two dozers and other equipment was a spectacle to behold. The excavations were done very
carefully, removing just 200mm of rootzone and leaving the undersoil heating and irrigation intact. “We had to have every eventuality covered, which included an irrigation and undersoil heating repair team on site in case of an accident” said Richard. Operations were heavily restricted by the local council, in terms of vehicle movements and working hours, with work starting at 8.00am and finishing at 10.00pm. Within fours hours of the first evening, a quarter of the huge 15,500m2
pitch had been removed.
Monday July 13th 2009: Rootzone replacement starts
At this stage, twenty rigid trucks were on a continuous loop, removing the old rootzone and replacing with new. The logistical exercise of moving 6,000 tonnes of rootzone in and out of the
Pitch laying continues as the stage is dismantled
stadium in two days was a challenge. Constant radio communication, as well as plenty of banksmen, allowed traffic to flow.
As the new rootzone stockpile built up in the carpark behind the stadium, a separate crew began hauling it onto the pitch and grading it. There were sixteen dumpers, ten excavators, two dozers, ten trucks, six tractors and nearly one hundred staff, all operating in spectacular choreography in such a tight space. As the new rootzone was taken in, and laser graded, engineers on the ground were taking close account of the depths and levels achieved. By Monday night the project was ahead of schedule by a full day. True to the nature of the venue, the dressing rooms were used as the nerve centre for the operation.
Tuesday July 14th 2009: Finishing and grading
Being a day ahead of schedule allowed us to dedicate a full day to grading, trimming and raking the pitch prior to application of the fibre reinforcement. Attention focussed on hauling in the rest of the 3,000 plus tonnes of rootzone onto the pitch as well as handwork around the irrigation heads and goalpost sockets. The 3D laser box grader proved excellent in the final trimming and grading of the pitch. Getting the rootzone firmed up and consolidated was done by “wheeling in”, using tractors driving back and forth.
Wednesday July 15th: Fibre reinforcement
Carl Pass, of Premier Pitches, assisted in the application and amelioration of the fibre into the pitch. With the two application machines underway, the rain on the day helped keep down the dust, firm up the rootzone and allow a better amelioration. It is one of the few tasks in our business that benefits from torrential rain.
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