Andy Jackson, Head Groundsman at the Britannia Stadium, was one of a just a handful of groundsmen presiding over a match as the ‘big freeze’ decimated the football programme
Pottering About! T
he severe winter weather throughout the festive season and much of January, wreaked havoc with with the winter sports fixtures. Groundsmen across all the sports disciplines worked tirelessly to try to get games and meetings on. Many succeeded in getting their surfaces playable, only to be scuppered by conditions outside the ground, with the authorities deeming conditions unsafe for Joe Public, even though they could be seen shopping in nearby supermarkets and high streets! Arsenal’s manager, Arsene Wenger, called for a more ‘sensible’ approach from the authorities, something that was echoed throughout the land as the ‘big freeze’ looked set to continue. The first ten days of January saw the football and rugby programmes decimated, with only a handful of games escaping the weather. For smaller clubs the loss in revenue from postponed matches may yet prove pivotal. One match that escaped the vagaries of the weather, and over zealous officials, was the midweek Premiership encounter between Stoke City and Fulham, a game televised, at the last minute, by Sky
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Sports, as their scheduled match, the Carling Cup semi-final between Manchester City and Manchester United had been postponed. But, even this game had been in doubt as heavy snow fell just hours before kick off. So delighted were the Sky pundits and commentators to actually have something to talk about, they heaped praise on the Britannia Stadium’s Head Groundsman, Andy Jackson, calling him, amongst other things, a miracle worker! “Night temperatures had been down as low as -5O
C in the run-up to the game,”
said Andy, “and, on match day, never got above -1O
C. We had been running the undersoil heating at a constant 14.5O
C to
try and ensure that the pitch stayed free of frost. It hasn’t been set that high for six years. I’m not sure what effect this long-term baking will have on the soil profile though. Or our nematodes; I wonder if the cosy environment might cause a population explosion!” “This is the longest period of cold weather I can remember - twenty-one days of continuous frost, and counting! We have never before had the heating on for such a length of time. I’m constantly
checking the weather forecast and will come to the ground to check that everything is working properly before I go to bed.”
Andy has been with Stoke City for fifteen years, starting out on a YTS scheme and progressing through to Head Groundsman seven years ago. He is assisted by Dave Thomas and Darren Davies, both with nine year’s service, and recent recruits, Matthew Dudley and Martin Wooten. “Two hours before kick-off the snow started to fall really heavily” said Andy. “It was all hands to the pump. As the snow continued to fall we dragmatted the pitch to stop it from settling and ensure that the undersoil heating could do its job.”
It worked, and the game went ahead,
with ‘The Potters’ storming to a half-time lead of 3-0, only for Fulham to come back with two second half strikes. All the while the snow continued to fall, but the fans had been rewarded with a splendid game and three precious points. During the ‘big freeze’ the Britannia Stadium’s pitch has been under even more pressure. “There is no undersoil
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