Artificial Surfaces
The importance of maintaining artificial turf pitches is widely acknowledged
throughout the sports industry, and the consequences of
neglecting to do so have been well-documented. But, when it comes to the fundamentals, the practicalities of actually looking after your own artificial sports surface, where do you start?
Nick Harris from
Technical Surfaces Ltd analyses the finer points of maintenance, helping you to generate maximum use, performance and revenue from your artificial sports facility
A
key motivation when choosing an artificial pitch, ahead of its natural counterpart, is the increased playability it allows, and the potential revenues that can be
generated as a result. However, unless you implement a maintenance programme directly proportionate to the benefits you are hoping to achieve, you could find yourself in something of a Catch-22 situation; with a pitch that is in such poor condition from lack of maintenance that nobody wants to hire it. Yet, without the income from letting your pitch, you cannot afford the specialist deep-clean that will restore its condition and playability, and thereby encourage bookings. Your artificial turf pitch represents a substantial investment, purchased with a view to lasting between ten and fifteen years and, as such, demands a maintenance programme that reflects the value of your asset.
So, how do you set about establishing a
good routine of regular, effective maintenance that will enable you to realise the potential benefits afforded by an artificial sports surface - principally, maximised revenue, year-round availability and a prolonged surface life? For new-build facilities, a good starting point will be the guidelines laid out in the manufacturer’s guarantee, which will help you to identify the daily, weekly and monthly maintenance requirements of
ARTIFICIAL PITCH MAINTENANCE
Who, how, when ... and why?
“An approved maintenance programme is intrinsically tied to the
manufacturer’s guarantee; failure to properly maintain your pitch will often invalidate your warranty”
48 PC DECEMBER/JANUARY 2012
your artificial pitch. Aside from recommending best practice, an approved maintenance programme is intrinsically tied to the manufacturer’s guarantee; failure to properly maintain your pitch will often invalidate your warranty. Your pitch installer will detail a set of maintenance duties that must be performed (and logged); from basic inspections, litter picking, leaf collection and brushing, through to mechanical sweeping, infill top-ups and decompactions. They should also give advice on the most appropriate machinery and equipment to use to enable these tasks to be completed. Of equal influence when deciding how to approach the maintenance needs of your artificial pitch are more practical considerations, such as available budgets, performance requirements and proposed usage levels, together with the resources at your disposal (time, money, expertise) that you will need to sustain your pitch at a consistently high quality throughout its life.
It is important to remember that a maintenance programme can be introduced at any stage in the life cycle of an artificial pitch, although the benefits are always most apparent when introduced from day one. That said, there are specialist services available from pitch maintenance companies which, when supplemented by a continued
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