Winter Sports
“The biggest problem we face is between games, because we begin with a double- header, at 5.00pm and 7.45pm, and we will have ten minutes to turn the pitch around”
“Once the covers are
“The Olympics has generated a lot of calls from reps knocking on our door saying we can sell you this and we can sell you that”
74 PC APRIL/MAY 2012
removed, the rye grass will then go in two days later. I anticipate I will be seeding the whole pitch on 1st June.” “We will need to irrigate heavily on a daily basis until the seed germinates - the quickest we have ever had germination out there is five days and the longest is eleven days, so we hope to be cutting after fourteen days.” “We have been sent a plan for the pitch by the Olympics, which will be on view at the Men’s Olympic Football qualifier on 23rd April, after the Doncaster home game, so it is good practice for us to know how to do it.” “Everything will be measured out to the letter, because we have to measure it specifically to the plan which has been stipulated by the London Organising Committee for the Olympic and Paralympic Games (LOCOG).” “All the pitches have to be the same size. Our pitch is currently 100m x 68m and, for the Olympics, it has to be 105m x 68m, which isn’t a problem because the stadium is geared up for international use and we have the sockets already in place for the goal posts.” “At each end there is an additional two-and-a-half metres and another set of sockets behind the existing nets, so it will just be a case of digging out the original sockets and turfing over them.”
“It is beneficial to us really, because any wear and tear in the goalmouths will be further back so, when we start the 2012/13 season, we can push the goals forward for
our normal campaign which will avoid playing in that area. It is likely to have been demolished by having had so many games in a short time span.”
“My standards are pretty high, so whether it is a Coventry City game or an international game, the condition and length of the pitch will be the same.” “We have fifty-seven days between the concert and the first game in the Olympics, which is a pretty quick turnaround.” “The idea behind putting the thermal blue meadow grass down is that, whilst the concert is on and the pitch is under cover, the roots will start to develop under the surface so that, although the grass doesn’t show immediately, it is actually starting to develop.” “If we put rye grass down, and the pitch is covered for the concert for the best part of two weeks, it will germinate under the covers so that, when you pull the covers up, you will pull half the grass away with it.” “The idea of doing it this way is to give us some stability to cope with twelve games across nine days, and we are aiming for a fantastically strong pitch.” “We have a gap in games of six days before the bronze play-off, so we will throw another feed on just to see us through to the end of the tournament.” John is keen for the day of the first Olympic match, which kicks off at 5.00pm on Wednesday, 25th July, to be just like preparing for any other match. “We will start at 7.30am just
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