Winter Sports
already been cut the previous day, but Kiel wanted to give it some more definition.
Kiel is part of a five man team which is
responsible for looking after all the club’s pitches. Kiel and Oliver are solely responsible for the Elland Road stadium pitch, whilst the training ground Head Groundsman, Chris Drury, and assistants Jamie Glover and Jonathan Gardiner look after the pitches at Thorp Arch, and also help out on matchdays. Kiel has been very pleased with the way Oliver has settled so quickly. He has been quick to learn and take on new responsibilities, already helping to mow the pitch, with marking out next on the list of skills to master.
The stadium pitch is of a sand ameliorated, fibresand construction, laid
over an ash drainage layer with a herringbone primary drainage system. The undersoil heating system was laid back in the late 1970s, with an automated watering system added later. There is a big camber on the pitch which helps with water run-off.
Norman had familiarised Kiel with the
renovation work carried out on the stadium pitch back in May, which centred around koroing off all the old vegetation, power harrowing, relevelling, topdressing with 120 tonnes of new fibresand and overseeding in two directions with a dimple seeder. Twenty bags of R14 were used. The work was carried out by local sportsturf contractor, Alan Chappelow, who has known Kiel for a few years, having worked together on a number of projects, so a smooth transition is already
in place. There are some localised problems that Kiel is also aware of. Iron pans have formed in several areas which can compromise the drainage capabilities of the pitch. In addition, some of the piping for both the undersoil heating and pop-up watering systems was not laid at a uniform depth. This means that Kiel has to be careful when setting the depth of any aeration equipment to ensure no damage is done to the pipes. Kiel explains that, like many an old pitch, there comes a time when the only sensible solution is to lay a brand new one, utilising all the latest developments to suit the club’s requirements and its unique stadium environment. He is confident that, once the club get back into the Premiership, there will be the
DECEMBER/JANUARY 2013 PC 59
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