Winter Sports - Rugby League
GETTING Personal...
Stuart Vause - you can trust him - unless you want him to remove empty toilet roll inserts!
Who are you? Stuart Vause, Head Groundsman at Castleford Tigers.
Family status? Married to Michelle for fourteen years. We have been together for twenty-five years and have a gorgeous ten year old daughter, Ellie.
Who’s your hero and why? My dad; worked hard all his life, encouraged me in everything I’ve done and he was always there. A proper family man.
What would you change about yourself? The size of my feet.
What’s your guilty pleasure? Fish and chips.
What’s been the highlight of your career so far? Being an IOG finalist in 2014.
Which three people, living or dead, would you invite to a dinner party? Phil Taylor, my dad and Ian Botham.
If you could be anyone for a day, who would it be and why? A Premiership footballer; it would be nice to earn a few years’ wages in a week!
Do you have any bad habits? Leaving empty toilet roll inserts on holder ... that one from the wife.
... or any good ones? I need longer to think of one!
Do you go to bed worrying about the next day’s workload? Not at all, I look forward to everyday challenges and try to be a day or two in front, and ... there’s always tomorrow!!!
What are you reading at the moment? Pitchcare magazine.
What are your pet peeves? Drivers who tailgate, it makes me mad.
If you could go anywhere right now, where would it be? Australia.
What’s the best part of your job? Being outdoors.
… and the worst? Bad weather.
Do you have a lifetime ambition? To live long and prosper.
46 I PC FEBRUARY/MARCH 2015
Favourite record, and why? Bryan Adams, (Everything I Do) I Do It For You. It was playing when I met the wife.
Who would you choose to spend a romantic evening with? The wife ... of course.
If you won the lottery what is first thing you would do? Go on a family holiday ... for months.
If you were to describe yourself as a musical instrument, what would you be and why? A piano, a bit of class with high standards and won’t change.
What’s the best advice you have ever been given? Fail to prepare ... prepare to fail.
What’s your favourite smell? Sunday lunch.
What do you do in your spare time? Watch sport and DIY.
What's the daftest work related question you have ever been asked? How do you make stripes?
What’s your favourite piece of kit? The new divot fork from Pitchcare.
What three words would you use to describe yourself? Honest, reliable, trustworthy.
What talent would you like to have? To be able to sing.
What law/legislation would you like to see introduced? Some kind of total ban on carrying any guns; too many innocent people and children are being killed.
revenue they bring in can help, and I can tap into that. We have a ‘Tigers Together’ group who raise money throughout the year and, last year, they bought me a pedestrian mower for clean up after games, so it can help.” Saving money is clearly important
to clubs such as Castleford Tigers. There are many clubs across both codes of rugby and league football who will recognise and understand Stuart’s plight, but he remains philosophical. “Last year, I brought a specialist in to test the soil, which has helped tremendously. I wanted to know the makeup of the pitch from the start. The same fertiliser had been bought for years; whether it was right or not no one knew, as nobody had thought to check. It certainly never seemed to have the desired effect! So, after the results came back, we sat down and put a proper programme together which will have a massive benefit; not only to the turf as proper nutrients are being added, but also because the club has saved money, as less applications are required.” “But the budgets are a constant
battle. Changing weather patterns - something that might appear a simple issue to those on the outside - can affect my workload dramatically, not just from year to year, but day to day,” Stuart bemoans. “Grass seems to grow all year round now, meaning a longer mowing season, including trimming in the now milder winter months. Drought periods affect height of cut and irrigation, whilst flooding leads to extra aeration. This causes weed infestation and diseases, leading to more spraying. It’s all additional cost”
“Monitoring the weather forecast
can even alter our working week, sometimes forcing us to work late at night or early morning to get tasks done, such as cutting and marking the pitch prior to a game to achieve maximum presentation.” “They don’t understand the hours
a job like this needs to produce a top quality surface. People in this industry are dedicated and hard working and will go the extra mile to get the best presentation possible. Unfortunately though, the extra hours go unnoticed and what we achieve becomes ‘expected’. No sporting event can make money or take place without a playable surface, and the perfect surface can be the difference between winning and losing.”
“I also don’t think clubs give enough money to the grounds as they save it for more, so called, important things. If anything has to give, it always seems to be our side. This inevitably makes the job harder. Clubs need to be aware that, without a top quality surface, there will be no game.” “This is a great industry to work in,
but we need to get people outside it to understand what we do, especially those that hold the purse strings. We need to get youngsters involved, have open days at clubs and give people a chance to try it out.” “Let’s have more seminars and
shows, but advertise them more widely so that we can be seen by a wider audience. Encourage groundsmen to show pictures of their work on social network and get the fans involved. It does work, as I found out last season. I was amazed and couldn’t believe the response I got.”
“Have regular surveys, get opinions from the people that matter on the front line. We need to get professional clubs more involved, giving people opportunities to gain experience in the industry, whether it’s short term or open days. If people can get behind the scenes, it will make all the difference, as it did for me. Organise Q&A sessions to spark interest; we have them at Castleford, covering all aspects within the club. We need to put ourselves out there!
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