WELCOME TO pitchcare Sign the
petition NOW to save our community sportsfields
There are so many passionate people who care about our environment and open space yet, when the FA want to centralise football into urban hubs and cover these centres in plastic, very few people actually appear to have the time or inclination to want to do anything about it.
It’s easy for the artificial sector to criticise the current state of surfaces, as they are generally poor. What the FA are ignoring is how good these 8,000 grass surfaces could be returned to, with less investment than they are currently looking for to build 500 artificial pitches!
So, a petition started on
www.change.org, challenging the FA and indeed the Government to rethink their strategy, has been launched. Despite over 10,000 tweets and views in the first two days, the number signing the petition remains pitifully low by contrast. The comments made on the petition allude to the fact that there is actually a strong financially sound business case here to retain what is already in place and encourage more people to play sport.
So does this indifference mean that those involved in turfcare across all sports feel apathetic about the FA proposal, or perhaps those outside of maintaining football pitches think that it doesn’t affect them at all, so why bother?
With an industry of probably 100,000 people working within it, just in the UK, surely we should be able to get enough votes on the petition for it to be heard in Parliament.
If the FA plan to build these hubs goes ahead in full, the detrimental effect to all our parks will be seen over the next decade. Each local authority’s requirements to offer even basic maintenance will dwindle even further, probably to the point where many of these parks will become areas of housing.
Perhaps I expect too much, but I don’t see why every Groundsman, Greenkeeper, Agronomist, Contractor or Industry supplier shouldn not be signing and encouraging those they know to sign this petition.
Shouldn’t our industry be making sure that, for once, we are heard at the highest levels to ensure that England (at least) remains our green and pleasant land?
Please sign the petition and share it with all your staff, and distribute it through all avenues of email and social media to make this a campaign that wins over ill advice and the perceived easy option. A rethink of the FA’s decision would allow our local authorities to adequately fund the management of our parks and open space.
These pitches provide recreational activity for millions of players every week and allow local communities to enjoy a healthy outdoor existence.
In a country where pollution levels hit the news as soon as warmer weather returns, retaining and protecting our environment should be top of everyone’s list.
Links to the petition can be found via
www.pitchcare.com/magazine/championing- natural-turf-sports-pitches-the-petition.html
Say that again!
“We feel we are now squarely hitting both targets of quality and cost - which means I get a great product, whilst still being able to face our club treasurer when I walk into the clubhouse” Rob Green, Bromsgrove CC
“Getting back to football doesn’t present any anxiety. Being involved in the Rugby World Cup is huge for the club and everyone there is excited about the challenge” Steve Winterburn, Brighton & Hove Albion
“Compost turning can become a tad pungent during the warmer months, so find an area not too close to private properties or the letters from disgruntled people will flow after you’ve ruined their washing!” James Hutchinson, St Andrew Links Trust
“It was a horrible, horrible time and, without doubt, the worst thing I have ever faced in my career” Nathan Chapman, Charlton Athletic FC
“My underlying concern is for the game of golf and its future, especially considering the alarming rate at which golfers entering the sport are dwindling.”
Gareth Anwell, Golf Son Gaul
“Each year, the pavilion moves and a bit more needs to be planed from the doors and windows so they open and shut” Clive Croft, Four Elms CC
Use the FREE Pitchcare app to see an interview with Pitchcare MD Dave Saltman discussing the history and success of the magazine via Augmented Reality.
Visit
www.pitchcare.com/app or scan the QR code for further information on how to use the app and the augmented reality feature.
“Should we have to go cap in hand every spring to see what renovation budget we will be given? Should we really have to make do with out of date machinery or source secondhand equipment to ‘keep the costs down’?”
Grasscutter PC APRIL/MAY 2015 I 1
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