Winter Sports - Football
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The club, players and fans expect the pitch to be in pristine condition all year round, so careful planning is required. Cappielow will stage seventy matches this current season
A huge crane stands as a reminder to Greenock’s more industrial past
instructional in my formative years. I studied for a National Certificate in Greenkeeping & Groundsmanship, a National Diploma in Sports Turf Management, a National Diploma in Turf Irrigation and completed PA1, PA2 and PA6 in pesticide use.” “Prior to coming to Greenock, I was Deputy Head Greenkeeper at Dore & Totley Golf Club, south of Sheffield on the Derbyshire border.” Apart from a pool of fans to assist him, when required, for moving the Tildenet frost covers, Mark works alone, but does get technical assistance, when required, from his suppliers, including taking and analysing soil samples. “It’s an old, traditional pitch with
medium course sand incorporated, so it requires lots of verticutting, scarifying and aeration. I have to make the grass plant very hardy,” Mark explains. “I don’t have the luxury of undersoil heating, drainage or lighting rigs.” “We suffer a regional ‘West Coast
Mark Farrell - pride of the Clyde
All materials for the year are bought during renovation time, so the club take one hit during May and I have what is required for the pitch for the whole year
66 I PC APRIL/MAY 2015 ”
of Scotland’ climate, which means we receive plenty of rain. For example, over 300mm fell in each of the last two Decembers. So it’s important to keep traffic to a minimum but, at the same time, make the grass plant hardy and the surface firm enough to cope with high usage during inclement weather.” “We also get shade from the main
stand, which is also the part of the pitch that is susceptible to flooding. My main focus of attention is on this area and I aim to keep warm-ups away from it on match days.” Mark goes on to explain that
Greenock Morton Community Trust use the pitch to deliver holiday camps at Easter and summer for around eighty boys and girls aged between four and twelve. The Trust also use the pitch to play small sided games for community teams and holiday
camp participants. “Celtic FC play their Under 20 reserve league home games here at Cappielow, and the Scottish FA use the pitch for international youth matches, as and when required. So, I have my work cut out.” “The club, players and fans expect
the pitch to be in pristine condition all year round, so careful planning is required. Cappielow will stage seventy matches this current season.” “End of season renovation is,
therefore, very important. These take place roughly two weeks after the season has finished, which allows the stadium to be used for any supporters or community games. I heavily scarify leading up to the renovation and use a contractor for spreading sixty tonnes of medium/coarse sand, followed by vertidraining. I brush the sand in with a dragbrush on the back of my John Deere Gator and the contractor follows me with his overseeder. Fertiliser application takes place two weeks later.” “I’m now into my eleventh year of doing the same renovation, so the club know the drill by now,” states Mark. “All materials for the year are bought during renovation time, so the club take one hit during May and I have what is required for the pitch for the whole year.” “I have to keep to a budget for
general maintenance. For large purchases, e.g. for equipment, I have to liaise with the stadium director.” “Two weeks after renovation, I feed
the pitch with a 15:2:12 and cut it three times a week at 22mm with our Dennis G860. I verticut or scarify the pitch every fortnight during the growing season, depending on growth and the weather. This allows me to keep on top of the pitch and maintains free movement of water away from the surface.” “Aeration is carried out every two
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