Winter Sports - Rugby
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Drainage probably wasn’t considered as much as it should have been when designing the new stands
materials, for the naming rights to the stadium. The agreement will result in significant
investment for the game of rugby at all levels within the Province. Later this year, the new Nevin Spence
Centre will open at the ground. The heritage and education centre is named in memory of a young Ulster Rugby centre who died in 2012 following a tragic farm accident. The pitch itself has certainly taken somewhat of a beating over the years and the grass does not get much chance to grow, but Head Groundsman James Laird says he is winning the battle. Coming from a family that specialises in
groundscare equipment, backed up with the knowledge gained from studying at Greenmount Agricultural College, James is well placed for the tough job. He has worked at the stadium for the past
five years and is enjoying the challenge immensely. James said; “My dad is a salesman for
ground maintenance equipment, so I was familiar with the industry from a young age, and I used to make my pocket money cutting gardens at the weekends when I was at school.” “Thanks to the experience gained from the
gardens, I knew this was the direction I wanted to pursue a career in and decided to apply for a horticulture course at the local Greenmount Agricultural College in Antrim.” “During my studies at the college, I also
worked in various jobs in the industry from garden centres to landscaping.” “I successfully completed the National Diploma in Horticulture at the college. This detailed course covered various modules, including sportsturf management, and taught me the basics in this area.” “It was a great experience at the college and the course set me up for the career which I have today,” he said. As head groundsman, James controls the
purse strings of the Ulster Rugby pitch maintenance budget. “To a certain extent, I
90 I PC JUNE/JULY 2015
am responsible for what is spent but, over and above the norm and for larger proposals, I report to the stadium manager or financial controller with an explanation of how it is going to benefit the stadium.” As the stadium itself is in the middle of a
renovation project, it is hoped funding can be allocated to the pitch in the future. In the meantime, James and his crew look after the pitch the best they can. However, with the harshness and
unpredictable Northern Ireland weather, his job can throw up some challenges from time to time. James has help from three other staff members who have been working at the stadium, one of whom has been there for one year and the other two for four and five years.
The team are responsible for the day to
day care of the pitch but, where specialist work is required, James has access to outside contractors who come in for commissioned work. “Our contractors include Clive Richardson and Haffey Sports Grounds who have been topdressing and hollow coring for the past few years at the stadium. We use them when needed, and both are specialists in their own fields.” As the popular rugby stadium is situated in
a heavy residential area of Belfast, there was not much room for expanding outside the pitch and grounds to allow for any problems, and James and his team have to try and manage the grass under some difficult circumstances with the presence of the new stands.
“With the new stands now developed on
all sides of the pitch, we have been experiencing flooding in certain areas,” said James. “Drainage probably wasn’t considered as much as it should have been when designing the new stands.” "At one end of the pitch, the high stand
results in a huge shaded area, which does not help with grass growth in that particular zone. We have also had issues with heavy snowfall and frost in the past, even in this
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