Winter Sports - Rugby


“ F


Northampton Saints Head Groundsman and former England rugby player, David Powell, retires this summer after a fifty-five year association with Franklin's Gardens. Jane Carley meets the man who has presided over an era of change at one of the Aviva Premiership’s leading clubs


Northampton Saints 94 I PC JUNE/JULY 2015


A life less ordinary


You have to be careful with fibre, as too much can make the pitch hard and increase the risk of injuries


ew sporting partnerships last fifty- five years, so it is inevitable that David Powell has seen plenty of change during his association with Northampton Saints Rugby Club.


Whilst David would admit to being something of a traditionalist, he has also played the role of moderniser at the club, pioneering some of the great developments in rugby groundsmanship. “I came to Saints as a player, before going


on to play for England and the British Lions. But, at heart, I am a farmer,” he explains. “Growing grass on a pitch is no different to growing grass to fatten livestock or establishing crops - good husbandry is the principle.” David witnessed Saints go into decline in the 1980s, but better times followed in the next decade, and he became more involved in the grounds at that point. “The stadium was a mess - sheep had been


grazed on the pitch in the summer, and one side was a quagmire. The training pitches were barely playable - just about park standard,” he recalls. Calling on his agricultural experience, he


realised that improving drainage would be key, as the underlying soil was very compacted. Working with a local drainage contractor, year on year the pitch improved. “The club was becoming more successful and, with the growing television coverage of rugby, standards needed to be ever higher,” David comments. “The original pitch was just a soil pitch, so we introduced sand, and later fibre, which improved the surface drainage. But then, as more modern spectator stands were erected, there was the issue of shading to deal with too.” He describes the improvements to the


pitch as a ‘slow progression’, but is proud of the club’s track record of never cancelling a match in twenty seasons due to the weather. The drainage system still follows the


traditional construction of gravel drains over pipe at 5m, with sand slits added, initially at 2m centres, then at 1m. Keen eyed visitors to the side of the


stadium may spot an effectively subterranean lake beneath the Burrda Stand, and this is a vital part of the infrastructure. “A pump sump in the corner of the


stadium, designed by sportsfield drainage


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