Winter Sports - Football
Humble in the grand scheme of things, Highbury Stadium has a capacity of just 5,500 - and one of the best playing surfaces in the league
arrived in the 2004/2005 season, was also reported to have said: “He’s a hugely experienced, respected and knowledgeable coach in the game and the fact we have been able to attract him to Fleetwood Town shows just how far we’ve come.” Dale again: “When I started, we were at Fylde RUFC in Lytham, renting a pitch from them and, before that, a pitch on the outskirts of Blackpool.” Today, Highbury Stadium, under landlord
Wyre Borough Council, and Pilley’s vision, is a far cry from that formative era - a purpose- built arena improved and expanded to League standards and intended solely for first team action. Renovated in 2007 from the 1939 original,
the stadium honours the 1950s and 60s with the Percy Ronson stand, recording one of the club’s sporting heroes.
The opening of the 2,000 seater Parkside
stand in 2011 boosted capacity to over 5,500, although still humble in the grand scheme of things, ranking 112th in England, according to one source and 24th in League One.
Costly match postponements in the
2008/2009 season, because of the condition of the pitch, forced the club to undertake a reported £125,000 project to relay the surface and improve drainage, begun in spring 2009. This region is enjoying a football upsurge, and not only in Fleetwood. National League North high-flyers AFC Fylde have just unveiled their 6,000 capacity Mill Farm stadium, including 2,000 all-seater main stand.
As the popularity of Fleetwood Town
expands south, and the club sucks support away from troubled Blackpool, no doubt pressure will mount to further enhance Highbury Stadium, especially if their current rise in prominence continues. Dale began life at Fleetwood under Micky Mellon, the Scottish former Blackpool midfielder who managed Fleetwood Town full-time from 2009 until December 2012 - now managing League One Shrewsbury Town FC. Dale came to Fleetwood six years ago after
a two-year spell with the Sports Turf Research Institute, when he travelled to
“ Seagulls are a constant threat from above! 70 I PC AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2016
South Africa for them for the 2010 World Cup. “That was too much travelling for a young family,” says Dale, “but I developed a sound knowledge of turfcare.” Prior to this, stints at the All-England Club
followed by Blackburn Rovers came before his Fleetwood posting. “I love playing tennis, so Wimbledon was the perfect place to be - prestige and premier standards,” he notes. “I wanted to move back north anyway, but if I ever fancied a change, tennis would draw me back.”
With a BSc honours in TurfGrass Science
from Myerscough College and his STRI experience in the bank, Dale has the skills to move into top posts across turfcare, but his heart is rooted in Lancashire, heading up a lively four-strong team, including right-hand man Nick Hyndman, Liam Scott-Rattray, Ashley Roche and Cameron Chisholm. His scientific training explains his approach
to turfcare across Fleetwood’s sporting provision. “We apply biology products, controlled release fertilisers, growing solutions and liquid feeds - last year introducing pro-bio products to encourage a happy family in the soil and hopefully reduce use of fungicides. We sprayed just once last year, so we are getting there.” The fact that the soil-based Highbury
Stadium pitch grows within an open plan environment helps his cause, he believes. This can cause some headaches though - literally.
We apply biology products, controlled release fertilisers, growing solutions and liquid feeds - last year introducing pro-bio products to encourage a happy family in the soil and hopefully reduce use of fungicides. We sprayed just once last year, so we are getting there
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