Winter Sports - Football
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Getting the best out of XtraGrass requires high standards of groundsmanship, and clubs need to recruit and retain experienced, top quality groundsmen
The stadium has an open aspect, which allows more light in but also makes the pitch more vulnerable to winter conditions
Other accolades include a nomination as one of the best three playing surfaces in this league from the STRI (Sports Turf Research Institute), by whom the Kassam Stadium and GreenFields Head Groundsman, Paul Currier Snr were ‘highly commended’. The nomination was based on a
combination of match reports from referees officiating at the ground and marks awarded by the away managers. Also taken into consideration were the pitch marks given by the Playing Surfaces Committee, who recorded an average mark in January 2016 of 4.35 out of a possible score of 5 with a divisional average of 3.91. “These awards are all down to Paul and his
dedication to his role,” comments GreenFields Grounds Manager Ben Grigor. “Getting the best out of XtraGrass requires high standards of groundsmanship, and clubs need to recruit and retain experienced, top quality groundsmen.” The hybrid system combines the positive
Head Groundsman Paul Currier Snr
Waterlogging was also a huge issue. But the improved infiltration offered by this system has overcome this without having to invest in additional drainage
” Manoeuvring the synthetic carpet 82 I PC AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2016
properties of natural grass with the synthetic fibres, giving the visual impact needed for the television cameras - even in the depths
of winter - whilst maintaining stability and minimising divoting, he points out. The pitch is constructed in a conventional manner, using a rootzone layer over a gravel raft or other drainage system, with the synthetic carpet installed 50mm deep and the chosen infill placed in a 35mm layer before the grass seed is sown into it using a tractor-mounted seeder. Grass mixtures and maintenance regimes
are tailored to the needs of the individual stadium. “Every stadium has its own challenges -
the Kassam is quite open so there is more light than at an encapsulated stadium, but it is also vulnerable to the cold,” comments Ben.
"Waterlogging was also a huge issue. But the improved infiltration offered by this system has overcome this without having to invest in additional drainage.” “The previous pitch was very muddy on one side,” recalls Paul, “and lost fixtures were a regularity. But, with correct maintenance, the new pitch has completely turned this around and we did not lose a single fixture
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