Covers offer some protection against overnight frost but not against prolonged frosty weather
Head Groundsman David Mitchell, apprentice Greg Bacon, Assistant Groundsman Norman Potts and Les Nicol
Temperature differences of ten degrees centigrade have been recorded from one end of the ground to the other
David was able to continue with the ongoing maintenance programme. Importantly for David, one of the club’s sponsors is Rickerby, a local horticultural and agricultural machinery supplier, who count amongst their franchises Ransomes Jacobsen, Massey Ferguson and Charterhouse Redexim. They provide the club with specialist equipment as and when needed. For example, David can call on expensive aeration equipment that would be beyond the club’s means to buy outright. This allows him to carry out a complete aeration programme without needing to use contractors.
David and his staff also look after several other soil-based pitches adjacent to the main stadium. They use a combination of ride on and pedestrian 36-inch cylinder mowers for cutting these pitches. The main stadium pitch is maintained at a height of between 25- 28mm depending on the time of the year.
The feeding programme begins
around March/April time with a 12:0:9 followed by an 18:3:28 during the renovation period. An 18:0:28 in July, is followed by a dose of 7:0:14 plus Fe in September. It is then a case of maintaining colour through the winter using a 4:0:8. This may be accompanied by some additional foliar feeds as and when required. The ground is fairly open with plenty of air movement around the pitch, although some of the old stands, particularly the ones on the south side, cause shading problems. Wind chill and shade also influence surface temperatures dramatically with David often seeing a difference of 10O
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from one end of the pitch to the other. During my visit the staff were
removing the ground covers to finish off their match preparations, striping up and marking out for the visit of Leyton Orient which, at that time, was their tenth game in five weeks. Regular maintenance regimes do not differ much from any other sand based football pitch. It is a case of working with the weather and going through the routine pre and post match activities, repairing divots, scars, cleaning up, mowing and marking out in between the feeding, watering and aerating regimes. Like most Groundsmen David can be very protective of his pitch, especially when he feels it is being abused, which is often the case with teams visiting Brunton Park. The FA have a set of rules and
regulations regarding pre-match warm ups, and David goes out of his way to provide the necessary portable goals and areas for this purpose. “I get very annoyed when players and coaching staff ignore my wishes and go off and do their own thing without thought for the unnecessary damage they cause to the playing surface, especially during the winter months when grass recovery is poor. I am keen to see more support for groundsmen in this important area!” David says it is all about a lack of
C degrees
respect for the work they do and what they represent. “Some players and coaching staff do understand our issues and what is involved in preparing a natural grass pitch. They respect our wishes and go out of their way to work with us, however, there are still many who remain totally ignorant of what we are trying to achieve and, indeed, have
Greg Bacon serving his apprenticeship with woolly hat and a Dennis 36” mower
little or no respect for groundstaff at all.” “It seems to me that this lack of
respect is more prevalent in football than other sports. From my own experiences Groundstaff and Greenkeepers tend to be better respected by the end user at cricket, rugby and golf clubs.” “The whole team, staff, players and officials are all conscious of the effort we put in here at Carlisle. The club is a sleeping giant working its way back into the limelight. Currently 3rd in the table there is every possibility of promotion into the Championship. Only four years ago we were down in the Conference.” “Trying to prevent games being called off during the winter months is still a bit of a lottery. Until we manage to get the under soil heating up and running we will be in the lap of the weather gods. Flat sheets can prevent overnight frosts but prolonged frosty weather will eventually lead to deep seated frost damage, which inevitably leads to games being cancelled.” “Like most groundsmen I will be looking forward to the spring and some warmer weather to stimulate much needed grass and root growth. During this year’s renovations I am hoping to Koro off the top 20mm of vegetation, re- level and reseed, setting the pitch up for our next - and possibly biggest challenge – dealing with Championship football. Up the Blues!”
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