Winter Sports
Rootzone top-up
reconstruction of Wembley Stadium. During that time, other centres around the world were put together by some of the leading football playing nations in the world game, giving them a superb platform for success. Leading European soccer nations, such
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as France, Italy, Holland, Germany and Spain had stolen a march and were starting to reap the benefit from having a proper base from which to prepare for Euro Championships and World Cups. They say that the proof of the pudding is in the eating and, when you look at the success over that time that each of these countries has had on the world stage, you see that it has worked. The hope for English football is that
St.George’s Park will have the same effect. With budgets in place and all necessary planning permissions obtained, the National Football Centre finally broke ground just over a year ago. The National Football Centre, when completed, will boast facilities that can be compared to only a handful of similar centres worldwide. The preparation and research has been meticulous to ensure
he concept for a National Football Centre was first put together over fifteen years ago, before having to be mothballed due to budget constraints during the
that the wait has been worthwhile. As the framework for the 228 bedroom Hilton and Hampton by Hilton hotels, as well as other facilities on the site, such as the sports science centre and indoor soccer hall, began to take shape, thoughts turned to resurrecting the pitches which had been in situ for over ten years. In that time only a handful of the ten pitches had actually been used, the majority never having had a ball kicked on them in anger.
In the build up to the works actually getting underway, I had the opportunity to visit the centre in 2009. Then, you could see that thatch levels had built up to a stage where producing an elite surface was not going to happen without major renovation. You could also see the enormous potential that the site had to offer. I was delighted to be appointed to role of Head Groundsman in August 2011 and, although seen by many as an automatic choice, I was never the only candidate for the role. Indeed, the interview process was particularly rigorous and one of the toughest I have gone through.
Once on site, my first job was to review the pitch strategy and come up with an operational plan. Six months in, I can safely say this is the biggest project I have ever undertaken but, equally, the
most exciting and, come opening day in late summer 2012, probably the most rewarding. Part of the main contract with construction firm Bowmer & Kirkland was to create a construction similar to the main Wembley Stadium pitch. The decision to change the stadium pitch to Desso GrassMaster was a bold one, but one that has worked for the stadium business plan. Mallinsons of Ormskirk, who successfully oversaw the changeover, were hired to install a GrassMaster at the centre. The works to strip the other pitches back to a clean rootzone were tendered, and eventually awarded to Mallinsons. I was happy with this, having worked through two previous projects at Ibrox and Portman Road with them. Mallinsons, in my view, are unique in our industry.
Back in the early ’90s, when we
reconstructed the stadium pitch at Ibrox, I worked with, then, some of the best people in the construction side of the industry. Now, over twenty years on and embarking on my third major project with them, I not only cannot believe that the same guys are still there operating drots and hi macs but, in many cases, they are teaching their sons to deliver the same quality. John Mallinson is one of the most professional people I have
“Although seen by many as an automatic choice, I was never the only candidate for the role”
Alan Ferguson, Head Groundsman, St George’s Park DECEMBER/JANUARY 2012 PC 59
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