RUGBY
It’s been estimated that the new pitch would need 4-17 hours maintenance a week, and we will have to invest in suitable
”
equipment, plus a facility to store and service it
one side, whilst rugby touch judges step in and out. Eric also needs to re-mark between a rugby match on a Saturday, and football on a Sunday.
“I try not to green out too much as it can
make the turf go black, and just let the lines fade out,” he comments. An artificial grass pitch (AGP) would revolutionise the way the playing surface is managed, and Eric is working with Strategic Development Consultant Nick Johnston to select a suitable system and supplier, whilst he also plans to undertake training on the ongoing management of this type of pitch. “It’s been estimated that the new pitch would need 4-17 hours maintenance a week, and we will have to invest in suitable equipment, plus a facility to store and service it.”
He says that the main benefit would be to offer a surface that Is consistent 365 days of the year, but points out: “It’s wrong to assume that AGPs don’t need maintenance or are not affected by frost. However, you don’t get the ‘spiking’ that leads to ruts on turf and gets a game called off. We could
Used for training as well as fixtures for rugby league, rugby union and football, the pitch gets heavy wear
also use frost covers, but it needs consideration of where to roll them to, and the labour involved for laying and removing.” Artificial grass surfaces are increasingly accepted in rugby but, whilst Coventry United FC can play on artificial pitches as a Midland League team, it would rule out use of the Stadium for League One side Coventry City, who are considering options away from their current home at the Ricoh. “Even with a natural turf surface there are compromises when sharing a stadium as cut heights of 35-50cm are preferred for rugby and 25mm for football; I also steer away from rolling the pitch to avoid compaction,” Eric comments.
New floodlighting will be needed to take account of impending legislation banning electrical appliances containing mercury, and this will also form part of the consultation, but Eric comments that LED bulbs definitely have their compensations. “Lights have to be tested to ensure they are producing the right LUX for TV cameras, and if one of those goes down it’s not only the expense but the inconvenience of
getting a cherry picker to change a bulb 36 metres up. LEDs are designed to last a lifetime and require no maintenance so will make life easier.”
The 12-14 week installation process for an
AGP could be extended by unknowns below the surface, especially as Coventry was a bomb alley in the second world war. “We will have to look at how it will affect the rugby league and football fixtures,” Eric comments.
Easing the maintenance workload will certainly make a difference to Eric, who works on his own, with the services of six volunteers, three each for set up and clear up days before and after the weekend. “I’m not just the groundsman, I’m also the cook and the maintenance man, so I can be feeding 200 people for an event as well as working on the pitch,” he explains. Away from the pitch development, plans include extending the grandstand and changing facilities and the construction of brand new stand on the west side of the pitch, and Eric comments that enhancing the commercial value of the stadium is key.
The outline of the former athletics track can still just be seen, and was revealed in white grass at the height of summer
104 PC December/January 2019
The view from the existing stand
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