EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW
I have always said I am not an expert in any one area of turf
”
management, but have a very good working
knowledge of what is required
the high 40O C. The warm season grasses
will be in transition, so the finals will be played on a mixture featuring ryegrass. There has already been quite a bit of work done on mixtures in Qatar, and part of my job early on will be to bring myself up to speed with that research. Much of the technology already in use in major stadia across the world, such as lights, fans and vacuum systems will form an integrated management system.
I have always said I am not an expert in any one area of turf management, but have a very good working knowledge of what is required. I am forming a pool of experts to support me in my work and their individual expertise, combined with our appointed consultants, will be key in the final decision making on the pitches. These experts will be drawn from across the turf industry and some of them will be leading grounds managers. In some cases, where I think the grounds team would benefit from additional expertise and leadership, I will be looking to appoint grounds managers on a short-term basis. Many outside the industry never see the pressures groundsmen are put under preparing pitches for games. It is hard enough doing this for league games, but in World Cups it is much harder because of all
Although led at senior levels by international
”
expertise, there will be a need to get all involved in the maintenance of the pitches onto the same page
16 PC December/January 2019
the extra commercial activity before and in between games, and the intensity of the schedule.
The majority of the local grounds teams will come from an international background. Nearly all of the labour on the ground in Qatar is brought in from around the world, making up tens of thousands of the population. Although led at senior levels by international expertise, there will be a need to get all involved in the maintenance of the pitches onto the same page. I plan to deliver this education with the help of partners. I see customised pitch maintenance courses being ideal here and I will be working to develop course content specific to the World Cup. The IOG were involved in one of my last projects in Kosovo and delivered a workshop in Pristina which went very well. A similar mode of delivery will be equally successful. I will also work with equipment suppliers to deliver a broader induction training to the staff involved.
PC: What equipment will be used to carry out the pitch maintenance in Qatar?
AF: Very similar to what you would expect to find in any major stadium now. Until you work outside the UK, you do not fully realise the influence the UK turf industry has abroad. Many of the well- known brands you see at leading UK and world venues, such as Dennis/Sisis, Allett, Ransomes and Bernhard, are widely used. The specialised equipment is also well represented. Even though brands such as Redexim, Imants and Wiedenmann are built in Europe, they have had a big input from UK groundsmen which has helped them to get where they are now. We’ve now passed the minus four year milestone towards the finals and I will be speaking with these companies to build the most comprehensive range of equipment we can.
Grow lights will also be required in Qatar. Nearly all major stadiums have lights and Qatar for the World Cup will be no different.
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104 |
Page 105 |
Page 106 |
Page 107 |
Page 108 |
Page 109 |
Page 110 |
Page 111 |
Page 112 |
Page 113 |
Page 114 |
Page 115 |
Page 116 |
Page 117 |
Page 118 |
Page 119 |
Page 120 |
Page 121 |
Page 122 |
Page 123 |
Page 124 |
Page 125 |
Page 126 |
Page 127 |
Page 128 |
Page 129 |
Page 130 |
Page 131 |
Page 132 |
Page 133 |
Page 134 |
Page 135 |
Page 136 |
Page 137 |
Page 138 |
Page 139 |
Page 140 |
Page 141 |
Page 142 |
Page 143 |
Page 144 |
Page 145 |
Page 146 |
Page 147 |
Page 148 |
Page 149 |
Page 150 |
Page 151 |
Page 152 |
Page 153 |
Page 154 |
Page 155 |
Page 156 |
Page 157 |
Page 158 |
Page 159 |
Page 160 |
Page 161 |
Page 162 |
Page 163 |
Page 164
