FOOTBALL What’s in the shed
with the grounds team at Liverpool FC on a match day when he can and seeks advice and tips from their Head Groundsman Dave Roberts. “It’s nice to have someone willing to support you and who you can turn to, to ask questions.”
Karl Standley at Wembley Stadium also invited him to work a matchday, which has helped him with his learning process, and he will always be grateful for the opportunity. The Prenton Park pitch has a heavy fixture list to contend with. I visited the ground on a Wednesday at the end of October. In that week, they had a game that evening, but also just had a game on Saturday and Tuesday night with more games to follow on the coming Saturday and Sunday.
“We have had around twenty-five games so far this season, plus one training session. That’s a mixture of first team games, cup games, youth cup games and Liverpool ladies who also use the pitch.” They have also just had two fireworks displays which caused some minor scarring and burns to the pitch, but they will recover in the next few weeks with a little care and intention.
The stadium pitch is a Fibresand construction that is over twenty years old, together with an old automated irrigation system. When it comes to maintenance of the pitch, the lads like to keep it simple, carrying out a regular programme of works. “Coming into the winter months, we will double cut and mark out before a match. During the week, the pitch will be cut twice a week, rotary and divot after a game. We will also have a contractor come in and verti- drain the pitch once a month at a depth of 8 inches. In between this, the lights will go on as much as possible.”
“The club invested in four second-hand SGL MU360’s 600-watt rigs last season from Everton. They help keep grass cover under
the North stand and are utilised in hard-worn areas of the pitch. Unfortunately, we have been having trouble with one or two of the sockets so, at present, we can only get three rigs on at a time.”
To try and keep games on when the winter months set in, they have a set of frost covers to cover all the pitch.
Not only do Callum and Aaron have the Prenton Park pitch to tend to each day, they are also responsible for the upkeep of twelve rootzone and soil-based community pitches located next to the stadium, which they must cut using the fairway mower and mark out for games. The academy teams and college utilise these.
“It’s tough! Originally, there were only four pitches, but they recently took on another eight, adding to our workload,” comments Callum. It doesn’t look like they will have any extra help anytime soon either.
Callum is hopeful the club may invest in a new Desso pitch next season, to help cope with the heavy schedule. This has been talked about as the club have just signed a 3-year deal with Liverpool FC Ladies to play all their fixtures at Prenton Park. He would like the addition of a few SGL MU18 rigs as they are lighter and more mobile, making it easier for them to spot treat areas of the pitch, but obviously this comes down to what budgets are available. Machinery is another area he would like the club to invest in eventually as they would want to be more self-sufficient.
In the future, Callum tells me he would love to work for Liverpool FC as a groundsman at any one of their sites; he is a big Liverpool fan.
SGL MU360 lighting rigs 72 PC December/January 2019
After what I have seen today from both Callum and Aaron, I can only commend the work they are doing and their commitment to the job. If they keep it up, I’m sure they will go far. Good luck in the future lads.
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
