NEWS Objections overruled
Wellingborough’s new 3G sports pitch opens despite a petition and letters of objection
The 3G pitch at Redwell Leisure Centre in Wellingborough, Northamptonshire - which uses a rubber crumb infill - was officially opened in September.
Planning permission was granted for the pitch despite more than one hundred letters of objection from people living in the Redwell area of Wellingborough, a 1,000-strong petition and a number of passionate pleas.
Rather than using a cork alternative, rubber crumb was the chosen infill because, the council stated; “the cork alternative would have been too expensive and the Football Foundation said an extensive EU-wide study found no reason to advise people against playing sport on 3G pitches with rubber crumb.”
This quotes the European Chemicals Agency’s (ECHA) report of three years ago which was found to have both out of date and inconclusive research, yet supported by SAPCA, the IOG and the FA, amongst others.
Since that time, there have been growing concerns about the possible health impact of the rubber material. It has aleady been banned in Holland whilst, over in the USA, it has been recommended that no further artificial pitches with rubber crumb infill are installed until the full findings of the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) are announced.
Part one of the EPA’s report was released in the summer and was generally regarded as being inconclusive, premature and, in some quarters, a whitewash! Yet the product is still being used in the UK, and all based on the ECHA findings.
Despite the obvious concerns, Wellingborough councillors marked the opening with a ribbon cutting ceremony, followed by a walking football showcase put on by players from across Northamptonshire, and AFC Rushden & Diamonds girls playing inter-club matches and training.
The pitch, which cost £736,202, was made possible after funding granted by the Premier League, The FA and the Football Foundation. It will be operated by Places Leisure on behalf of the council.
Cllr Griffiths said: “I am delighted that the borough’s first all-weather outdoor pitch is now open for local sports clubs and residents of all ages and abilities to enjoy.”
“It was fantastic to see a number of different Wellingborough Councillor Martin Griffiths cuts the ribbon
sports clubs and our fellow partners join us for the official opening event.”
Quintin Allen, sports project manager at Northamptonshire Sport, said; “this facility is crucial to enhancing the sporting offer for residents of the borough and I would like to thank all the organisations involved in enabling the concept to be realised.”
Paul Thorogood, chief executive of the Football Foundation, said; “this is one example we want to make people in Northamptonshire aware of; that they have the kind of quality pitches and changing rooms that are taken for granted in other cities. We will continue to support projects nationwide.”
“Taking part in community sport at any level offers many benefits and rewards, not least the opportunity for people to enjoy themselves and socialise with different members of the community.”
Whilst we concur with these sentiments, Pitchcare remains concerned that, until definitive answers are provided surrounding rubber crumb’s possible carcinogenic properties, consideration should be given to all future installations, certainly until the second and ‘conclusive’ part of the EPA’s report is released, whenever that may be!
Additional concerns surrounding 3G artificial pitches are; injuries sustained by players that are not symptomatic of natural turf pitches; the disposal of ‘end of life’ plastic pitches, many simply ending up in landfill; and the extreme temperatures the surfaces reach in hot weather. One pitch in Florida was measured with a surface temperature of 140O
F, which resulted in a number of children being hospitalised!
Greta Tintin Eleonora Ernman Thunberg would have a ‘field’ day!
BASIS Points for magazine subscribers
BASIS awards two CPD points for ‘paid-for’ subscribers to the hard copy version of Pitchcare magazine, due to the “diverse range of content that relates to the control, management and use of pesticides”.
Subscribers can now obtain a further two valuable CPD points for their Professional
10 PC October/November 2019
register, simply by paying for a subscription to the ‘hard copy’ version of the Pitchcare magazine.
Anyone wishing to claim their points should email their full name, BASIS membership number, date of birth and postcode to edi-
tor@pitchcare.com.
*BASIS is an independent standards setting and auditing organisation for the pesticide, fertiliser and allied industries.
Going back to where it all began - Toro GM3 at West Herts Golf Club 50 years later!
The first Toro Greensmaster 3 ride-on mower was sold to the West Herts Golf Club in Hertfordshire in 1969 and, fifty years later, the GM3 is back at the club where it all began, united with the person who sold it all those years ago.
Rochelle Bedford, marketing manager at Reesink Turfcare, said; “we discovered that the very first GM3 sold in the UK was still going 50 years later! Also uncovered was the club that bought the machine and who sold it!"
The person in question, John Cockburn, tells us how it all came about: “I was working for Flymo in 1968 when I was told we’d be receiving a prototype of a new machine to trial and debut at a three-day exhibition in Meyrick Park in Bournemouth.”
Andy Smith, Course Manager at West Herts Golf Club since 1993, says it was a ‘blast from the past’ having the GM3 back at the club.”
Below: John Cockburn, right, with the T Greensmaster 3 and Andy Smith
oro
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