FOOTBALL Getting Personal


Ian Riley - I’m sure we all want to ask Hitler why?!


Who are you? Ian Riley - Site Manager, Wallsend Boys Club.


Family status. Father of a son and daughter, grandfather to five.


Who’s your hero and why? Alan Shearer. He always endeavoured to be the best and never gave up.


What’s been the highlight of your grounds career so far? Being asked to stage cup finals on our grass pitches.


If your younger self saw you now, what would he think? The boy has done well.


Which famous people wind you up? Jeremy Corbyn.


What job would you love, other than your own? To be Prime minister.


What was the most embarrassing moment in your life? I fainted when my 2nd child was born.


What is your favourite film? Once upon a time in America.


What scares you? Nothing. What would your


autobiography be called… and who would play you in the film? The Life of Riley … played by Tim Healy.


What is your favourite sport? Football.


What would you cast into Room 101? Cruelty to animals.


Which historical time and place would you most like to visit? Battle of Hastings 1066 and tell Harold to duck.


Do you have a lifetime ambition? To live as long as possible.


Which three people, living or dead, would you invite to a dinner party? Henry


58 PC April/May 2020


VIII, Adolf Hitler - to ask him why and Joan of Arc.


What’s the best advice you have ever been given? Look after the pennies and the pounds will look after themselves.


What’s your favourite piece of trivia? The code to my safe.


What’s your favourite smell? Mint sauce.


Which three albums would you take to a desert island? Say Hello Wave Goodbye, Russell Watson Greatest Hits, The Pogues Greatest Hits.


What’s the daftest work- related question you have ever been asked? What are the pitches like (after a huge downpour of rain)?


What’s your favourite piece of kit? John Deere 2653A triple mower.


What three words would you use to describe yourself? Honest, conscientious and hard- working.


What is the single most useful thing you could tell a 16-year- old groundsperson/ greenkeeper? Work hard and be observant.


What talent would you like to have? Play the piano.


What law/legislation would you like to see introduced? Capital punishment for paedophiles.


“We brush the 3G ourselves three times a week so we can keep it in tip-top condition with the amount of use. Every six months, we have a contractor come in to deep clean the surface and spray for weeds. We must look after it, so we have some strict rules in place like no metal studs, no food or hot beverages and, if I see anyone not following these rules, I politely ask them to obey our rules.”


“To cut the pitches, we use a John Deere 2653 triple cylinder mower and a John Deere X Series ride-on-rotary mower, which are both set at the height of 25mm. This does not change all season. For most of the


cutting, we will use the rotary mower as it’s quicker. Then, for match preparation, we use the triple to provide a cleaner cut and a nice stripe. We do roll the pitches quite a bit, switching between the wider heavy solid roller and the smaller sorrel roller throughout the season to keep the levels. If we get the time, we will go over the pitches with dragmats to remove the dew from the grass to help with disease control.”


Ian likes to bring in an outside contractor at least twice a season to verti-drain the pitches at a depth of ten inches to keep the link from the surface to the drains. Renovations are carried out


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