FOOTBALL


A key factor to all of this is groundsmen understanding the business needs and the business understanding the groundsmen and agronomical needs


” Baltimore Ravens


such as the STMA Conference and BTME, that ideas can be shared and learned from. One area this is especially important is in multi-use stadium where European groundsman have used hybrid pitches and grow lights to help facilitate renovations. Recently, this was done by Karl Stanley at Wembley to have the pitch in prime condition for cup finals and concerts, and it is getting increasingly rare to see a picture of a top European venue pre or post-match without grow lights in place. Hybrid pitches and lights have become more prevalent in America, and multi-use venues have taken another step forward with Tottenham Hotspur’s £1billion stadium that features two pitches - one for football and the other for NFL. Whilst progressing venues in this way is helpful for the groundsman, it usually comes with an increased schedule, and this is where Andy thinks combining all of the technologies is vital.


“The grounds teams that work in these


multi-use stadia do a terrific job in maintaining the pitches, but most of them now have hybrid pitches and grow lights. Stadium grow lights give the manager the security to undertake a full renovation each season because, if mother nature is not helpful, the lighting technology can assist and help ensure a successful renovation. These two technologies have helped venues like Wembley Stadium complete winter renovations because that’s the only time free in their schedule.”


“Within the US, some of the sports - like American football - can be brutal to the surface and even more so to the grass plant. Away from the hybrid pitches and grow lights, clubs, like Tottenham Hotspur, have taken greater steps by developing a stadium with two pitches. This means when they host NFL games, their hybrid pitch slides underneath the stand and an artificial one slides into the stadium. This development has taken multi-use to another level in


England, and I’m aware of a club in Europe that is aiming to take it even further.” “I think this is the way forward for big city stadia as revenue is required and often the driving factor for the business model. But a key factor to all of this is groundsmen understanding the business needs and the business understanding the groundsmen and agronomical needs. The groundsmen also need the tools to carry out the job and provide the desired pitch quality. It’s a very fine line between under usage and over usage. So, working relationships between event coordinators and the grounds team are key to successful pitch and event management planning.” Everything Andy has spoken about has been learned through twenty-five years of industry experience and learning from his peers across the world. While he has covered the aspects that differ from the US and UK, some areas are no different, including work-life balance, common


LA Galaxy stadium 72 PC June/July 2020


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