Last week the clubs in the football league discussed moves to re introduce artificial turf to the professional game. Synthetic turfs first venture into the UK almost 20 years ago was not great. Pitches at Luton, Watford and Oldham did nothing to endear it to players as those who suffered on it can probably still remember the pain of slide tackles on it and getting up with layers of skin left behind. I can remember watching Manchester United lose at Oldham to a goal, which was made by the Oldham keeper’s clearance, which bounced over 20 feet in the air before sailing over the united keeper and into the net.
It is fair to say that the latest third generation synthetics that are being used throughout the game today have come on a long way since those early days. Before any club, chairmen are carried away and think artificial turf is the answer to all their financial problems they would do well to look at some of the more balanced research that has been done.
In recent years, Uefa have followed Fifa and allowed top-flight games to be played on synthetic turf. England played a qualifier against Russia in Moscow a couple of seasons ago but what the majority of people who watched the game probably did not realise was the stringent tests the pitch had to go through before it was allowed to be used.
In order to use synthetic turf or football turf as Fifa have called it in an attempt to have it more accepted pitches laid have to be done to either a one star or two star rating. The rating is in place to ensure that the characteristics of the pitch perform as close to the real thing as possible. Every year synthetic pitches laid to the two star rating have to be tested to ensure they have retained all the characteristics.
It is here that some of the sales talk that goes with synthetic turf does not get all the necessary points across. Smaller clubs looking to install a synthetic pitch as a means to raise essential revenue fail to realise that the more they do on the pitch the more maintenance it requires. Recent data released by the European Seed Association has shown that the maintenance costs of both synthetic and natural turf are not that far apart. I know from my maintenance operations that in order to maintain a good quality synthetic pitch you need to work on them.
The recent cold spell also went some way to showing that not all synthetic pitches are all weather. Local venues in the Burton area were closed for several days as snow and ice lay on the pitches preventing any play. I know from groundsman in some of the colder climates across Europe that synthetic pitches are built with under soil heating systems on them. In the warmer climates, synthetic pitches are built with irrigation systems on them to prevent the fibre becoming too hot and burning players when they come into contact with it. From the last few sentences, you will now be starting to get the impression that there is not too much difference between natural and synthetic turf and you would be right.
I am one of the first to acknowledge that synthetic pitches have come a long way over the last ten years and there is a place for them in the game. The problem I have with them is that they are not the answer to hard up clubs prayers because they do not fully understand how they should be looked after.
The next few months will hear arguments from both sides of the turf divide as the Football League carries out a consultation period. I hope both sides put their case in a constructive manner. It is only by doing so that clubs can make their minds up and know what they are getting into and whatever way they decide to go forward they will provide the best possible pitches for the players.
The winter weather that arrived in the UK over the weekend brought misery to the majority of the country’s population. Apart from the kids not too many people were happy to see the icy blast from Siberia arrive on these shores.
For us at St.Georges park it was perfectly timed as we step up the testing of the under soil heating systems. With all the five systems now running we are working with the heating engineers to establish what our optimum running temperatures will finally be.
Under soil heating is like any other tool we use to maintain the pitches. Used well and wisely it can be invaluable but used incorrectly can create many other problems.
In the early days of under soil heating many systems were run at too high a temperature. This caused some root zones to be baked to the stage where they started to form hard pans. With the root zone composition of our pitches mostly comprising of sand we have to be aware how much quicker the heat travels from the pipes up to the surface. We also have to be aware that if we run the heating and have to use the pitches then they have to be watered in order to stabilise them.
To help us understand the pitches and find the balance we are using feedback from the players and staff of Burton Albion to help us. Burton have trained at ‘St.George’s’ park for several years now and I am all for them staying with us. Following a short change of scenery for the players at Repton School while the renovation work was carried out the team are back now and are providing us with a valuable insight as to how our pitches are performing.Part of the business plan for the park is that we will be able to provide training facilities all year round. It’s a big challenge when you consider how bad our winters can get.
Finding the optimum running temperature will also help us be cost effective as the cost of fuel is not cheap. It is also essential we do not trigger parasitic activity in the root zone as this can seriously damage the pitches stability.
The plan for the next 4 weeks is find the answers to all the questions being asked of us while the winter weather is with us before the milder spring temperatures return.
Part of the last few weeks have been spent trying to fine tune the 5 under soil heating systems that will allow teams to train on the pitches all winter long. This is a unique selling point for us within the business plan. By the time we get to December this year I fully expect teams visiting the area to play against Midlands based teams to do their pre match prep with us.
Between the 5 pitches we have a total of 130 kilometres of pipes carrying warm water heated by 5 gas oil fuelled boilers. I have visited many training grounds with at least one or two pitches equipped with under soil heating to facilitate all year round training but 5 systems on one centre is something else.
Because the pitches have never been fully utilised the systems have never had to really work simultaneously. Under soil heating is like a spade or shovel it’s another tool of the job and if used correctly will do a job for you. However if abused then they can cause problems in other areas.
Keeping the soil temperature steady without baking it for me is the secret. I have seen systems in the past where the steam is literally rising off the pitch. We have several sensors in the pitches that trigger the burners when the air temperatures drop to 4oC. At stage 1 the systems will then lift the soil temperature to around 17oC. For the most time I will be comfortable with this because I have seen horrendous damage caused to root zones that have had too much heat fired into them. I believe by maintaining a steady heat we should be able to beat the majority of the frost that will come our way. Of course there are going to be days when the weather is worse and we will have to lift the soil temperature.
In recent years one of the biggest problems turf managers of sand based pitches have faced has been infestation of Nematodes. These parasites seem to thrive in sand dominated conditions and like it even more when the root zone is warm and moist. The conditions we are creating in the pitches are almost the ideal environment for Nematodes so the heat is being turned up even more as we have to come up with a Management programme to ensure we do not suffer from an attack which could cost us our pitches. In the early days of under soli heating groundsmen could not understand the need to water the pitches in middle of a frost spell when the heating was running. Nowadays we know that the sand fraction in the root zone needs to be kept moist to stabilise it ahead of play. Like other areas of the project we have some really good people helping us with the management programme. Simon Barnaby and Dr.Kate Entwhistle are guiding us in the Nematode management programme. Kate is one of the top people in the industry on Nematodes and the key to having any chance in keeping the populations in check is using the correct products to help keep the right balance. Some seaweed based products will be key in this area and it’s another example of using natural products to keep nature in balance.
Firstly a very happy New Year to everyone who reads this blog.
It’s been several months since I last post any notes on my site and for those who kept up with the green goings on in the turf world at Portman Road I apologise. The reason for this is that I have now completed my job move from Ipswich Town to The FA where I have taken up my new position as Head Groundsman at the new National Football Centre being built near Burton on Trent. St.George’s Park is set to become the base for all things football in England.
As well as becoming home to the 24 national teams that play under The FA banner St.Georges Park will house a national sports science centre and boast a 228 Hilton and Hampton by Hilton hotel. The site will also have one of the biggest indoor soccer pitches in Europe. Set in 330 acres amidst the splendour of the National Forest St.George’s Park will provide a truly inspirational setting for the elite of English Football to prepare for major championships.
Many in and around the game will argue that such a centre is long overdue but believe me when the park does open towards the end of this summer the wait will have been worthwhile.
The 12 different type pitches on the centre will offer the players the opportunity to warm up on one of the four different type surfaces currently being used in the professional game. The jewel in our crown will be the Wembley replica pitch. The success of the Desso Grassmaster pitch at Wembley made it almost a no brainer to include one on site allowing the players identical underfoot conditions to prepare for games in the stadium on. Beyond the grass master four Fibresand, five natural and two state of the art synthetic pitches make up the compliment.
Our usage is going to come from several groups. The obvious and most important group are the elite Mens and Women’s national squads. Part of our planning agreement will see local grass roots football being played on the same type surfaces used by the pros. What a boost to local football. Burton Albion the local pro team currently playing in League Two will return when the pitches are complete. They have been training there in recent seasons and I am delighted that they will still be on site when we open in full. The feedback their players can give my team on the performance of the pitches will play a key role in how we set them up for England.
The park will also be available to teams travelling into the area to prepare for games against the various Midland teams. We are busy now but are going to be even busier. I for one can’t wait. Over the weeks and months to come I will share the highs and lows of preparing 12 elite pitches you.
It’s good to be back.
Since my last post I have been involved in leading the latest natural turf workshop on behalf of UEFA at their HQ in Nyon Switzerland. The workshop is part of the KISS programme (Knowledge Information Sharing Scenario). So often UEFA are criticised for a variety of things but the effort and money that has gone in to supporting groundsmen all over Europe has to be applauded. I have to hold my hand up and say that for many years I have been as critical as anyone at the lack of support that appeared to be out there for natural turf as huge sums of money were made available for synthetic. Happily now Natural turf shares the workshop with synthetic turf being delivered on the second day.
This latest workshop saw 2 delegates from all the 53 member associations invited to Nyon to listen to the latest techniques that are available. Of the 53 association’s 43 sent delegates to Switzerland for what was an intense two days of Education. I also felt that this latest workshop was the best one we have done and I have no doubt it was down to UEFA having the foresight to allow some of our leading trade companies to support me with a series of practical demonstrations on the first morning. There is nothing better than actually watching machines working to show and educate people. I have to say a big thank you to Campey Turfcare, Harrods of Lowestoft Ransomes Jacobsen and Bernhard and company for an excellent show. Our renovation programme is going well. The stadium pitch has an excellent covering of grass on it 12 days after being over sown following the works.
The training ground is also well on the way with 3 pitches completed and another two set to be finished on the Bank Holiday Monday. Many fans actually think this is a quiet spell for us but is it the busiest spell of what is an already busy year. The programme of renovations which started in March will hopefully be completed on schedule by the end of June.
On Saturday night I felt privileged to be in the crowd at Wembley to witness probably one of the best teams in the world lift the Champions League title for the fourth time. I still think the title European Cup is better as it was what I grew up with. Whatever you call it Saturday night was brilliant occasion to be part of. It’s not often you see a team like Manchester United taken apart as they were on the night. I thought that at one point Lionel Messi had Velcro on his boots as the ball seemed to stick to them every time he had it.
Once the cup had been presented and the party at the Barcelona end where I was sitting was in full swing I witnessed something I have never seen and something I hope does not catch on. The Barcelona players started to cut the goal nest from the frame much to the annoyance of the Wembley groundstaff. Worse was to follow for the Barca players when they danced in the centre circle and the groundstaff took revenge for the net when they turned on the sprinklers. The players did not seem to be too bothered and used the sprinklers to give one and all a good soaking.
After 10 months of trials and tribulations and all that goes in between the 2010/ 11 Championship has come to an end. After yesterdays last round of games QPR were deservedly presented with the championship trophy. I have met Neil Warnock on several occasions and he is a real gent despite what some sections of the media think of him. No one can ever question his passion for the game and he deserved his latest award. Our local rivals Norwich have also made it to the Premiership and despite our local rivalry you have to congratulate Paul Lambert and his staff. Back to back promotions is some achievement. We managed to finish in mid table which at one point of the season did not look possible. I am sure there will be allot of activity over the summer.
During the season we had the pleasure of having Markus Sudjoki from the Finland Football Federation. Markus was sent over to study methods and techniques used in the turf industry in the UK. On his return to Finland he embarked on an on line course set up by the IOG. To help him further he returned last week to observe us renovating our pitches. He had a good week with us and also managed to visit our colleagues at Spurs. Daren Baldwin kindly gave us several hours of his time to let Markus see his renovations which was very useful for him. It’s great that more and more groundmen across Europe are getting a chance to practice like their counterparts in the UK. It is also a compliment to our industry they want to follow the lead set in the UK.
Our own works are well under way. The first phase of pitches are complete and will host the majority of the team’s pre season activity. At the end of the week we will move into Portman Road and carry out the renovation of the stadium pitch. With no concert this summer we have a chance to really tidy the pitch up.
The dry weather continues to cause problems for growers across the South of England. Eagerly anticipated rain failed to materialise and the work to irrigate all our pitches goes on. It’s got to be done but is a cost we could not see coming. With the entire summer ahead our water bill is in danger of going through the roof.
It’s been just over a month since I last updated my blog. The months are always fairly busy at Portman Road but the one just gone has been busier than most. The Easter break saw the usual frantic period for the academy while the first team have crept up to within touching distance of the play offs. Add in the driest March for over 50 Years and the start of the Spring renovation programme and time is not your own. I have also been involved with UEFA helping deliver their Knowledge Information Sharing Scenario (KISS) programme in Malta.
News early in the month that TV money to Championship and Football league clubs is being cut dealt everyone yet another blow. 26% of monies from the TV deals has gone which roughly translates to around £750,000 less. The cut will further strengthen the hand of clubs coming down from the Premiership with a parachute payment of 48M over four years. The cut will put more pressure on clubs budgets as they gear up for the forthcoming transfer window. For facility departments within clubs like ours it will add to an already great pressure to maintain good quality pitches.
The dry weather has seen us irrigating volumes of water usually not seen until late July. March produced the lowest total of 2.5mm for the month making it the driest for over 50 years. With ground water levels already low it could see early restrictions. The dry spell has been warm in the South east with temperatures regularly hitting the low 20s Celsius. It has ensured that our spring seeding programme would be a success. As we approach the end of the season the pitches are in the best shape they have been for some time. With the main part of the renovation programme to come over May and June we should see some fine results.
During the month I had the privilege to travel to Malta to participate in delivering a natural turf workshop on behalf of UEFA. The Knowledge Information Sharing Scenario or KISS programme is one of many initiatives currently being run by UEFA to improve football facilities around Europe. The workshop over two days delivered papers and demonstrations on both natural and synthetic turf.
Finally having crept to within 6 points of the play offs hopes at the club were high going into the East Anglian Derby against Norwich. Sadly for us we suffered our heaviest defeat at home to our local rivals since the Second World War. The 5 – 1 reverse was hard to take coming on the back of our 4 – 1 away defeat at Carrow Road earlier in the season. Losing to your local rivals is always hard to take but you have to give credit where it’s due. Norwich have a togetherness that makes them strong all over the pitch. Despite the defeat we had our biggest crowd of the season with just under 30,000 ensuring that the build up to kick off was as buoyant and noisy as ever. Sadly it was only the yellow end of the ground that was still making a noise at the end of the game.
It has been three weeks since my last post. All the hype from the transfer window has settled down and the players involved have all made their debuts for their new clubs. Looking at the games after this weekend it looks like Liverpool and Kenny Dalgleish have got the best end of the bargain. The red revival stepped up a gear on Sunday when they beat there great rivals Man Utd 3 – 1. I saw Luis Suarez play in a game against Galatassery just before his move and he is the type of player that Liverpool fans will idolise. It will not be long before the big four in the Premiership has a familiar look to it again.
Away from the Premiership and looking closer to home things are moving a pace at Portman Road. Having spoken with our new gaffer Paul Jewell several times now, he has constantly tried to play our recent progress down. However, having worked at the club for over 14 years and seen many difficulties in that time we are certainly on an up.
The team that started the season and the team playing now are unrecognisable but it is the same players plus Jimmy Bullard. Anyone watching the lads play live on Sky on Saturday evening at Cardiff would have to applaud the way we played. In Martin Fulop, we had a keeper in inspired form at the back while leading and prompting most of our best forward moves were Jimmy Bullard. His two strikes were as good as you will see in any game in any league. People in the game talk about confidence being everything to a player and it is clear from watching the lads play that Paul Jewell has lifted the confidence and self-belief of our players.
However, it is not only on the pitch that things have improved. All round the club Paul Jewell has made a difference and demonstrated just how good his people management skills are. Even our crowds are on the up with over 23,000 watching our last game against Portsmouth. Good luck to him and his staff and long may it continue.
On the work front, the recent mild spell in the South East goes on. We have our Spring aeration work well under way with the deep aeration phase of the work going well. I am employing our Groundbreaker and Wiedenmann aerators in combination one cutting horizontally and one working vertically. Both machines are set to deliver close centres to maximum depth, which mean that the tractors carrying them are working in low gears. Thank god then for good radios and CD players in the cabs to maintain our sanity.
Our Spring over seeding will be carried out hot on the heels of this so all being well in around 10 to 14 days time. The 5-cultivar ryegrass mix has been ordered and should be with us any day now. Plans are also well under way for the main renovation at Portman Road. Cost and Specifications are with our Chief Executive and I would hope to get the final go ahead this week.
My long-term aim for the stadium pitch is to carry out a full re construction but as long as we are in the Championship the work will remain cost prohibitive at around £800,000. The partial freshen up of the top 150mm is vital to keep things ticking along for now.
All the time the Spring programme is being carried out we still have games to prepare for. This mid week we are home to Reading in what is always a good game between two good footballing sides. Games on the Academy side are also coming thick and fast. 8 games last week will be followed by several more this week. Let us hope the Spring weather continues for a while yet.
In a week that saw the latest transfer window close you would be forgiven for wondering if there had been a worldwide financial crisis lately. Certainly those of us in the UK listening to our politicians each evening on TV as they debate and justify the latest cut backs to our essential services would on the face of it think they are having a laugh. As the window drew to a close last Monday evening the saga of the Torres to Chelsea and Carroll to Liverpool transfers were being concluded. Both transfers broke the British transfer record between two clubs. The fees to each club were massive but the wages to each player took your breath away. I have never grudged a player there living. After all they have a talent and against ordinary jobs it is a short career. But I have felt for some time that more financial regulation needs to be brought into the game. At Ipswich we are at the midpoint of the season and are looking at the budgets for the second half of the season. We also made a couple of new signings albeit for allot less money than the two mentioned above. Both Jimmy Bullard and Andy Drury will be welcome additions to the squad with Bullard already making quite an impact with a stunning goal in the away game at Derby in midweek. The fallout from big transfers and high player salaries will continue to dictate clubs finances for the foreseeable future. Meeting the day to day requirements at clubs like ours will continue to be a juggling act. I know how hard it is at Portman Road so god only knows how clubs in the leagues below us manage. I have mentioned in my blog before that on the continent some leagues relegate clubs to the lowest division as punishment for not having their books in order. Some countries even take away clubs professional status. These punishments may seem harsh but in no other walk of life would companies be able to spend and run there affairs like this and get away with it. Why should football clubs expect to be treated any differently. Over the past couple of seasons I have seen good people have to leave clubs through redundancy or other cut backs as they chase the dream to get to the promised land of the premiership. My hope is that someday soon a sense of reality will return to the game.
As I write this blog we are 24 hours away from the Carling Cup semi final second leg away to Arsenal at the Emirates. After the excitement of the first leg and an unexpected 1 – 0 win I can’t wait for tomorrow night to come. In total 9,000 fans will make the journey down the A12 to London and cheer the boys on. Beating Arsenal once was superb to do it twice is a massive ask. I felt on the night many of their big names underestimated us and paid the price. I don’t think they will make the same mistake twice and expect a long night ahead. Outside Portman Road I don’t think too many fancy our chances I can see why people would think Arsenal will overturn the one goal and go on to the final. Their team is packed with talent and play some of the best passing football around. In Arsene Wenger they have one of the games top coaches. On their day they are a joy to watch. The Carling Cup has been good to us this season and maybe the spur of a Wembley final will push the boys on. Our new manager Paul Jewell has been in charge for a week now. The whole club has had a lift from his arrival. Despite going down at Millwall in his first game the lads bounced back and beat Doncaster in a thriller on Saturday. After going a goal behind we hit three goals in the second half the third proving to be the winner.
Paul Jewell and his assistants Chris Hutchins and Sean McCarthy know they have a job on their hands but after working with them for a week I am sure it won’t be to long before we are moving back up the table.
The weekend talking point from the Premier league seems now to be the comments made about the Lady assistant who ably ran the line on the Wolves Liverpool game on Saturday. After Liverpool’s first goal which two of Sky TVs finest thought off side stood comments were made about ladies knowledge of the off side rule and whether they should be a part of the game at all. I found it unbelievable they said that especially when they could not be sure the microphones were off. What an own goal. Firstly the lady in question Sian Massey knows her stuff. She ran the line at Portman Road earlier in the season and had a good game. The powers that be in the referee world would not put her on a high profile game if they did not think she could handle it. On the decision on the off side Sian was spot on. Sky’s own cameras showed what a good call it was. I like the way Sky cover a game but sometimes I feel there commentators are too quick to criticise. Working in the game I see some howlers during the season but it must be easy to criticise when you can watch the incident over and over on replay machines. Our officials don’t have the luxury of replays and have a split second to make a call. I have said for some time the time is right to introduce camera technology to the game to help the referees and assistants. With so much at stake it makes sense.
