A Crisis is a Terrible Thing to Waste: Reopening After COVID-19

July 10, 2020 · Sports Labs

With the world going mad and the football season now in full swing, this is an excellent time for me to reach out to everyone. In recent months, there have been many concerns about pitch maintenance (or lack of it), and most are related to uncertainty caused by ongoing issues with Covid-19.

Some venues were lucky to find it possible to carry out summer renovations early. In contrast, others were ordered to stop working with immediate effect while the ground staff was placed on furlough. Grass doesn’t know when the weekend is, therefore up to 90% of ground staff would go in to work on the weekend to cut their pitches. To leave the pitch for two whole months offers so many challenges, not to mention the mental and emotional difficulties the ground staff would have. We are a very proud breed of professionals. I used to go into work to take my mind off things, just like a guitarist would play his guitar to forget his problems. These pitches would also become a victim of cutbacks, reduced budgets, or even worse, job losses.

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Have there been any cases where the best team in the league had the worst pitch? Football nowadays is about speed and accuracy; without an excellent playing surface, this is not possible. The Ground staff is a crucial ingredient to a successful pitch. Sports matches are won sometimes by the smallest of margins, where every little helps. For example, Arsenal’s Highbury pitch was one of the smallest in the league that suited their style of play. Stoke City used to leave the grass longer and suggest not watering the pitch to make it harder for the away teams. You, as in-ground staff, are the twelfth man/woman in that team’s success.

Here is a list of renovations most likely completed during the lockdown and the risk of some failures or problems we should anticipate in the next season. These issues might include simple things like reduced traction levels that might cause players to slip and tear ligaments or compaction issues, forcing matches to be called off.

FULL RENOVATION – This would typically be Korro off the surface to remove all vegetation, aerate, top-dress, and seed.

RISK FACTOR - The risk factor of this causing issues with the pitch next season is particularly low.

SEMI-RENOVATIONS - Goal mouth repairs, scarification, aeration, top dressing, and over-seeding.

RISK FACTOR – Moderate to high.

NO RENOVATIONS – No pitch has ever improved when no maintenance has been carried out.

RISK FACTOR – Extremely high.

TWO CONCERNING FACTS FROM THESE TYPES OF RENOVATIONS:

  • We must also remember how bad 2019/20 season was in terms of wetness, with the wettest winter recorded for some time, some of the older pitch constructions suffered from the copious amounts of rain last year.

  • A summer renovation is a platform for your season, and if carried out correctly, you will have a successful pitch for the upcoming season. If no refurbishment is carried out, the likelihood of the pitch suffering is considered high.

    WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE? HOW DO WE BETTER THE SITUATION? WHAT HAVE WE LEARNED DURING THIS DIFFICULT PERIOD?

  • The next steps for the Ground staff are to manage expectations with the board of directors and football personnel.

  • Educate, educate, educate. And when that is done, teach some more. Take photographic evidence, highlight concerns before they become a concern. You have worked on your pitch, understand its strengths and weaknesses, created a document, and highlighted potential risks before they come back.

  • Speak to local colleagues, friends, consultants, sales representatives we are a close community of people and MOST would be happy to help.

  • Could you borrow machinery from a friend to help you out?

  • Look to invest in liquid fertilizer products as they are cheaper to apply.

  • Look at better ways to save on your budget, reduce fungicide applications by using natural products.

  • Liquid aeration or de-thatching products can also aid.

  • Check the weather patterns daily, carrying out work in the right conditions will help get the maximum out of the plant.

  • Apply a little and often approach with the scarification units; this is particularly important for hybrid pitches.

We must learn from all of this and ensure we are prepared for the next possible scenario. Look at ways to maximize your budget; machinery is key to a pitch’s success. The ground staff is key to the success of a pitch.

OPENING UP A PITCH FOR USE

Opening the pitch after the Covid-19 break, have you applied any disinfectants to the surface? Some products on the market have been proven to reduce the

risk of virus spread; however, check the product is safe for the beneficial bacteria in the soil; disinfecting flags and posts might part of your new match day norm. If you are using portable goals, these will need to be disinfected, too.

Wash down machinery after every use, write down information on a checklist, some apps are available that might assist with this. These changes could become a health and safety requirement and also protect you and your team should there be legal implications at a later date.

And of course, ensure you protect yourself, your colleagues, and your family as much as possible by following all official Covid-19 advice.

Stay safe!
Dean Gilasbey