There is always a silver lining to every bad experience
April 16, 2020 · Sports Labs
With the average recorded rain fall reaching record levels in 2019, the wettest place in the UK being Aberystwyth (in wales) recorded 171 days of rain!
There is always a silver lining for these extreme experiences. Here are some brief outlines relating to the recent spike in wet conditions:
Importance of good groundstaff – The industry is a difficult one at the best of times, with everyone being a skilled grounds person (members of the public know better!!!), having a Groundsperson that is highly skilled, or if not highly skilled, completely dedicated to his/her job is one of the key factors to a successful pitch. That said, there are times even the best groundstaff have a difficult pitch, which would indicate the pitch needs a complete re-construction.
Sand based constructions – Over the wetter months it was noticeable that sand-based constructions fare better than the natural soil based constructions, highlight these facts to the board members, highlight the benefits to the board members.
Rest – How important rest is to a pitch, just like human’s pitches need the rest too, this allows the plant time to recover.
Learnings – What could you have done better?
Aeration prior to a match (when the weather was dry?)
A top dressing of sand for a less important match could have saved the pitch from turning brown sooner.
Did you take photos as evidence to produce a report to share with the directors, board or committee members?
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One benefit about bad situations, it sometimes highlights issues and brings to the attention of the stakeholders, capitalise on this to try to encourage stakeholders to invest in upgrades, possibly invest in independent consultants (for some reason board members listen to them more than the Groundsperson that spends an entire year on the pitch!).
Never forget, everyone makes mistakes, what makes people better is the willingness to learn from those mistakes.
Document everything, use the information for reference for next season.
Is the problem more serious than just aeration?
Is it time for a complete rip out of the pitch and install a more up to date playing surface?
Remembering a stadium pitches life cycle is typically no more than 15 years. Seek advice from the likes of the IOG, seek advice from independent agronomist who can support your cause, you will be surprised how many people are prepared to help. Have your data logging available to compare trends and be proactive rather than reactive. We always go by the motto if you can measure it you can manage it.