TADCASTER RECOVER FROM FLOODS
With help from Aitkens
Aitkens have been hailed as an integral part of the pitch rejuvenation at Tadcaster Albion Football Club, after the surface lay under water for ten weeks, with initial flooding in December seeing water rising over the height of the crossbar.
Flooding at Tadcaster
Tadcaster A.F.C were unable to play at the i2i Stadium until 13th February as Head Groundsman, David Wakefield, tried to salvage what was an impressive pitch from weeks of flooding, starting from Boxing Day 2015.
With the help of Aitkens' Paul Emmanuel there was only a 73-day wait for football to return, and David explains just how vital a role the company played in helping the part-time groundsman.
“Paul was second to none for advice and support,” he began.
“We were at a stage where the grass had literally died, so we had to compose a plan that would help us get the surface back, but we were conscious of not going for any quick fixes.
“Paul’s initial thoughts were that we needed to get some grass growing, so went for the Award Nutri-Pro 16-2-10 fertiliser, and even though it’s not the ideal time of year to apply it, the results were great.
“I also used Terralift Rocastem and Quadrop when we were eventually able to spray, which helped to help revitalise the root zone.
“We also used The Award Surf To Turf Seaweed, and the colour we got out of it was tremendous, but the important thing is the longevity, it’s a lot better than some others that I’ve seen. And that goes back to the time they take in sourcing the products, which keeps enhancing the nutrients in the soil.”
Recovery at Tadcaster
David was already a customer of Aitkens, and he believes that the time spent in developing organic products helped to develop a very strong soil and root zone – through Rocastem, Award Surf To Turf and Quadrop – and because of this, recovering the pitch was made that bit easier.
And with such a big job facing him David was grateful for the support of the clubs’ chairman, Matt Gore, who invested in the surface before the flood and who continues to do so now, contributing to Tadcaster A.F.C’s league winning season, seeing them promoted to the Evo-Stick Division One North.
The damage that David was faced with at the end of 2015 would be the stuff of nightmares for most groundsmen, all of whom have been facing difficulties with the weather in one way or another in recent times, but David explains just what he was left to deal with.
“The flooding happened on Boxing Day and the water was over the cross bar,” David explained.
“The pitch sat under around three to four feet of water for two or three days until it started to recede, then we were able to get in and start pumping it off.
“We had a lot of rubbish to clear off the site like boards, fencing and sheds that had floated in, but it was so wet it was like walking through a bog, you’d be leaving foot prints as you walked.
“It was six weeks until we were able to get onto the pitch, but it was under water in some areas for nine weeks because of a drain around the back of the stand, so it wasn’t until February that we had a completely dry surface.”
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