I think we can all agree the last three years have certainly been very challenging - firstly coping with Covid and now feeling the effects of this severe economic crisis. 

I must say my team at Man City have been fantastic and have adapted and worked tirelessly to maintain the high standards expected at the club. With Covid 19 now out the way, I feel there is optimism coming back, which was evident at November's GMA Saltex show at the NEC where there was a buzz about the place and people were keen to meet up again do business. 
 
I am also looking forward to attending BTME this week. I think it is important we support industry shows. It’s good for networking and for catching up with fellow professionals and colleagues.

On recruitment, I like many other head turf professionals are worried about the lack of interest in many of the youngsters wanting to come and work in our grounds industry. We are currently finding it difficult to recruit people to come and work at the football club. They just do not want to work unsociable hours and they want to see a definable career path.
 
In my view we need to improve our pay and working conditions. We also need to implement better training provisions so that a person can develop their skills. There needs to be a structure in place so after so many years working for the company you get a pay increase. We need to look at a bonus system every year so that the worker has got something to look forward to. We have that at MCFC called a PDR bonus and it really works well for everyone - but I do appreciate not all clubs can do that. There must be an end goal for every person  to work towards which hopefully will help people to join and stay in our industry. 

Our sector also needs to find ways to come together to promote the values and opportunities that are available. Perhaps a national campaign every year where all the governing bodies and organisations fund a national campaign to go into schools to promote the wide range of career opportunities we have in this industry could be possible?

On the subject of machinery and equipment innovation, I believe there has been several key innovations that have helped grounds professionals become more efficient and competent in the delivery of exceptional playing surfaces. Those are:

• The Koro Field Topmaker that has transformed the way we renovate playing surfaces;
• Lighting rigs that have helped maintain grass cover through the winter months in our stadium environments and automatic irrigation systems;
• The development of our faithful Dennis mowers that now come with a plethora of cassette systems enabling us to do more essential tasks using one single power unit;
• The wider choice of punch tine aerators now available with both the vertidrain and Toro Procore now widely used in our industry;
• And finally, the covered boom sprayers that allow you to spray in more windy conditions;

As for turfcare products, Primo Maxx has been a game changer along with the development of better seed varieties and slow-release fertilisers and bio stimulants.

And without a doubt the reinforced natural grass pitches with the development of the Desso Grassmaster system and similar systems, has revolutionized our industry. Using these new technologies, along with the dedication of our groundstaff, we now can offer some of the best playing surfaces in the world.

Finally for me, some of the standout moments at MCFC during my time here have been winning the Premier League Pitch of the Year at Maine Road in the last season we played there. Also winning the IOG Groundsman of the Year in the same season was special. The ground staff had never won anything before I arrived at Maine Road. 

Also memorable when working aboard was signing off a Desso Grass Master pitch of 12,000sqm in Melbourne, which was one of our sister clubs’ first Dessos to be installed in the country - costing one million pounds. 

I am also very proud that I was able to oversee and help the installation of the City Football Academy that included the building 17 pitches - 14 grass and 3 full size artificial turf pitches (one indoor and 2 outdoor).  

This is a legacy that I believe will ensure the development of the next generation of turf professionals to work at Manchester City FC. 

ROY RIGBY

Roy has been involved in the grounds management industry for over 45 years - from a local authority maintaining bowling greens, to managing thirteen club sites around the globe, and now for one of the biggest football clubs on the planet.

Roy’s first experience of working in the industry started when he was 14 years old through his father knowing the Groundsperson at the local bowling club Roy worked through the school holidays helping around the bowling green and even now still supports his local bowling club).

Roy then began a local authority apprenticeship scheme at the age of 16, attending college on day release. He worked at the local authority for 15 years before finally taking a step into professional football taking the job of head groundsperson at the training ground at Blackburn Rovers.
 
He left Blackburn in 2001 to take up one of the most prestigious jobs in football, becoming the head groundsman at Manchester City FC. Over the following twenty years he has been involved in the amazing transformation of one of the richest football clubs in the world who, through Roy’s vision and that of his dedicated team of turf professionals, oversaw the move from Maine Road to the Commonwealth Stadium (Etihad), including the full construction of the new stadium pitch.

Now in his final months before retiring, the portfolio of club sites around the world has increased and Roy manages 13 club sites, including training facilities, at locations including New York City, Uruguay, Melbourne, and Belgium.

Throughout his career, Roy has always embraced new techniques and sought to develop teams of highly skilled turf professionals that have won numerous awards over many years. 

Being mindful of the contribution Roy has made to our industry, TurfPro has invited Roy to be one of our guest editors, to allow him to share his thoughts on our industry.

Bernhard and Company has announced the appointment of a new director of education for the Bernhard Academy.

Craig Haldane

Craig Haldane will take up his new role with immediate effect, taking the lead in developing the Academy. Over the coming months, he will play an important role in developing the training programmes that will form key elements of the Academy.

Speaking on Craig's appointment, Bernhard and Company managing director, Steven Nixon, said, “We’re thrilled to unveil Craig as director of education for the Bernhard Academy. Craig has had an outstanding career as golf courses manager at Gleneagles and at some of the best venues in the Middle East. He’s undoubtedly one of the most well-respected and knowledgeable members of the industry and brings with him a passion and drive to help others.”

Craig added, “I’m delighted to be following my passion, which is developing both the industry and its people. My career has allowed me to understand the need for education to continue to move forward, and the Bernhard Academy has a wonderful opportunity to provide that. To be given the chance to lead that process and develop these educational programmes for the future is really exciting.”

The Bernhard Academy is located at the company’s factory in Haverhill, with further satellite training facilities at Moortown Golf Club and Royal Norwich. Craig and his team will be refining existing training modules in addition to creating entirely new programmes that the company says are designed to help greenkeepers and turf professionals take their performance to the next level.

Turf and topsoil producer, Rolawn Limited, has achieved continued accreditation under the Green Achiever scheme for the fourth consecutive year.

Achieving the Diamond Banner Award, Rolawn secured the highest level in the scheme.
 
Rolawn, based in the Vale of York, has secured the status under the scheme which offers environmental accreditation to businesses wishing to obtain independent acknowledgement of their green credentials and verification that they are actively reducing their environmental impact.
 
Ken Brewster, Rolawn’s marketing director, said, “We have a robust and proactive environmental strategy, not all of which is necessarily visible to our audience, so the continuation of this accreditation is really valuable in helping us to reassure our customers that we take this seriously.
 
“Integrity is important to us at Rolawn and that includes implementing improvements that aren’t overtly obvious, yet still make a real difference, for example the installation of onsite solar panels which has made a significant contribution to production.”
 
To achieve Diamond Banner Award status, Rolawn had to evidence proactivity on a range of levels from day to day, ground level operations, such as energy consumption and recycling, right through to higher level operational compliance with complex environmental legislation.

Organisers of the SAGE trade show for the sports and grounds maintenance industry, have announced that spaces to exhibit at this year's event are being "booked up fast".

In partnership with Weibang, GRASS, and BioCircle, the event is returning for its third year at the Three Counties showground in Malvern, Worcestershire, taking place on the 19th and 20th of July 2023. 

In an official statement organisers said, "While many other exhibitions have been moved indoors, SAGE believes that demonstrating kit is an integral part of grounds care and maintenance exhibitions. This is why it provides the unique opportunity to demo and test equipment, no matter the size. To achieve this, SAGE offers unrivalled value for money, providing each exhibitor with their own demo space alongside their stand from as little as £14 per m2."

This year, organisers have also said that sustainability is its key message, recognising the need to create an exhibition that leaves as little impact on the environment as possible.

Implementing ‘We are green’ practices, in line with the sustainable guidelines set out by Eventex, the show says it hopes to use its platform to inspire a greener approach in the event industry, "bringing together like-minded, revolutionary thinkers, and setting a more sustainable precedent for future exhibitions".

New sustainable measures include free water refill stations, sustainable lanyards, beer barrels instead of bottles, hired glasses to cut out single-use plastic, eco-friendly cleaning products, and more. GRASS, one of SAGE’s official green partners, will also be on hand to advise on tailor-made best sustainable practices for businesses.

Running alongside SAGE will be the-new Green Business Expo, where businesses will have the chance to share sustainable solutions, attend expert-led conferences, and network with other eco-conscious companies.

Seed from the Origin Amenity Solutions (OAS) Euroflor range has transformed three meadow areas within Worth Park, as part of a wider conservation project underway by Crawley Borough Council.

With the aim of increasing plant diversity and providing all-important habitat and food for pollinators, the wildflowers were introduced by head gardener Stephen Peters using OAS’s biodegradable FloraFleece.

Worth Park Conservation Garden sits within 8.5 hectares of green space which has undergone a complete restoration over the last few years, making it an important community and destination venue for residents and visitors to Crawley.

“The objective of the wildflower project was to provide an essential food source (nectar) for pollinators and demonstrate that making a healthier ecosystem that benefits both humans and wildlife need not be complicated or involve intensive preparations with harmful chemicals that we traditionally see” explains Stephen, who is also horticulture advisor to Crawley’s Tilgate and Goff Parks. 

“Together with my horticulture apprentice, Tom, we prepared three areas using the FloraFleece from OAS. We just had to roll the matting out, lay three or four inches of soil over the top and sow the seed - all of which was complete in a day.” 

Stephen continues, “Following many visits and conversations about the project, Mike Ring from Origin Amenity came in with a catalogue and together we opted for the Euroflor Discovery box. I really liked this option because it incorporated a range of Euroflor mixtures which would give us annuals, bi-annuals and perennials for a rich source of nectar for our pollinators and wildlife, along with maximum colour and plant diversity. These were sown in mid-March and we started to see growth in approximately six weeks.

“The results were nothing short of beautiful. We had people taking photographs, sharing feedback on social media and we even had a local artist in her 90’s paint one of the wildflower meadows, the end result now proudly hanging in the community room of Ridley’s Court. Importantly, we have also noted a big increase in the number of pollinators we’ve seen so the project did its job and more."

Once the flowering period was over, the meadows were harvested down to four inches with the trimmings left in piles before being passed through a small shredder. “We scattered the shredded material back over the plots and found that where the seed had been chipped through the shredding process, we saw the emergence of young seedlings growing again in less than two weeks.” 

He concludes, “This project has demonstrated what can be achieved if we all look to ‘recycle, reuse, reseed and rejuvenate’. We couldn’t have hoped for a more successful trial and our aim now is to build on this with the help of OAS, to create new wildflower areas in some of the other parks under my remit.”

WATERLOGGING ISSUES

NEW YEAR, NEW FEATURES

View all of 2022's blogs here

View all of 2021's blogs here

View all of 2020's blogs here

View all of 2019's blogs here

View all of 2018's blogs here

THE SEARCH FOR SUSTAINABILITY
What exactly does the term mean?

CARING FOR THE GRASSROOTS
From volunteers to contractors

DEFRA IS LETTING DOWN THE COUNTRY
Complete failure to address the plastic grass debate

WE CAN ALL DO MORE
To aid biodiversity

MY LIFE IN GREENKEEPING
With Bruce Cruickshank

LEVELLING UP, GETTING SMARTER & GETTING AHEAD
Parks require so much more funding

SWITCHED ON FOR HARD WORK
Putting trimmers through their paces

MACHINERY HIGHLIGHTS
At this year's show

MY SALTEX
Daniel Lewis​, Manchester City Football Club

AWASH WITH LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES
Two months till showtime

LOOKING BACK, LOOKING FORWARD
Priorities for the amenity sector

THE DECLINE OF ‘PARKITECTURE’
A symptom of the state of parks in 2022

DEVELOPERS SHIRKING GREEN SPACE RESPONSIBILITIES
Lack of financial commitment

TIME TO COME TOGETHER
For the good of the industry

THE DEATH OF GRASS ROOTS CRICKET
Gathering apace?

ROUTES INTO THE INDUSTRY MUST BE ENSURED
Q&A with David Fisher, Lantra’s head of industry partnerships

STRONG VIEWS ON CRICKET PITCH PERFORMANCE MARKING
A bone of contention

A PREMIUM PRODUCT
Delivered at Naas Golf Club

THE GREEN REVOLUTION
And Esker Hills

MAKING A CHANGE
Laytown and Bettystown Golf Links

A DAY AT THE RACES
Naas Race Course

WORKING TOGETHER AS ONE VOICE
How the industry needs to proceed

OVER 175 YEARS OF EDUCATION
Wesley College

ELECTRIC EXCITEMENT
Dennis's Ian Howard talks electrification

THE HOME OF CORK GAA
Páirc Uí Chaoimh

LONG POLE BATTERY HEDGE TRIMMERS TESTED
STIHL HLA 66 and HLA 86

OVER 800 YEARS OF HISTORY
Johnstown Castle and Gardens

A CLUB GONE WILD
Kilkenny Golf Club

A GOLF COURSE IN THE GARDEN OF IRELAND
Woodenbridge GC

80 YEARS YOUNG
Charleville Golf Club

AN UPLIFTING EXPERIENCE
Bunclody Golf & Fishing Club

GETTING BACK TOGETHER
Albeit gradually . .

GO WEST
Inishturk GAA pitch – one of the most westerly sportspitches in Europe

WORKING ON A TIGHT BUDGET
Nenagh Golf Club

ON A MISSION
Wrekin Golf Club aiming to enrich wildlife and fauna

WILD AND WONDERFUL
Design By Nature

LEARNING HOW TO SURVIVE
Abbey Par 3

TACKLING OBESITY
Vital that schools can provide sport

A LIFETIME OF LEARNING
Vital for turf professionals

CELEBRATING 125 YEARS
Tullamore Golf Club

UNIVERSITY CHALLENGES
At Trinity College Dublin

BLENDING THE OLD WITH THE NEW
Bray Golf Club

A WELL POLISHED COURSE!
Ierne Social And Sports Club

IDENTIFYING THE TRUE VALUES
Of grounds maintenance

THE INDUSTRY WILL CHANGE & ADAPT
But it will survive

WIRRAL GOLF COURSES SAVED
Renewed hope and optimism for the future

GREEN SPACE CONTRIBUTION TO WELLBEING IS UNDERVALUED
Parks invisible on national agenda

A SHINING LIGHT IN IRELAND'S SUNNY SOUTHEAST
Wexford Golf Club

GREEN SPACES DO NOT LOOK AFTER THEMSELVES!
Keith Kent says we must invest in people

WE SHOULD TELL THE WORLD ABOUT THE UK INDUSTRY
Right time for all sides to come together

SOIL LIFE IS PRECIOUS
Good-quality soil can help save the planet

MORE THAN JUST CUTTING GRASS
Encouraging the next generation

A BUZZ FROM DOING THE JOB
Wide experience of the turf grass industry

PAYING THEIR WAY
Low wages is the bane of the industry

AMENITY MANAGEMENT IMPACTS US ALL
Professor John Moverley

CARING FOR PARKS OF ALL TYPES
Mary Worrall

TOP FIVE FRUSTRATIONS FOR CRICKET GROUNDSMEN
What causes you the most frustration in your role?

PROFESSIONALS AT THE CUTTING EDGE
Vic Demain and Phil Sharples

BOWLS CLUBS IN PERIL
A sad decline

A VERY SPECIAL INDUSTRY
Loz looks back

SNEAK PEAK AT A ROBOTIC "GAME CHANGER"
Commercial model capable of covering 50,000 m2 teased

HALESOWEN PICK A BIG ROBOT UP FRONT
Invest in mowers

COMPRESSED AERATION
The new way

PARKS MATTER MORE THAN EVER
Recent sector developments

ON TEST
STIHL blowers

THREE CORE VALUES TO SHAPE OUR INDUSTRY
Real concerns for the future

ENGLAND'S GREEN SPACE GAP
A split along racial lines

ON TEST
EGO STX3800 strimmer with RTX2300 Rotocut head

A SECTOR FACING IMPORTANT TIMES
Review of the National Action Plan

PARKS MATTER
The role of public parks in the recovery: a discussion paper

A UNIQUE SPORTING VENUE
Wormsley private estate

A BTME OUTDOORS?
A good bet for the industry

PARKS NEED APPROPRIATE POLITICAL REPRESENTATION
Q&A with Philippa Reece, Parks and Foreshore Manager at Adur and Worthing Council

CRICKET LOAM
What does it mean?

A HERCULEAN EFFORT TO GET PARKS BACK TO NORMAL
Q&A with Chris Worman, Rugby Borough Council’s parks and ground manager

ON TEST
STIHL battery products

TURFGRASS STRESS MANAGEMENT
Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) and antioxidants during biotic and abiotic stress in turfgrass plants

AUTUMN DISEASE MANAGEMENT
The coming months are going to prove very difficult

THE ABUSE OF PARKS . .
Is the abuse of society

WHY PARKS MATTER?
A statement from the Parks Management Forum to the Prime Minister

THE 21st CENTURY PARKS MANAGER
Innovative, creative and entrepreneurial

EAT, SLEEP, CUT, REPEAT!
Cricket under covid

TIME FOR A SINGLE SHOW?
Debate brought back into focus

A CHALLENGING TWO MONTHS
Running golf design projects from home

PRESSURE SITUATION
Cementing the reputation

A CLUB TO BE PROUD OF
10 years at the helm of Olton GC

GAME CHANGERS IN TURFCARE
The day the Lord's outfield reconstruction proved its worth

THE ESSENCE OF ESSENTIAL
Finding a sensible way forward on defining "essential maintenance"

THAT WAS THE YEAR THAT WAS
2001

HOW TO LOOK AFTER A GOLF COURSE WITH NO GOLFERS
Fundamental to the survival of almost all courses, if not of the game itself

RAIN STOPPED PLAY WOULD BE WELCOME
. . along with ‘lunch is being taken early’

PHYSICAL CONTROL OF TURFGRASS PESTS
An urgent problem

A DIVERSE & ENTERTAINING WEEK
Successful BTME 2020

INTEGRATED PEST CONTROL
Opportunity to embrace new methods

ENVILLE ON THE UP
Major investments taking place

GREEN FLAG AWARDS 2019
A great success

U.S PROFESSIONAL EQUIPMENT SHOW EXCELS
Buoyant GIE+EXPO

LEGACY OF THE SOLHEIM CUP
At Gleneagles

A DAY OUT WITH THE LADIES
Behind the scenes at the Solheim Cup

COVENTRY UNIVERSITY'S EDIBLE GARDEN SUCCESS
2006 - present

HAIL THE GRASS MASTERS!
Boorish media comments about pitch quality are wide of the mark

CONTRACTOR SEES MULTI-DISCIPLINE SUCCESS
360 Ground Care serving professional facilities

BUSY TIMES
Judging the Green Flag Awards

TAKING AN INTEGRATED APPROACH
What does it all mean in managing turf surfaces?

UNDER PRESSURE
Dry weather conditions continue to keep turf managers focused on moisture management

EDDIE SEAWARD
Death of Wimbledon’s influential grounds manager

MAJOR NEW IRRIGATION PROJECT
At Top 100 classic Berkhamsted Golf Club

NEW HORIZONS FOR THE HATTERS
Investment paying off at Kenilworth Road

ELIZABETHAN RESTORATION
At Castle Bromwich Hall Gardens

WHAT IS BIOPHILIA?
The vital impact of parks and green spaces on health and well-being

WORM CONTROL
Without carbendazim

THE TRUE COST OF PETROL
Battery-powered outdoor power tools are now turning the heads of professionals

SANDS OF TIME
Sand-based pitches are now the norm in professional sports

WHY DO WE DO THE RIGHT THING?
We must maintain industry standards

CHASING GRASS PERFECTION?
11 things you need to know . . .

MAINTAINING STANDARDS
Q&A with BASIS ceo, Stephen Jacobs

STRI RESEARCH DAY 2018
Hosted at research trial grounds in Bingley

THE MECHANIC
Leicester City FC invest in new role

LORD'S 'GRASS-GUVNOR' TO RETIRE
Mick Hunt bows out after 49 years

HOLLOW CORING & DEEP SCARIFICATION
Is it really necessary?

In my role as editor of TurfPro I have written several articles pertaining to the costs and efforts required when maintaining sports facilities. One example would be INVESTING IN OUR FACILITIES and another produced during the Covid pandemic in March 2021, was a detailed article on the relative costs of maintaining a grass roots sports club pitch, IDENTIFYING THE TRUE VALUES.

Having spoken to a number of turf professionals, it was felt the best way to estimate annual maintenance costs for each sport was to put together a maintenance calendar and attribute the inputs undertaken and record the time spent for each basic maintenance operation - e.g (grass cutting, feeding, aeration, weed control, fungicide treatments pre and post-match operations and renovations).

We discovered that the minimum number of hours taken to look after a grass roots sports facility was as follows: - 

In total, the man hours for one person attributed to carrying out this work throughout a calendar year for a single rugby / football pitch is around 362 hours of manual work. A full end of season renovation cost would be in the region of £6,000, allowing a further £2,000 for the cost of materials and servicing.
 
As for bowls, undertaking the same formulae, working out the hours invested in time to maintain a bowling green, cutting three times a week and undertaking other relevant work, feeding, scarifying, verticutting and end of season renovations, we came to a figure of 258 hours - with end of season renovations, material and servicing costs being £3,500.

As for cricket we come up with some surprising figures. We broke the work down into five key working areas: - work completed on the square; outfield; auxiliary works; ten-day wicket prep; and renovations, during a typical calendar year.

• Square - this included pre- season rolling activities and maintaining square during the season; 700 hours.
• Outfield - work associated with the outfield, mowing spiking feed etc; 210 hours
• Auxiliary works - Moving covers, site screens, cutting hedges and other works; 105 hours
• Ten-day preparation of wickets – preparing and repairing wickets; 100 hours
• End of season Renovations – cut, scarify, aerate, seed and topdress with loam; 40 hours  
• Total hours incurred: 1155

To put that into context, if you divide these hours by 52 (weeks in the year) that would equate to the following amount of hours required each week to maintain each given sport:

• Football and rugby - 6.9 hours a week
• Bowls - 4.9 hours a week
• Cricket - 22 hours a week.

I do not think many clubs realise or even consider the time and efforts that goes into maintaining their facilities.  

A recent conversation with Brian Sandalls, senior groundsman at Sussex CCC and promoter of the popular turf care website TurfCareBlog, on this subject got us thinking that we should produce a document that would help clubs to record the amount of time spent at their own facility ,which in turn would enable clubs to equate the total costs for both labour and materials and service costs.

Both TurfPro and Turfcare Blog are keen to help clubs evaluate the time and costs involved in managing their club facilities. 

 
We have decided to start with cricket clubs and have produced a document that will allow clubs to record their time spent working at the ground. We will then roll this out to football, bowls and rugby clubs. 

We ideally would like the clubs to use this document for their own use and if applicable, when completed, send a copy for us to complete a nationwide survey on the actual time and costs associated with the maintenance of a cricket club.

The 12-month maintenance task tool for a cricket square is a free resource, which you can use to log your tasks in general as well as having a pitch preparation hour tool, a renovations hours calculator and also a raw material calculator and much more. The aim of this free resource is for clubs to fill in and adjust the formula sheet to suit their available resources and site.

Free Task Tool

The task tool, if completed on a regular basis, could be used to build awareness of your annual inputs required to run a grounds department. There is also a handy machinery log, for you to adjust to your own site and a more basic printable version for those less reliant on technology.

To get your copy of this document you just need to subscribe to TurfPro - which you can do for free by signing up with your email address here.

Or if you're already a regular TurfPro subscriber, email myself directly at laurence@turfpro.co.uk and I'll send you the free task tool.