England Manager Opens £1M Community Facility

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England Men’s Senior Manager Gareth Southgate officially unveiled Burton Albion Community Trust’s (BACT’s) new floodlit all-weather pitch today.

He was joined by Nigel Clough, Burton Albion FC manager, the club’s Chairman Ben Robinson, Burton MP Andrew Griffiths and Football Foundation President Lord Pendry.

The new facility was made possible thanks to a £843,510 grant from the Premier League & The FA Facilities Fund, which is delivered by the country’s largest sports charity, the Football Foundation.

The former England defender, who has been an Ambassador for the Football Foundation since 2005, was also given a tour of the new changing room pavilion and clubhouse, which is expected to be completed before Easter.

The new state-of-the-art football hub, which replaces a previously undeveloped area of the Brewers’ Pirelli Stadium, will house a huge range of sporting, educational and community programmes delivered by BACT – the charitable arm of Championship side, Burton Albion FC.

A number of local grassroots clubs will also call the new pitch ‘home’, with Stretton Eagles FC, Outwoods FC and Burton Ladies helping to contribute to the projected 127 new teams who will be using the new pitch over five years.

BACT worked alongside the Football Foundation and Staffordshire FA to compile a five-year Football Development Plan (FDP) – a long-term vision of how sport will be played at the new facility.

As set out in this FDP, BACT will raise multisport participation through its Health and Wellbeing, Education and Learning, School Sport, and Inclusive Sports and Football Development departments, which aim to get more people physically active through a number of different sports, as well as BACT’s Premier League-funded projects – Kicks, Girls’ Football and Primary Stars. BACT’s mission statement is to use the power of sport and brand of the football club to make a difference in the community.

The Premier League & The FA Facilities Fund provides grants towards developing new or refurbished grassroots football facilities. It is delivered by the Football Foundation with its investment being provided by the Premier League, The FA, and the Government, via Sport England. Since it was launched in 2000, the Football Foundation has awarded around 15,000 grants worth nearly £580m towards improving grassroots sport, which it has used to attract additional partnership funding of just under £800m – over £1.4bn of investment into the grassroots game.

England Manager and Football Foundation Ambassador, Gareth Southgate, said: “Throughout my career I’ve always been a big supporter of the grassroots game, and state-of-the-art facilities like this one are its lifeblood. Floodlit all-weather pitches allow football to be played all-year-round, irrespective of the weather. This means more people, more often, taking part in the sport.

“As a professional, I have been lucky enough to train, play and coach on some of the best facilities in the country. I believe that those who train, play or coach at the grassroots level should be afforded the same experience. That means building facilities like this one right across the country, something the Football Foundation continues to do, expertly.

“The Small Sided Game, which was helped by a £1.5m commitment delivered by the Football Foundation, was something I helped to drive when I was The FA’s Head of Elite Development. That scheme, which I’m delighted to see being catered for here, allows younger players to play on smaller pitches, with smaller goals. It is designed to develop an individual’s skills, rather than reward children based on their physical strength.

“The FA, along with the Premier League and Government deserve credit for working together to invest into improving grassroots facilities. This stunning facility at Burton is just one example of thousands across the country through the Football Foundation.

“It makes a massive difference in driving up participation in our national game. And ultimately all future England players – whether it is the women’s teams, disability teams, youth teams or indeed in the senior men’s team – all of them will start out and develop their skills in the grassroots game, and on grassroots facilities. So whether for pure enjoyment or for supporting the development of home-grown talent, the more of these fantastic sites we see built, the better.”

BACT Chief Executive, Andy Taylor, said: “This facility has only been made possible by the commitment and hard work of all our partners – starting with Burton Albion Football Club for allowing the development of this important new community facility at the Pirelli Stadium.

“As well as the Premier League & The FA Facilities Fund providing the major funding we also need to thank all of our local funders who have helped make this happen.”

Ben Robinson, Burton Albion FC Chairman, said: “Having been involved in this project since its inception, I know how much hard work has been invested in getting this new facility – which will have a tremendous impact on Staffordshire football – up and running.

“Our Community Trust delivers such a wide range of fantastic educational and social programmes, and now, it will be given the platform to extend that work even further. This project simply would not have been possible without the support of the Premier League & The FA Facilities Fund, and I’d like to thank them for such invaluable investment.”

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Reesink Wins Marketing Distributor Of The Year

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Reesink Turfcare has been named Marketing Distributor of the Year by Otterbine, whose water aeration management systems Reesink distributes solely in the UK and Ireland.

Pitched against all Otterbine’s international distributors this is high praise indeed for the company, who won for its “continued excellence in raising the exposure of Otterbine in all market sectors, from golf, municipal, commercial and residential”, says Otterbine’s international region manager, Reg Varney.

Reg continues: “Reesink’s efforts and the quality of the marketing material the team produces is always excellent and the company’s continued commitment to supporting the Otterbine dealer and sales network consistently raises the profile of the brand in the areas we need it to.”

The award was presented to Reesink Turfcare managing director David Cole, irrigation field sales manager Robert Jackson and field sales representative Peter Newton by Otterbine CEO Charlie Barebo at the annual GIS show in Orlando. David comments: “It was an honour to accept this award from Otterbine. We have always placed a great deal of importance on supporting the brands we distribute with solid marketing activity. This was the case for many years as Lely Turfcare and nothing has changed in that respect since the acquisition that sees us now operating as Reesink Turfcare.

“Whether it’s show support, advertising, creative, public relations, social media or digital marketing, we support all our brands with the same dedicated team and creative and integrated approach, and take great pride in winning awards such as this.”

Along with distributing Otterbine in the UK and Ireland, Reesink Turfcare is also the exclusive distributor of Toro professional turfcare machinery and irrigation products and TYM tractors for the golf, sport and amenity sectors. The innovative lake and pond aeration range from Otterbine has always perfectly complemented Reesink’s turfcare machinery and equipment product portfolio, whether for golf course reservoirs and water hazards, to ponds on large estates or for council maintained lakes in parks and recreational landscapes.

Reg concludes by saying: “As the importance of improved water quality in lakes and ponds continues to gain momentum in the UK and Ireland, Reesink’s marketing efforts will assist with making the public aware that there is a viable scientific solution to re-balance the delicate eco-systems of the water bodies out there.”

Holly Jones, Reesink’s marketing manager, adds: “We’re always listening to the objectives of our partners to make sure we create the right material to help them reach the audiences they want with the messages they need. It’s a rewarding job and one we do in partnership with our marketing and communications agency, head quartered in Norwich.”

All Leading to Success

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28 golf and city club managers from 9 European and Middle East Countries attended a Management Development Programme (MDP) course – MDP 3 Strategy and Leadership, hosted recently by CMAE in Scotland’s capital, Edinburgh.

MDP 3 – Strategy and Leadership, is the highest level course in the executive education pathway provided by CMAE, consisting of five residential courses, covering all the competencies of the modern club manager.

The delegates from Scotland, England, Wales, France, Spain, Italy, Sweden, United Arab Emirates and Egypt benefited from a schedule that focused specifically on raising their leadership competencies whilst delving deeper into topics such as advanced financial management, personal development, club ethics and marketing demographics. The delegates also had their Lumina© Leadership Profile analyzed to help them become better and more aware leaders.

Presenters on this top-rate course were John Bull, Gregg Patterson, Russ Conde, Rob Hill, Ken Harvey and Kevin Fish, CCM.

Delegates were invited to the Scottish Golf and Club Managers Association Wednesday night seminar, with key-note speaker, Jim James, Director of Operations at Augusta National, to learn about the principles of leading one of the most iconic clubs in the world.

Course Facilitator and CMAE’s Director of Education, Mike Braidwood, said of the programme
“ this was the second time we have run our MDP Strategy and Leadership course and it’s going from strength to strength. We had a great and diverse group of delegates who all added value to the week by sharing their international experiences. The course was over subscribed, so we are already planning the next one. For many, it was the final piece of our education pathway and they are now eligible and prepared to sit the exam for the coveted Certified Club Manager qualification”

MDP 3 Strategy and Leadership is the fifth and final course, developed by CMAE, that completes the pathway for club industry professionals across Europe embarking on an educational journey to enhance their overall abilities to run successful clubs.
Within this pathway there are two levels of qualification: the European Club Management Diploma which is attainable after completing MDP Parts 1 and 2 and the coveted
international Certified Club Manager (CCM) designation which can be obtained by examination after completing MDP parts 1 – 3 plus either MDP F&B or MDP Golf.

The MDP pathway was originally developed by the Club Managers Association of America and thanks to their vision and generosity has been given to CMAE who adapted the materials for the European Golf, Sports and City Club Markets.

MJ Abbott Provide World Class Results

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Two pitch reconstructions and one full renovation were completed at the training headquarters of the Ligue 1 champions, with all three completed in conjunction with Premier Pitches.

The past five years have been laden with success since the Qatar Sports Investments Group purchased the club in 2011. Whilst millions have been spent on football’s biggest names in the intervening three seasons, with three consecutive Ligue 1 titles and nine domestic cup competitions added to the trophy cabinet, the Parisian club have also invested off the pitch.

Head Grounds Manager, Jonathan Calderwood, has been with PSG since 2013 and has been a part of the club’s domination of French football as well as garnering plaudits for his Parc des Princes pitch during Euro 2016.

During this busy summer of international football that saw Portugal triumph and Jonathan’s native Northern Ireland make their return to a major tournament, MJ Abbott were undertaking two phases of work at Camp des Loges.

The first phase of work, to two academy training pitches, involved removing the vegetation by Koro, laser grading to improve the existing rootzone levels, import and spreading of a new 100mm rootzone layer, final laser trimming, cultivation and seeding.

Jonathan explains: “It was essential that the new rootzone layer offered a smooth playing surface. MJ Abbott carried out a GPS survey of the pitches prior to work starting, from which they were able to design the new levels. When work started, the design was loaded into the bulldozer laser system, ensuring the pitch regrading and new rootzone was installed to very accurate tolerances from the outset.”

MJ Abbott Contracts Manager, Nathan George, comments: “As with all projects carried out for professional football clubs, time is very much in limited supply from the end of the playing season to the start of next season’s pre-season training. It was therefore imperative to deliver the project on time to ensure Jonathan had a suitable amount of time to grow the pitches in and get them ready for use when required by the club.”

Despite torrential rainfall encountered across Paris shortly after the pitches were completed, Jonathan and his team managed to get the pitches ready in time for the new season. “We struggled initially with wash out on the surfaces which meant we had to overseed once the rains subsided. MJ Abbott’s efficiency during the construction process certainly ensured that we had maximum timescales to get the pitches grown in.” Jonathan continues: “the new pitch surfaces have been well received by the players and look fantastic.”

MJ Abbott utilised Premier Pitches Ltd to carry out the cultivating and seeding operations on the newly constructed surfaces, and for the renovation of the academy Match pitch which formed the second phase of work. Nathan explains: “The two companies have utilised each others’ services on a number of projects to date. Premier Pitches’ expertise in end of season renovations is synonymous amongst some of Europe’s biggest football clubs.”

The Match Pitch end of season renovation involved removing the vegetation by Koro, vertidraining, rootzone topdressing application, cultivation and seeding. All work had to be completed within 5 days, to ensure Jonathan had the maximum amount of pitch establishment time. “Premier Pitches did a great renovation job on our match pitch, and as with MJ Abbott, their attention to detail and care for the end product was very impressive and gave me the confidence that the work was carried out to our specifications.”

The importance of using a reliable company on a project with such tight time-frames was very important for Jonathan, and the reason why MJ Abbott were selected by PSG to complete the work. ”Thanks to MJ Abbott and Premier Pitches and their professionalism, excellent quality of work and ability to complete all work on time, we had the maximum opportunity to have the pitches ready for the new season and excellent playing surfaces ‎for the up-coming seasons at the Paris Saint-Germain Academy.”

ECB Considers Artificial Pitches For T20

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Keen to ensure the best-possible surfaces (for batsmen, anyway) for a competition seen as vital in attracting a new audience to the game, the ECB recently held a meeting with county groundsmen where the idea was discussed. ESPNcricinfo understands that Chris Wood, the ECB’s Pitch Consultant, has been charged with researching how to introduce such surfaces ahead of the launch of the competition in 2020.

There are significant pros and cons to the use of such pitches. While it would likely result in a certain homogenisation of conditions and provide even less opportunity for bowlers to extract anything from surfaces, it would also enable grounds to provide the centre-wicket pitches required by broadcasters multiple times without concerns about deterioration. Artificial surfaces might also be considered to provide uniformity of conditions for both teams, which a turf surface will not always offer.

Drop-in surfaces have also been considered but are not thought to be cost effective or provide quite the same uniformity of performance.

While long-term lovers of cricket may have reservations about artificial surfaces, the ECB’s mantra over the new competition is that it is not designed to appeal to those already watching the game: it is designed to appeal to the vast potential audience that is currently immune to its charms. The ECB feels that providing such good-paced surfaces will help create the high-scoring, boundary-filled cricket it believes will attract that new audience. It might also minimise delays after poor weather.

To that end, Wood is looking into the best options and cost implications of laying such pitches close to the middle of squares in all first-class grounds.

It is a move that will do nothing to address the increasing imbalance between bat and ball and might rob the game of the sort of low-scoring thrillers that made the 1983 World Cup final, the 2015 World Cup match between New Zealand and Australia and the 2003 World Cup match between Australia and England – among many others – so memorable. But subtlety appears to be one the likely victims of the T20 revolution.

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