PSG Pitch Expert Gives Sky Blues Upgrade Advice

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PSG Pitch Expert Gives Sky Blues Upgrade Advice: The man responsible for preparing the pitch for the world’s most expensive footballer was on turf much closer to home this week.

Co Antrim native Jonathan Calderwood, who is groundsman at Paris St Germain’s magnificent Parc des Princes stadium, was at the Ballymena Showgrounds to pass on a few tips, although Neymar is not likely to be following in his footsteps.

PSG Pitch Expert Gives Sky Blues Upgrade Advice

The Warden Street pitch has come under fire for many a long year and the club working alongside Mid and East Antrim Council have ambitious plans to improve things next summer.

With the Broughshane man back home, it was the perfect opportunity to take advantage of his expertise so that the green shoots of recovery take hold on the Sky Blues’ pitch.

Before moving to Paris, Calderwood’s CV included Glentoran, Wolves, Aston Villa and Wembley, so tackling the Braid sward should be a doddle.

United vice-chairman Don Stirling explained: “It was great to have Jonathan’s input and it was a very useful exercise for ourselves and the Council, who will be the lead players in the development.

“We hope to start work in the summer, which will see the pitch raised and re-laid, meaning it will be suitable for European football. If all goes according to plan, the pitch will be ready in time for the SuperCup NI.”

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Oxford United Groundsman On A Career In Grass

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Pitch perfect: Oxford United’s groundsman on a career in grass: There is a sign stuck to the whiteboard behind Paul Currier’s desk which reads ‘Every day is a holiday for a man who loves his job’.

Five minutes with the head groundsman at Oxford United is enough to know it is not a hollow statement.

Oxford United Groundsman On A Career In Grass

Currier, 58, is in the 40th year of a career which has taken him from school pitches to a host of Football League clubs – including tomorrow’s opponents Northampton Town – via a spell tending the lawns at Northamptonshire Police’s headquarters.

For someone who is quick to admit he was not the most academic at school, it has been quite a journey.

“I’ve always had this philosophy that if you get up in the morning and can’t wait to get to work then you’re enjoying your job,” Currier says, leaning back on a desk chair in his office, tucked under the East Stand.

“You’ve got to be dedicated. It can be seven days a week, it can be 12 hours a day and it’s not one of the best paid jobs in the world.

“But I’m passionate about my football and I’m passionate about my grass.”

Those who look after pitches tend to have a gruff demeanour, forever barking at people to ‘keep off the pitch’.

 But then they have plenty to worry about.

Currier, who reckons he walks 15 miles on a matchday to prepare the pitch, said: “All groundsman are the same, we’re all classed as grumpy sods.

“You have to police it because otherwise everybody will go on.

“They’ll think ‘it looks all right, I’ll go on it’, but you don’t see the damage until Christmas, so you’ve got to keep the traffic to the minimum.

“I have a checklist that I do pre-match, everything’s done, but you’ve still got that worry at the back of your mind.

“You wince when players go into the back of the net and they pull themselves up with it. It just pings everything off.

“The worst nightmare for any groundsman is to be called on while the game is going on.”

Then there are pests and diseases to lose sleep over, but his main obsession is the weather.

Pitch technology has improved markedly in the last 20 years, with the Kassam Stadium among the increasing number of surfaces in the Football League to mix the grass with artificial fibres.

Currier, brought in when the pitch was completely relaid by GreenFields in 2015, checks the forecast every four hours in the winter months.

And here, the Kassam Stadium’s open western end can be either a benefit or a hindrance.

He said: “I’m pretty confident you won’t get a game called off here for waterlogging.

“Because the pitch is so wide open to wind, it can dry twice as quickly as anywhere else.

“You can get a downpour while you’re playing and it won’t affect it, barring the odd splash.

“Temperatures drop and there’s constant shade down one side – because of the South Stand – which is two degrees colder than the other side.”

While he is a West Bromwich Albion supporter, spending so much time at a club tends to create a bond.

But United have had a stronger pull than most, as the first club where he is invited into the manager’s office after games.

He said: “I’m lucky here at Oxford because they treat me as one of the team, there’s a good rapport with the managers.”

Given the expertise built up over four decades, you might presume Currier has a perfectly-tended lawn at home in Northamptonshire.

“No, mine’s artificial,” he grins.

“When I’m at work I’m constantly thinking about grass, so when I’m at home I just like to chill out and relax and go ‘I shan’t be cutting that today’.”

Even for a man who is always on holiday, there are limits.

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Former Shrewsbury Town groundsman passes away

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Former Shrewsbury Town groundsman and Shropshire cricketer Brian Perry passes away: Former Shrewsbury Town groundsman and Shropshire cricketer Brian Perry has died at the age of 74.

Perry was the groundsman at Gay Meadow for 26 years before the club moved to their new stadium at Oteley Road.

Former Shrewsbury Town groundsman passes away

But before that he enjoyed great success with the county’s cricket side and was part of Shropshire’s Minor Counties title-winning squad in 1973.

The fast-medium bowler claimed the wicket of Ian Botham in a Natwest Trophy match against Somerset at Wellington in 1983.

And he claimed another prized scalp 12 months later as he dismissed Geoff Boycott in Shropshire’s victory over Yorkshire at St Georges in the same competition.

But many will remember him from his time at Shrewsbury, where he often battled the elements brought on by the Gay Meadow’s proximity to the River Severn.

Town chairman Roland Wycherley led the tributes, saying: “Our thoughts and condolences go out to Brian’s family and friends at this sad time.

“Brian was a big part of Shrewsbury Town’s history and a familiar face at the Gay Meadow for many years.

“The conditions at the Gay Meadow meant the pitch was a challenge, but Brian’s hard work and dedication meant that games would go ahead despite those challenges.

 “He continued to work on match day at the new stadium and he will be greatly missed.”

Perry played his club cricket at Wem for many years and clubs around the county have expressed their sympathy.

Bridgnorth CC tweeted: “Such sad news to hear of Brian’s passing. A great character & fantastic cricketer. #Legend.”

Whitchurch CC tweeted: “Such sad news hearing that legend Brian Perry passing away. Our thoughts are with his family & friends @WemCricketClub. Such a top man.”

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Damage To Green And Missing Flags Frustrates Golf Club

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Damage to green and missing flags frustrates Timaru’s Highfield Golf Club: Highfield Golf Club wishes people would just leave their course the way they found it – in a nice tidy manner.

A number of flags used for on the greens have been going missing, while damage was also done to the green on the par 5 third hole on November 2.

Damage To Green And Missing Flags Frustrates Golf Club

The club’s greenkeeper Damian Rodgers said he couldn’t understand why people take the flags and hack at the greens.

“It’s just silly. I can’t understand why they’d do that. I mean why would you take a golf flag, what are you going to do with it.

“Some weeks we’ve had two or three flags go missing, other weeks none and at about $100 each to replace they’re aren’t cheap. It’s costing the club money.”

An insurance claim was looked into but with a steep excess the club opted against the idea.

Rodgers, who noticed the divots when he arrived to mow the third green about 8am on November 3, said the damage to the green was the first he’d since he started there 18 months ago.

“We’ve had plenty of flags go missing but that’s really the first bit of major damage to the greens.

“It’s honestly just a pain, it puts your day out and it meant I took a couple of hours trying to repair the green.”

The hole was out of action for most of the day on Friday and while it is now playable again, the divots from where the vandals hacked the green can still be seen.

“They’ll take a bit to fix completely but they hacked all round the holes and a couple of other parts on the green but we have fixed them so people can play the hole.”

Rodgers said they have an idea on who may have done it but isn’t certain.

“It’s in a secluded area the green, most of the stuff happens down this way because they often can’t be seen.”

He couldn’t understand why people would do those things at a golf club.

“It’s here for people to play. I don’t know why you’d do that it hasn’t done anything to them, it’s just really disappointing.”

Rodgers said they hoped this sort of stuff wouldn’t continue to happen.

This vandalism follows damage to the sports fields in Pleasant Point and at the Celtic club in Timaru that were badly damaged back in May and the smashing of war memorial panels at Caroline Bay on November 3.

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Hat-trick for Myerscough at IOG Awards

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Hat-trick for Myerscough at national IOG Awards: A Myerscough College learner has been honoured with a national accolade at the prestigious Institute of Groundsmanship (IOG) Industry Awards 2017.

Tara Massey was named the Toro Most Promising Sports Turf Student of the Year. 20-year-old Tara has just completed her intermediate apprenticeship with Myerscough College, working as part of the grounds team at Manchester City Football Club.

Hat-trick for Myerscough at IOG Awards

Tara was praised for “her level of understanding (that) is nothing short of astonishing. The level of knowledge answers within her portfolio of evidence is more comparable to Level 3 and 4 work, and something that should be highly commended.” She completed her Level 2 programme in record time and now is looking to start the Level 3 programme.

The Institute of Groundsmanship (IOG) Industry Awards are now in their ninth year and acknowledge the passion, dedication and challenges faced by grounds staff, volunteers and professionals across all levels of sport. Myerscough was once again well represented at the awards, with sportsturf learners past and present nominated in a number of categories.

In addition to Tara, former Myerscough College learner, James Wood, was named Young Groundsman of the Year. James completed a BTEC in Sportsturf before joining Manchester City. Meanwhile, Myerscough alumni Paul Burgess, who is now the Head Groundsman at Real Madrid, was given a Special Recognition Award.

They were given their awards at the ceremony, which is part of the annual SALTEX exhibition, where almost 700 of the UK’s and Europe’s leading grounds care experts from both the professional and volunteer sector, as well as dignitaries from the governing bodies of sport and influential sports administrators, honoured the expertise, dedication and passion of the grounds profession.

Lee Price, Employer Services Manager at Myerscough College said: “This is fantastic news for the College and congratulations to Tara. The IOG Awards winners can inspire more young people to consider a career in sportsturf. It’s great to celebrate so much success in the industry.’’

Tara Massey said: “I would say to other young women interested in the industry to not be scared, do not be put off and to just go for it. It’s a great job where no two days are the same, you have to solve lots of problems but you can often quickly see the rewards for you efforts.”

“I’ve really enjoyed the college side of my apprenticeship and never realised there was so much to the job. In the future I would like to progress both in my role and in my education and take things as far as I can.”

It’s the second successive year the category of Most Promising Sports Turf Student of the Year has been won by a Myerscough College learner, after fellow Manchester City sportsturf apprentice, Katie Croft, won the award in 2016.

There was further recognition for Myerscough College as the award for the National Governing Bodies Professional Sports Grounds Team of the Year went to Manchester City FC. The whole of the team completed their sportsturf training with Myerscough College.

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Durham CCC Groundsmen Honoured

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Durham County Cricket Club groundsmen honoured for keeping Chester-le-Street ground pitch perfect: Some of the unsung heroes of North-East sport have been honoured for their dedication to keeping a cricket field pitch perfect.

The grounds team at Durham County Cricket Club has won two major honours at this year’s Institute of Groundsmanship (IOG) Industry Awards.

Durham CCC Groundsmen Honoured

The club won the Headland Amenity Professional Cricket Grounds Team of the Year and head groundsman Vic Demain was named individual Groundsman of the Year.

Both awards were presented at a ceremony at the National Conference Centre, in Birmingham, hosted by Talksport radio presenter Mark Saggers.

Mr Demain was appointed head groundsman at Chester-le-Street in 2015, following two years as deputy head groundsman at Trent Bridge.

The Durham grounds team of four full-timers and one part-timer ensure the Emirates Riverside Stadium pitch is maintained to the level demanded of an international cricket ground.

They keep records of moisture content and hardness of every match pitch, which are forwarded to the ECB so that a data picture is created for every game.

They also compile a daily record of all work undertaken on the pitch, and of daily temperatures and rainfall.

As well as internationals, the ground hosts County Championship, 50-over and T20 fixtures for Durham’s first team, second XI and academy sides, along with other events including rock and pop concerts.

The grounds team is also overseeing development of a new second XI pitch next to the stadium.

Mr Demain said he holds regular meetings with other groundsmen to: “reach out to the local community of groundsmen to help them develop within the industry”.

IOG chief executive Geoff Webb, said: “This year’s awards demonstrate the skills and passion of groundsmanship throughout the UK.

“Winning an award is testament to the dedication of the grounds teams and individuals whose ability to produce and maintain ever-improving playing surfaces, which enables more games to take place, goes largely unnoticed.”

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Tribunal Into Dismissed KCOM Groundsmen Ends

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Tribunal Into Unfairly Dismissed KCOM Groundsmen Ends: Two former groundsmen at the KCOM Stadium have been battling for compensation after being unfairly dismissed but will have to wait for weeks to find out the verdict of a tribunal hearing.

Head groundsman Mark Harrison and his number two Darrell Cook were sacked by the SuperStadium Management Company (SMC) in June.

Tribunal Into Unfairly Dismissed KCOM Groundsmen Ends

A hearing at Wilberforce Court has already been told that the company ran by Ehab Allam admitted it unfairly dismissed the pair.

But the company is arguing that no compensation should be paid to the ground staff, claiming that Mr Cook worked as a kitman for Hull FC when he was supposed to be working for the SMC.

At the end of Friday’s hearing, tribunal judge Rita Rogerson told the men that they will have to wait “weeks not days” to find out if they will receive any compensation.

She said that she had “run out of time” to make a decision and the men would receive a written judgment.

During the hearing, Mr Cook denied allegations that he had been working as a kitman for Hull FC while employed to maintain the pitch at the KCOM stadium.

Giving evidence, he insisted that he kept the two roles separate from each other and said he had always helped prepare Hull FC’s kit for upcoming matches outside of his working hours for the SMC.

Although he said he had been the club’s kitman for 20 years, he had never been given an employment contract and was paid £65 per fixture.

His former employer says that CCTV footage and security records show him carrying out kitman duties on four dates when he was meant to be working for the SMC.

SMC barrister Melanie Teather said that although the company acted unfairly during the dismissals process, their sacking was justified because of their conduct. She also accused Mr Cook of “making up explanations” for his whereabouts, and providing “contradictory” evidence.

She told the hearing: “When [Mr Cook] did submit his evidence today, his evidence fundamentally changed and he gave no proper explanation as to why he had done so.”

Mr Cook said that he had been carrying out normal ground-keeping duties at the stadium. CCTV footage shown at the tribunal showed Mr Cook carrying a Hull FC shirt near the changing room, but he said the shirt belonged to his wife who worked in the Hull FC shop at the stadium.

Miss Teather accused Mr Harrison of being aware that Mr Cook was working as a kitman, on three of the days, they allege he was doing that work instead of groundsman duties.

In concluding statements, barrister for the groundsmen Nicholas Siddall said that much of SMC’s case relies on the belief that it has an “infallible system” to understand the comings and goings of Mr Cook while on duty.

He also argued that Mr Allam, who gave evidence on Thursday, resides in “an ivory tower” and doubted he would witness the day-to-day activities of the groundsmen.

The final judgement on the case will announced at a later date.

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Gravity-Defying Wall Of Living Grass Appears In Denmark

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Gravity-defying wall of living grass appears in Denmark: Visual artists, Ackroyd and Harvey, have created their latest grass art installation, a gravity-defying wall of living grass, in Aarhus, Denmark, as part of the ARoS Aarhus Art Museum’s ‘The Present and The Future’ exhibition.

Gravity-Defying Wall Of Living Grass Appears In Denmark

The installation, Vestergade 7 – named after the street number and name of the building block where it is located – features a vertical wall of living grass grown from seedlings and is described as a dislocated fragment of nature on the urban space:  a gravity-defying artifact of the natural where the first shoots of living blades point to the potential of place to be renewed.

Vestergade 7 was produced using grass seed specially bred by Germinal for drought tolerance and a striking green colour.  It is the latest installation from Heather Ackroyd and Dan Harvey who are acclaimed for their monumental works covering entire facades with grass.  Their ‘perverse form of horticulture’ draws into question what is reasonably required in town and city landscapes subjected to the vagaries of a changing climate, and shows that it is possible to cover sheer inert city walls with a blanket of green, living material.

As a temporal landmark, the installation artwork presents a shifting canvas of life which exposes the fragility of the plant to the elements: the seedling grass is never cut, instead remaining the first tender, vulnerable and tactile shoot which will eventually succumb to change and decay.

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SMC Boss Questioned At KCOM Groundsmen Tribunal

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SMC Boss Questioned At KCOM Groundsmen Tribunal: The company running the KCOM Stadium has admitted unfairly sacking two long-serving groundsmen following a dramatic day at an employment tribunal.

Mark Harrison and his number two, Darrell Cook, were dismissed from their roles managing the pitch at Hull City’s ground in April – a job they had held since 2002.

SMC said at the time they had been fired for gross misconduct amid claims the pitch had been deteriorating.

SMC Boss Questioned At KCOM Groundsmen Tribunal

An employment tribunal in Hull was told on Thursday the SuperStadium Management Company (SMC) conceded the pair were unfairly dismissed earlier.

But the SMC is arguing it should not pay compensation to the two men and contend their actions still warranted dismissal.

Giving evidence, Mr Allam said he had relied on security system data and CCTV footage in deciding to refuse Mr Cook’s initial appeal against dismissal.

He said Mr Cook’s tracked movements around the stadium suggested had been working as a kit man for Hull FC during his normal working hours for the SMC.

Barrister Nicholas Siddal, who is representing the men after an online crowd-funding campaign, said: “You are relying on an inference that Mr Cook was doing something wrong?”

Mr Allam replied: “I am relying on my logical assumptions.”

Mr Allam said he believed Mr Cook was moonlighting with Mr Harrison’s approval.

“There was no purpose for him being where he was in the stadium. He wasn’t there doing something for me, therefore he must have been doing something for someone else.”

The tribunal heard both Mr Harrison and Mr Cook had no previous history of any disciplinary issues involving their work at the stadium. In evidence, Mr Harrison said he knew nothing about what Mr Cook did in his lieu time.

They were both sacked without being given any initial verbal or written warnings about their conduct.

Mr Siddall said neither man had been given any written reason for their dismissals in the formal decision letters from the SMC.

Mr Allam, who oversaw the internal appeal process which rejected their stance, acknowledged he had initially instigated the disciplinary investigation into the two men following concerns about the state of the pitch at the stadium.

Mr Siddal told the tribunal that letters sent to the two men by the SMC informing them of their appeal hearings stated they would be chaired by Mr Allam because he was “independent of the process with no previous knowledge” of the issues.

Mr Siddal said: “This was simply not true.”

The hearing will continue on Friday.

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Glyphosate Decision Delayed

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Glyphosate Decision Delayed: The next step for the Commission will be to table a vote at another SCoPAFF meeting at a future date, to be confirmed.  Renewal will require a qualified majority vote (QMV) in the committee.

If this is not reached, the issue could be tabled at the EU Appeals Committee. The current license for glyphosate is until the 15 December 2017.

The UK was one of 16 countries that voted in favour of renewing the licence for the sale of the glyphosate in Europe, while 10 countries voted against renewal and two abstained. It is likely the European Commission will now seek to negotiate a shorter renewal period with EU countries.

Glyphosate Decision Delayed

Bulgaria, Denmark, Czech Republic, Estonia, Ireland, Spain, Cyprus, Latvia, Lithuania, Hungary, the Netherlands, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Finland and the UK voted in favour of the renewal.

That falls short of the threshold needed to reach a qualified majority. Germany and Portugal abstained while Belgium, Greece, Croatia, France, Italy, Luxembourg, Malta, Austria, Slovenia and Sweden voted against the renewal.

The European Parliament made a non-binding vote for a phase out by 2022 yesterday after debating whether the herbicide is carcinogenic.

According to research by Oxford Economics, the impact of a ban on glyphosate could lead to severe economic consequences, including a £930m reduction in UK GDP and an additional cost to farmers of almost £1bn a year.

Crop Protection Association chief executive Sarah Mukherjee said: “It is disappointing that some Member States are continuing to ignore the science, risking the livelihoods of European farmers and the continued availability of safe, healthy, affordable food for consumers.

“Independent, expert regulators, around the world all agree that glyphosate is safe. These regulators are public servants who rightly take their duty to protect public health very seriously. Yet politicians are ignoring them, and are doing so for no good reason, other than a misguided, ideological opposition to modern agriculture.

“We urge Member States to grant the standard 15 year licence. Failure to do so risks significant damage to the economy, the environment and the agricultural sector.”

NFU vice president Guy Smith said: “We’re disappointed that member states failed to reach agreement on the renewal of glyphosate’s licence for ten years today, as the Commission had proposed, although we welcome the fact the UK continues to support the full reauthorisation of glyphosate. All eyes are now on the next meeting of this committee where they are likely to debate a shorter reauthorisation period

“The overwhelming weight of science and evidence shows that glyphosate is perfectly safe when used correctly. This has been the conclusion reached by regulatory bodies around the world, including the EU’s two leading regulatory bodies – the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) and the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA).

“The continued politicisation of this decision damages the credibility of the EU’s regulatory bodies and undermines the regulatory process. It also has huge implications for farming in the UK and across Europe.

“Glyphosate reduces the need to use other herbicides, it helps to protect soil and cut greenhouse gas emissions by reducing the need for ploughing, and it enables farmers in this country to grow crops that help produce safe, affordable, high quality British food.

“There is no reason why glyphosate should not be reauthorised for 15 years, never mind the ten years the Commission had proposed. We would urge members states to look at the science and base their decision on the evidence – which shows there is no reason not to reauthorise glyphosate.”

HTA horticulture head Raoul Curtis-Machin said a ban could impact on the UK, even post-Brexit vote: “It could matter if we are in transition for a couple of years because we will have implemented it before the official leaving date.

“It’s hard to see how it could have a significant impact after we are fully out, but it’s not at all clear what environmental regulations we are going to adopt as UK. No doubt there will be internal pressure on UK to follow suit if the EU does go ahead with a ban.”

Anthea McIntyre MEP said: “The EU’s own public health agency has said there is no evidence to link glyphosate to cancer in humans. The national agencies in 27 member states take the same view.

“We have to base decisions such as this on science and clear evidence, not scaremongering and guesswork.”

“I gather the next step will be for the Commission to hold another vote in November, but that is just weeks before glyphosate’s licence in Europe expires on December 15.

“The delay is playing fast and loose with farmers’ livelihoods and with food security. It leaves farmers staring over a cliff edge as they face losing their most effective means of eradicating weeds and protecting crops and productivity.

“If we end up with a ban because of this political paralysis it will deal a heavy blow to the countryside economy and to the cost of food – but it won’t do a thing for public health.”

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