Turf News is the perfect place for professionals working within the UK’s vibrant turf industry – keeping you up-to-date with topical news, latest market developments and much more across all areas of the industry.
NEWS ARTICLES

Stop thief!

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Polaris officially announces at the LAMMA show that all new Polaris ATVs and Side by Side vehicles (excluding the Youth range) will be fitted with the CESAR ATV System. Security for ATVs and Utility vehicles has become a growing concern and as Europe’s leading All-Terrain Vehicle manufacturer, Polaris has taken this positive action towards protecting customers’ vehicles. The company has formed a new partnership with the CESAR Scheme – the official security initiative of the CEA (Construction Equipment Association) and the AEA (Agricultural Engineers Association) and Datatag, who are the technology partner behind CESAR. CESAR, is already widely recognized on larger construction and agricultural equipment and since launch over 225,000 machines have been registered and are protected with CESAR.

The CESAR System is fitted to new Polaris vehicles by authorised Polaris dealers, and comprises both visible and covert markings which are a real deterrent to the prospective thieves. Should a vehicle be taken, quick police access to the CESAR database provides an instant trace on stolen equipment via Datatag’s 24/7 UK Secure Contact Centre. The system is recognized by national and local government agencies and supported by the Home Office and National Police Chiefs’ Council.

Statistics show that a CESAR registered machine is four times less likely to be stolen and six times more likely to be recovered if it is taken. CESAR is approved by all major insurers and the NFU Mutual for example can offer a 12.5% discount with their NFU 5X farm machinery product policy if your ATV or side by side is fitted with the CESAR system. When you purchase a new Polaris ATV or side by side utility vehicle it comes complete with the CESAR system already fitted and there are no annual fees or charges and no recovery fees should your machine be stolen and recovered.

MANCHESTER CITY FC’S KATIE CROFT TOP OF THE LEAGUE FOR SPORTS TURF EXCELLENCE

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Toro and its UK distributor Reesink Turfcare sponsors the Most Promising Sports Turf Student of the Year Award at the annual Institute of Groundsmanship (IOG) Awards to find talent just like the 2016 winner, Katie Croft.

Katie is a driven, hard-working and talented addition to the grounds industry and since she joined Manchester City Football Club two years ago she has paved the way for other women in the industry.

Lee Metcalfe, head groundsperson at Manchester City who recruited Katie, says: “In her first interview Katie showed promising signs of being a successful apprentice. The competition was tough, with over 200 people applying for the job, but her desire to learn was evident and her bubbly character a welcome addition to the team.

“She was the first female grounds person we have taken on, and we are one of the first football clubs in the country to have employed a female in the role, but she has paved the way and because of her success we have employed another female apprentice, Tara Massey, a year ago.”

Katie says it is this trail-blazing that she would like to use her award to do more of; by making a difference by encouraging those girls who, like her, know they want to work in horticulture, that there are plenty of options. “I am so honoured to have won this award and am blown away that I was found deserving of it. Two years ago I had a dream and it has come true. I’d really like to be able to use this position to educate more women about what a career in groundsmanship entails. It’s an exciting time and there are some fantastic opportunities out there for anyone with an interest in horticulture.”
Concluding a successful two-year apprenticeship at Manchester City FC, while also studying at Myerscough College Preston, Katie has won the award, graduated and been made assistant grounds person at one of the best football clubs in the world all within a matter of months.

“When I applied for the apprenticeship at Manchester City I had no idea that it would lead to this,” she says. “I have had the huge benefit of working at a club that really invests in young talent. The training and support system I’ve been offered by everyone in the team could not have been better. Lee took a chance on me and I am so glad I’ve been able to prove my worth.”

Lee continues: “Katie winning the award is of course fantastic for her personally and her career, but it is also fantastic for the club and the team who have invested in training her. We have a strong and supportive team here and these accolades benefit everyone who has invested time in their fellow colleague’s career development.”

Marketing manager at Reesink Turfcare, Holly Jones, says: “Engaging with a wide sector of young people in the grounds industry, supporting and promoting their talents and watching them progress, is an important role for us and sponsoring this award demonstrates Toro’s long-term commitment to the development of the industry. This is a wonderful achievement for Katie, but it is just the beginning and we will follow with great interest her career and look forward to letting everyone know what she is getting up to over this all-important year.”

And with Katie already pushing for the start date for her Advanced Apprenticeship, it looks like there will be plenty to keep up with!

For more information visit www.reesinkturfcare.co.uk

Kempton Park to close, new racecourse for Newmarket

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The Jockey Club has revealed plans to sell off Kempton Park for a new housing development and build a new all-weather racecourse in Newmarket.

The Jockey Club said Kempton Park would be sold for housing subject to planning permission and could close in 2021, as it unveiled its 10-year plan to invest at least £500 million into British Racing

Sandown Park would also receive major investment to unlock its potential as London’s Class 1 dual-code racecourse.

The Jockey Club is preparing for a planning application to create a new floodlit all-weather course at on The Links in Newmarket.

This site in Newmarket is a front-running option, given the access it provides thousands of horses trained at the world’s premier Training Centre.

This would be a new course replacing Kempton Park’s all-weather operations and The Jockey Club would require it to be operational before racing stopped at Kempton Park.

The Jockey Club said it has no intention of converting any of its existing Turf surfaces to all-weather.

The Jockey Club said it intends to fund its ambitions through its diverse commercial operations and, subject to a successful planning process, redevelopment on its estate at Kempton Park, which has been submitted for consideration in the local authority’s Local Plan in partnership with Redrow plc.

This follows Spelthorne Borough Council’s recent ‘Call for Sites’ to address unmet local housing needs and a decision to undertake a review of its Green Belt boundaries.

The Jockey Club said:

“These combine to provide a once-in-a-generation opportunity to promote the site for new homes and local benefits, while preserving green space between the local borough and London. 

Such an outcome has been carefully considered by the Stewards of The Jockey Club as in the best long-term interests of British Racing given the benefits for horsemen and racegoers that can be created and with the Surrey community already well-served for racing. If development is permitted, The Jockey Club will be looking to ensure it generates in excess of £100 million for investment in British Racing.”

Roger Weatherby, senior steward of The Jockey Club, said:

“A new purpose-built all-weather course on The Links in Newmarket to replace that at Kempton Park would be ideal for the thousands of horses trained at the Home of Racing and beyond, as well as shortening the working day for racing’s people there. I am also particularly pleased that The Jockey Club will be even better placed in the coming years to provide further support to important causes, such as racing’s welfare and education programmes. As ever our intention is for our sport to benefit to the greatest extent possible.”

To read the original article, click here

Curators Cry – Local Cricket Groundsmen Struggle In Face of Financial Challenges

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Despite weekly wages in the region of $6,000 and very little recognition, local cricket groundsmen are expressing their commitment to the craft, even if there has been a considerable falloff among their ranks in recent years.

Local groundskeepers say that although they face financial challenges, they still remain dedicated to their jobs due to their love for the profession and the sport.

Lucas Cricket Club’s Travis Reid, who also plays for the outfit, says that despite the measly returns, he continues to carry out his duties because of love for the sport of the cricket and for his club.

“You have to love the game to be a groundsman because most men who are in it have been in it for years. They have dedicated their time to it,” said Reid, who has been curator for the past seven years.

“It is an underpaid job in Jamaica because nobody recognises the work that the groundsmen do,” Reid noted. “The main reason why I do it is because of my club Lucas, and so I will continue to do my work here.

“It is only when we have International and first-class matches you will make little money,” Reid said.

In fact, Reid said that many curators who have been in the profession before him are now walking away from the craft, because of the limited funds.

“Locally, there is no money in it, and because of this a lot of people are turning away from groundsman work in Jamaica,” he said.

Floyd Williams, who has been a curator at the Melbourne Cricket Club for 23 years, said that despite the lack of financial rewards, he, too, remains committed to doing his job to the best of his abilities. 

“Cricket is my main sport, and so this why I continue to be a groundsman,” said Williams. “The money don’t’ matter to me because it may be small, but I just love doing my job as a groundsman,” Williams said.

Meanwhile, Lucas Cricket Club president Daniel Wilmot, said the lack of financial support at the club is hampering its ability to properly pay its grounds staff.

“The curators, or groundsmen, don’t earn that much money, and what they earn is not enough to keep doing that alone. This is partly because the clubs are struggling for money, and only maybe two clubs are doing well, and so they are able to pay their staff.

“However, generally, the clubs are struggling, and this is one of the reasons why cricket as a sport is struggling,” Wilmot said.

However, all is not lost as the University of Technology (UTech) is set to stage a curator’s course this year in a bid to create new opportunities for those with interest in the field.

Anthony Davis, UTech’s director of sports, said that the aim of the course is to improve the standard of Jamaican curators.

“I realise that we really don’t have a consistent formal way of training groundsmen because people learnt the trade as a ‘prentice’, and there is no scientific method of doing it,” said Davis.

“Looking around the world, we realise that it is a job in itself and a very distinguished job because if you are a curator in Sydney or Lords or any of the big places in the world, it is a serious job you have, but we don’t treat it that way,” he said.

He said that the university would be engaging the services of a well-known curator from Durham in the England to conduct the course.

To read the original article, click here

Dennis S500: The Riverside’s Best Kept Secret

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Tony Bell, head groundsman for Middlesbrough FC, has revealed that the secret behind keeping the pitch at the Riverside Stadium in such pristine condition is his unique and innovative approach to using the Dennis S500 PLUS ‘dual purpose’ machine.

Tony, who has been at the club since 1997, not only oversees the grounds maintenance at the Riverside but also at the training ground in Darlington and at the club’s foundation site in Eston. Including the pitch at the Riverside, Tony and his team are responsible for maintaining thirteen grass pitches and two artificial pitches as well as 50 hectares of green space at the training ground.

Anyone would think that Tony would struggle to find enough hours in the day to ensure that the pitches and facilities live up to his extremely high standards. However, he still manages to find time once a month to overseed the whole pitch – using just the Dennis S500 Plus. Ever the perfectionist, Tony believes that this pedestrian machine with its quality and quantity of tines enables him to achieve the results he desires.

“Quite simply, I’m just not a fan of taking tractors on the pitch – as I don’t like any weight on the pitch whatsoever. We originally purchased the S500 to use it on the linesman’s runs, goalmouths and warm-up areas but then we got used to it and thought that we would use it to overseed the whole pitch.”

“Yes, it is a full day’s work but we can cope with it, and it does the exact job which we need it to. We use about four bags of seed, and it is probably a seven hour job, which admittedly is a little bit excessive – but this is why we have just taken delivery of another S500. Therefore, it will only be a half day’s job and in my mind it is absolutely worthwhile.”

Known as the ‘dual –purpose’ machine, the Dennis S500 PLUS has a 510mm (20″) operating width complete with interchangeable spiker and slotter reels. The spiker reel punches through the ‘surface pan’ allowing air, water and fertiliser to penetrate the root zone, while the slotter reel creates ideal seed germination pockets thus reducing seed wastages. Using the optional seed box attachment, as Tony does, will ensure grass seed is dropped onto the ground at the prescribed rate and brushed into the pockets.

“It just has the double advantage of aerating the pitch as well,” says Tony. “It allows a little bit of air and water into the top inch, which helps with oxygen, and at the same time we are putting some seed down – it’s a win-win situation.”

The S500 PLUS is not the only Dennis machine in Tony’s armoury; a long-term admirer of the Dennis G860 interchangeable cassette mower, Tony recently upgraded his existing G860’s to two brand new ones at the start of the season.

“I like to use the Dennis G860, and I use it on a daily basis,” says Tony. “I’m very impressed with the quality of cut it offers, and I would say that the smoothness of the machine is the G860’s best feature. It’s extremely comfortable to use and when I am walking behind it, it’s as if I am simply gliding along.”

“The interchangeable cassette system is also a massive advantage; in just a minute or so you can turn it into a brush or a verti-cutter – or anything else depending on the requirement.”

With the option of being able to fit a variety of heads including scarifiers, verticutters, brushes, spikers, and slitters as well as 6,8 or 11 bladed cutter cassettes, it is easy to see why the G860 is relied upon in stadium environments all over the world. In Tony’s case, he uses the 8 bladed cutting cylinder to keep the grass at a constant height of 25mm. After games he will apply the brush cassette to clean out all the debris and in the summer months he turns to the verti-cutting cassette.

“All in all Dennis have been helpful all the way throughout and have provided a first-class service. They are very flexible in what they can do – they listen to what we say and want we want to achieve and I think that is really important,” said Tony.

For further information or a no obligation demonstration, please contact Dennis 01332 824 777 or visit www.dennisuk.com