Twickenham’s New Head Groundsperson

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Twickenham’s New Head Groundsperson: The RFU has appointed Jim Buttar as Twickenham Stadium’s head groundsperson, a role he began on 2nd September. 

Jim has over 20 years’ experience in grounds maintenance. He was head groundsman at Tottenham Hotspur’s White Hart Lane for 11 years and deputy head for three years during which time he was awarded the Institute of Groundmanship (IOG) Premier League Groundsman of the Year two years in a row.

He more recently worked as an International Sports Turf Development Manager for Pro Pitch. This role saw Jim provide consultancy to leading sports associations and organisations in the delivery of major events and tournaments including the UEFA Champions League Final in 2018 and 2019, the Euro 2020 host venue in Budapest plus the FIFA Club World Cup and Asian Cup 2019.

Jim brings a wealth of experience, particularly around new technologies and the effect of pitch surfaces on player performance and recovery.  Jim will use his extensive knowledge of pitch maintenance to support grassroots rugby clubs via the Rugby Groundsmen Connected network.

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Luke Perry Joins The IOG

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Luke Perry Joins The IOG: The Institute of Groundsmanship (IOG) has appointed Luke Perry to the newly-created position of SALTEX & Events director, and he will be primarily responsible for the growth, development, management and delivery of the IOG’s annual SALTEX exhibition.

A batchelor in politics, Luke will be based at the IOG’s Milton Keynes HQ in a role that embraces full accountability for SALTEX sales, services, performance and profitability, as well as future strategy while maintaining a high level of client and team satisfaction.

Luke Perry Joins The IOG

Commenting on his new role, Luke – who has a wealth of experience gained through formulating sales strategies, creating partnerships, and determining and achieving business opportunities for a range of exhibition and media companies – says:

“I am excited to be joining the IOG with the aim of contributing to the ongoing success of such a flagship event. I look forward to utilising my experience of over 20 years in the exhibition industry, and to getting to know my colleagues at the IOG as well as IOG members and those throughout the groundscare industry.”

IOG chief executive, Geoff Webb, added: “Looking to build on the success of SALTEX, Luke’s appointment will considerably extend our in-house expertise – not only in delivering SALTEX but also with a view to providing a schedule of year-round events for members. His appointment also assists the development of other existing IOG products and services and will help us continue to deliver excellent benefits to our membership.”

Luke will report to Geoff Webb and will work alongside the IOG’s head of member services – communications & events, Karen Maxwell, who is a key conduit between the IOG and its existing contractors, Events For You and Fusion Media, which between them run SALTEX’s  sales, marketing and PR activities.

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STIHL’s Pro Products At SALTEX

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STIHL’s Pro Products At SALTEX: STIHL will be showcasing an array of new products at this year’s Saltex exhibition, the UK’s largest event for the grounds care sector, offering professional users more options than ever before to tackle the toughest jobs.

Taking centre stage will be a preview of STIHL’s new RMA 765 V PRO mower, which will be the latest addition to STIHL’s expanding range of high-performance professional models. Packed with innovative features, the new cordless mower is designed with a 63cm magnesium twin blade cutting deck, height adjustable front wheels for zero turn, and variable speed, controlled via the digital cockpit. In addition, the solid mono handlebar ensures users can empty the tough fabric 80-litre grass catcher box with ease.

STIHL's Pro Products At SALTEX

Visitors to the stand will be able to see up close the new MSA 220 C-B, the most powerful cordless chainsaw in the STIHL range. Powered by a 36 V Lithium-Ion battery, the new saw comes as standard with the STIHL exclusive 3/8” Picco Super 3 (PS3) full chisel saw chain with a guide bar length of 35cm/14”. The powerful MSA 220 C-B makes quick work of any task and guarantees consistently high-quality cutting performance for felling, snedding, firewood processing and much more, regardless of the battery charge level.

The new STIHL BR 800 C-E will also be on display, the latest addition at the top of the range of innovative and high-performance blowers. Producing an impressive blowing force of 41N, the 80cc STIHL 4-MIX® engine runs on a fuel-oil mix just like a 2-stroke model and offers the benefits without the compromises of 4-stroke power. The STIHL 4-MIX® engine provides fast acceleration, more power, added torque, and lower noise during operation to complete jobs quickly and more easily. In addition, the engine offers reduced emissions and increased fuel efficiency.

To make getting up and running even easier, the BR 800 C-E is designed with a convenient starting system featured on the side of the machine, allowing users to re-start the blower while wearing it. The simplified starting system also features an automatic choke reset and a switch position on the control handle that is always ‘ON’, ensuring that the professional user can start the BR 800 C-E with ease.

For more information please visit www.stihl.co.uk.

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1st Products Tackles Tough Task At Royal Norwich Golf Club

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1st Products Tackles Tough Task At Royal Norwich Golf Club: Royal Norwich Golf Club has already been benefitting from Toro machines as it builds its new golf course from scratch, but now course manager Peter Todd has also enlisted the help of a second Reesink Turfcare brand, 1st Products.

With construction traffic at the club creating compacted turf, Peter needed a robust attachment able to break down compacted soil easily, and it was the 1st Products UA60 AERA-vator that proved up to the task.

And it’s no surprise considering Peter’s long history with the product. “I used the AERA-vator at my previous club in London for 20 years,” he says. “The fact we had that machine for so long just proves how robust and capable it is.”

This time however, Peter has made a significant upgrade with the addition of an optional seeder. “The seeder option saves a lot of time because I can now re-seed new turf at the same time as breaking down the soil. Having used the AERA-vator before, I knew that it would do the job well and would be able to deal with tough conditions easily but with this extra feature it’s even more impressive.”

Despite initially being brought on board to deal with the compacted soil from tracks made by construction traffic, Peter has long term plans for the AERA-vator.

“There’s currently a lot of construction going on as we gear up to our opening this Autumn,” he says. “As a new site with a lot of ongoing activity, it’s inevitable that there will be a lot of compacted areas in the first few years. However, I know from experience it’s also a long term issue for walkways and it’s going to be particularly vital to keep these in good condition here at Royal Norwich.

“We wanted to create a course that looked as natural as possible, so wherever possible we’ve opted not to have hard buggy tracks made from tarmac or gravel. Instead we have grass walkways and we will need the AERA-vator to carry out annual renovation work and keep them in good condition.”

And with Peter’s experience with Reesink Turfcare, there was no question in his mind that they would provide what he needed.

“Reesink products always present excellent value for money,” concludes Peter. “With machines and equipment that do the job well and are competitively priced, alongside excellent service – I didn’t have to think about the decision. I knew instantly I wanted to go with Reesink Turfcare and 1st Products.”

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An Update From Scott MacCallum

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I must start this month by passing on the thoughts of all at Turf Matters to those groundsmen and their fellow staff at Bury Football Club. The euphoria of promotion last season had not long died down when the doors closed for the last time with expulsion from the league structure.

 

It is absolutely devastating for all the staff and supporters who had taken huge pride in supporting a club which had been part of the Bury community since 1885 and it shows just how precarious the situation for a great many clubs within the football league structure.

Bolton Wanderers were given a reprieve well into Fergie time and we all hope that their struggles are now behind them, but it does not require a huge leap in imagination to see similar Bury and Bolton scenarios occurring in other clubs.

Reputation and history counts for nothing. Just look at Rangers north of the border. After going into liquidation in 2012 the blue half of the Old Firm returned, but only in the bottom tier and it took a number of years to return to the Scottish Premiership, filling the ground of ever hosting club along the way.. It is good to see them back, but Steven Gerrard is operating on a fraction of the budget of Neil Lennon at Celtic, albeit still much more that the rest of the other rival clubs.

I’m sure Bury will not die entirely and will no doubt return in reduced form well down the football structure but that will be of no solace to those who relied on salaries to pay the bills.

To change sports and offer a comment on a brighter note – wasn’t Ben Stokes something else? Sporting moments like that at Headingley can galvanise a country. So well done, Ben, for achieving something no-one else has accomplished for quite some time.