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New kit for new pitches at Towcestrians

December 4, 2020/in News, Press Release/by Andrea Pickerin

New kit for new pitches at Towcestrians: With two rugby pitches and a new, dedicated cricket pitch all constructed to add to the existing two rugby pitches, Towcestrians Head Groundsman, Tom Waldock, knew he would need some new machinery to keep everything in shape! While waiting for a new compact tractor and roller mower, Tom […]

GMA launches new online toolkit

December 3, 2020/in News, Press Release/by Ollie Swan

GMA launches new online toolkit: The Grounds Management Association (GMA) today launches its online ‘Grounds Management Toolkit’, a training resource aimed to support volunteers maintaining football, cricket, rugby league and rugby union pitches. The new website consolidates information from the Sport England ‘Groundsmanship’ website and has reshaped some of its written content into short videos […]

New kit for new pitches at Towcestrians

December 4, 2020/in News, Press Release/by Andrea Pickerin

GMA launches new online toolkit

December 3, 2020/in News, Press Release/by Ollie Swan

Full Sized Blog Element (Big Preview Pic)

New kit for new pitches at Towcestrians

December 4, 2020/in News, Press Release/by Andrea Pickerin

New kit for new pitches at Towcestrians: With two rugby pitches and a new, dedicated cricket pitch all constructed to add to the existing two rugby pitches, Towcestrians Head Groundsman, Tom Waldock, knew he would need some new machinery to keep everything in shape!

While waiting for a new compact tractor and roller mower, Tom was putting in about 40 hours a week on his new Ransomes TR320 to cut all the sports pitches as well as the outfields, edges and training areas!

New kit for new pitches at Towcestrians

Now his new Iseki tractor (with bucket) and topper have arrived he’s looking forward to sharing the load in 2021 and getting more remedial work done to improve both the old and the new playing surfaces.

“I was looking for a tractor that would be able to operate a slitter and vertidrain as well as perform other tasks, but not damage the surfaces. I was originally considering a smaller model but went for the bigger 46hp Iseki TLE4490 with the extra carrying capacity in order to get the performance. It will also pull the cutting deck on the backfields.”

“I also went for the loader and have already used it more than I thought I would! It’s been a godsend for filling holes in the car park and carrying stuff around. Now I’m just purchasing one more bit of kit for the Iseki to pull to help out with the many events we host in between all the sports training and fixtures.”

Before coming to Towcestrians, Tom spent several years each at Peterborough United, MK Dons and latterly at the Ricoh Stadium. He’s used a lot of different mowers and would have said they were all pretty similar, but says he feels differently about the Ransomes.

“I wanted a decent cylinder mower for the playing surfaces on the main pitches and surprisingly I’ve found the Ransomes TR320 to be the best machine I’ve used. It’s really smooth and makes the cut very easy. It’s the lightest machine on the market which was important because we have a full clay-based surface and I wanted minimum compaction. The Ransomes is certainly delivering both for me and for the pitches.”

“I’m really pleased with the advice and help I’ve had from RT Machinery in choosing the right equipment. Richard and Andy’s knowledge across a large range of brands and machinery, right off the top of their heads, is just unbelievable and has been incredibly helpful as part of the five-year plan I drew up for the development and improvement of the grounds.”

“Aside from the Ransomes and the Iseki, I also now have a new Wessex CRX180 fine turf roller mower from them for the edges and rougher areas where the juniors train. In addition they’ve supplied a used Sisis Multi Slit and a Husqvarna TC138 Lawn tractor and they’ve been able to offer great value on servicing, which will be critical in keeping everything working well across the seasons.”

“Back to work and preparing the grounds for a welcome return to grass roots sports!”

For more information, please call 01844 299037, or visit rtmachinery.co.uk

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GMA launches new online toolkit

December 3, 2020/in News, Press Release/by Ollie Swan

GMA launches new online toolkit: The Grounds Management Association (GMA) today launches its online ‘Grounds Management Toolkit’, a training resource aimed to support volunteers maintaining football, cricket, rugby league and rugby union pitches.

The new website consolidates information from the Sport England ‘Groundsmanship’ website and has reshaped some of its written content into short videos and easy-to-digest seasonal maintenance guides.

GMA launches new online toolkit

By relaunching the website, the GMA aims to continue increasing the skills and capabilities of practicing and future grounds volunteers. The resources also help the general public to engage further with common practices involved in grounds maintenance and to understand how to help get pitches ready for players across their community.

The ‘Grounds Management Toolkit’ follows the launch of the GMA’s Level 1 and Level 2 online training courses, with modules that cover the basic grounds maintenance tasks required at grassroots level.

With face-to-face classroom training currently on hold due to restrictions, the GMA is developing its digital capabilities and touch points – such as webinars – to keep its member community, and the wider public, educated and informed on key issues relating to grounds management.

Jason Booth, Chief Operating Officer of the GMA, said: “We’re committed to providing the best possible tools across all levels so that grounds management tasks are consistently completed to a high standard, aligning with the Grounds and Natural Turf Improvement Programme (GaNTIP) strategy that is delivered in partnership with the NGBs.

“We know that volunteers can sometimes only offer a few hours of their time each week, or that some local clubs struggle to find regular grounds volunteers. Without pitches, there is no sport so it could mean that millions of children and adults could miss out on physical activity.

“We’re really grateful for Sport England’s support in helping us deliver the ‘Grounds Management Toolkit’, giving us the opportunity to make this resource free for all.”

Speaking about the new website, Tony Atherton, Technical Team Lead, of Sport England said: “We’re really supportive of the GMA’s approach to upskilling grounds staff and volunteers, so handing over the Groundsmanship website was a natural progression of the success we have achieved with this resource to-date. I really hope the grounds community feels that the Toolkit supports and compliments their hard work.”

The ‘Grounds Management Toolkit’ that has been developed by Other Media and funded by Sport England, can be accessed for free via https://resources.thegma.org.uk/

To upskill your knowledge through the GMA’s training courses, or for more information on bespoke training sessions, visit www.thegma.org.uk/learning or email learning@thegma.org.uk

For the latest industry news visit turfmatters.co.uk/news

Get all of the big headlines, pictures, opinions and videos on stories that matter to you.

Follow us on Twitter and Instagram for fun, fresh and engaging content.

You can also find us on Facebook for more of your must-see news, features, videos and pictures from Turf Matters.

Half Sized Blog Element (Single Author Style)

Half Sized Blog Element (Multi Author Style)

New kit for new pitches at Towcestrians

GMA launches new online toolkit

New kit for new pitches at Towcestrians

GMA launches new online toolkit

Full Sized Blog Element (Big Preview Pic)

New kit for new pitches at Towcestrians

New kit for new pitches at Towcestrians: With two rugby pitches and a new, dedicated cricket pitch all constructed to add to the existing two rugby pitches, Towcestrians Head Groundsman, Tom Waldock, knew he would need some new machinery to keep everything in shape!

GMA launches new online toolkit

GMA launches new online toolkit: The Grounds Management Association (GMA) today launches its online ‘Grounds Management Toolkit’, a training resource aimed to support volunteers maintaining football, cricket, rugby league and rugby union pitches.

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