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Hunter hits the mark at the London Stadium

November 17, 2020/in News, Press Release/by Lucy Nicholls

Hunter hits the mark at the London Stadium: Last year a Hunter Industries irrigation system, supplied by KAR UK, was installed at the iconic London Stadium. After seeing a number of benefits, Head Groundsman James Williams wanted to extend the Hunter system to other areas of the stadium. The former Swansea and Liberty Stadium groundsman […]

Mansfield Sand helps give Boston new identity

November 16, 2020/in News, Press Release/by Lucy Nicholls

Mansfield Sand helps give Boston new identity: A new and exciting era is just around the corner for Boston United FC, and it all starts with an impressive new stadium and a Mansfield Sand Fibresand pitch. Boston United has said farewell to its ground at York Street after its lease expired and the club is […]

Hunter hits the mark at the London Stadium

November 17, 2020/in News, Press Release/by Lucy Nicholls

Mansfield Sand helps give Boston new identity

November 16, 2020/in News, Press Release/by Lucy Nicholls

Full Sized Blog Element (Big Preview Pic)

Hunter hits the mark at the London Stadium

November 17, 2020/in News, Press Release/by Lucy Nicholls

Hunter hits the mark at the London Stadium: Last year a Hunter Industries irrigation system, supplied by KAR UK, was installed at the iconic London Stadium. After seeing a number of benefits, Head Groundsman James Williams wanted to extend the Hunter system to other areas of the stadium.

The former Swansea and Liberty Stadium groundsman has certainly made an impression in London since he took the job in 2016. James’ work has been widely praised by his peers, and also by players and managers. By his own admission he is addicted to his profession.

Hunter hits the mark at the London Stadium

“I think every head groundsman has a bit of an obsession with their pitch,” he said. “The lads are always asking why I’m messaging them even when I’m on holiday but I have cameras all around the pitch which I view on my phone and I’m forever spotting things. It’s difficult to switch off.”

James now has even greater control over the pitch when it comes to irrigation – so much so that he can even manage it from his own home or wherever he may be.

“We’ve got probes in the pitch which give me a lot of readings such as moisture, the humidity in the stadium, the temperature and a lot more. Every morning I get an email with a report telling me what the moisture levels are from three different depths. If I see that the moisture has dropped below 10% then I’ll turn the irrigation system on through my phone.”

This advantage has all been made possible thanks to a newly installed Hunter Industries irrigation system. Last year James felt that he was not getting the best out of the previous irrigation system and the pitch wasn’t getting the water it needed. After getting in touch with KAR UK, the UK’s leading wholesaler of irrigation equipment, a new Hunter system was installed. The system included eight of the most technologically advanced commercial rotors on the market – the all-new I-80’s.

Engineered for sports turf, the I-80 is built with a robust, dirt-tolerant gear drive that offers the highest torque output of any rotor in the commercial sphere, and extends a radius range from 11.3 to 29.6 meters. The I-80 features a wide range of highly efficient, dual-trajectory, wind-fighting nozzles for highly efficient performance in a range of applications. It also provides total top serviceability (TTS) via its integrated, surface-mounted snap-ring for no-dig easy maintenance.

Hunter hits the mark at the London Stadium

“I was instantly impressed with how good they were,” said James. “The service from KAR UK was also excellent and was part of the reason why I decided to go ahead and replace the outfield and pitch surrounds with the new Hunter TTS-885’s with no-bounce covers and turf cups.”

The new Hunter TTS-800 rotors provide maximum uniformity and longevity as they use the same gear drive and nozzles as the I-80’s. The high-torque gear drives are the strongest in the industry, so the challenges of reclaimed water use or poor water quality are mitigated. An extra-large, fast-access flange compartment comfortably accommodates wire connections and other components.

James and his team are now able to control the system both to the pitch and the outfields through the mobile-friendly Centralus irrigation management platform. This provides highly secure, comprehensive cloud-based control and monitoring features to the new ACC2 controller at the stadium. The connectivity allows users to view a controller’s status, change settings, view forecasts, save water, and receive instant notification of important system alarms — all without costly and time-consuming travel and site visits.

It is a technologically advanced system, yet incredibly user friendly – something which James felt was important.

“The one thing that stands out the most for me is that this system is very simple to use and that was essential. I needed something that the whole team could use – not just myself.

“I’m very impressed with the whole system. There is a reason that more and more stadiums are switching over to Hunter.

“The service and support from KAR UK has again been fantastic.”

For more information, please visit www.karuk.com

You can also follow KAR UK on Twitter @KARUK_LTD for much more news, reviews and insightful views.

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.

Mansfield Sand helps give Boston new identity

November 16, 2020/in News, Press Release/by Lucy Nicholls

Mansfield Sand helps give Boston new identity: A new and exciting era is just around the corner for Boston United FC, and it all starts with an impressive new stadium and a Mansfield Sand Fibresand pitch.

Boston United has said farewell to its ground at York Street after its lease expired and the club is now looking forward to creating a new identity at its new home. The new 5,000 capacity Boston Community Stadium is being built to Football League standards in the hope that the Pilgrims can regain their place in the EFL after being relegated from League 2 in 2007.

Mansfield Sand helps give Boston new identity

A lot of the spotlight will be on the new pitch which manager Craig Elliott, hopes will aid an attack-minded style of play. This wasn’t always possible on the on the old pitch according to current head groundsman Jim Portas.

“The old pitch served a purpose but to be honest it wasn’t fantastic,” said Jim. “It had limited drainage and couldn’t be watered in the way the team wanted and it didn’t really suit the manager’s style of play.

“This new pitch will be a lot faster and slicker and safer for the players. It has a nice, sturdy construction – just what it should be for an ambitious football club.”

The secret ingredient in the construction of the newly-laid pitch is Mansfield Sand’s Fibresand Technology – which has over the past few years become one of the most widely accepted systems for natural turf reinforcement.

It has been developed following a two-year research programme at the Sports Turf Research Institute (STRI) with the aim of further improving the characteristics of typical fibre reinforced, sand dominant rootzones by imparting a significant degree of resilience and energy absorption to the surface.

Fineturf (the chosen sports turf contractor) firstly laid 100mm of gravel on top of the drainage, followed by 300mm of graded fine sports sand before rotavating and mixing in of the fibres to the top 25-50mm. This process was followed by seeding and surface preparation including fertiliser programme in order to produce the final natural turf finish.

“The pitch works were originally meant to begin in April, but due to the Coronavirus pandemic, it wasn’t completed until July. The seed germinated after 6 or 7 days,” said Jim.

“The pitch also benefits from a new irrigation system which is working towards encouraging a deep-rooted sward.

“What we have now is a far superior pitch compared to what we had. Thanks to Fineturf and the Fibresand surface, we have an incredibly stable and more playable pitch – it will suit the team’s style of play and the manager will be happy.”

For more information visit www.mansfield-sand.co.uk

You can also follow the company on Twitter – @MansfieldSand and Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/MansfieldSandSportSurfaces/

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)

Hunter hits the mark at the London Stadium

Mansfield Sand helps give Boston new identity

Hunter hits the mark at the London Stadium

Mansfield Sand helps give Boston new identity

Full Sized Blog Element (Big Preview Pic)

Hunter hits the mark at the London Stadium

Hunter hits the mark at the London Stadium: Last year a Hunter Industries irrigation system, supplied by KAR UK, was installed at the iconic London Stadium. After seeing a number of benefits, Head Groundsman James Williams wanted to extend the Hunter system to other areas of the stadium.

Mansfield Sand helps give Boston new identity

Mansfield Sand helps give Boston new identity: A new and exciting era is just around the corner for Boston United FC, and it all starts with an impressive new stadium and a Mansfield Sand Fibresand pitch.

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