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Unicorn Athletic achieve full maintenance programme

September 3, 2020/in Machinery, News, Press Release/by CharmianRobson

Unicorn Athletic achieve full maintenance programme: In March 2020, after 20-years of vying for control of their main Smiths Field site from Trafford Council, Unicorn Athletic JFC has begun life in charge with equipment from Campey Turf Care Systems. The club is home to 34 teams and operates at different schools and pitches in the […]

Dartfordians RFC upgrade with Campey

September 3, 2020/in Machinery, News, Press Release/by CharmianRobson

Dartfordians RFC upgrade with Campey: Dartfordians RFC has upgraded their maintenance operation with a Trimax Striker and New Holland Boomer 40 from Campey Turf Care Systems. Time waits for no machine, and at London based Dartfordians RFC, that meant their old Massey Ferguson tractor and gang mowers needed to be replaced so they could continue […]

Unicorn Athletic achieve full maintenance programme

September 3, 2020/in Machinery, News, Press Release/by CharmianRobson

Dartfordians RFC upgrade with Campey

September 3, 2020/in Machinery, News, Press Release/by CharmianRobson

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Unicorn Athletic achieve full maintenance programme

September 3, 2020/in Machinery, News, Press Release/by CharmianRobson

Unicorn Athletic achieve full maintenance programme: In March 2020, after 20-years of vying for control of their main Smiths Field site from Trafford Council, Unicorn Athletic JFC has begun life in charge with equipment from Campey Turf Care Systems.

The club is home to 34 teams and operates at different schools and pitches in the local area, with their main site used by the under-8’s Saturday club, youth teams from 14 years old and upwards and their open age group teams.

Unicorn Athletic achieve full maintenance programme

The New Holland Boomer 35, Trimax 190 Striker and SISIS Quadraplay will be vital for the community club as they aim to improve the condition of their site. The story of their pitches over two decades is a sadly familiar one, with budgets cuts in the council leading to less and less maintenance and inconsistent mowing.

For Darren Storey, treasurer, part-time groundsman and operator of the walking football team, finally taking control of the maintenance will allow the club to give children playing in their teams the pitches they deserve.

“It was unbelievable to use the new stuff. To be honest, I felt like I was ten. It was like being a kid in a candy shop,” Darren began. “The whole field was cut in an hour, and it looks the part because it’s been done with proper grounds maintenance machinery, and it looks exactly as our kids deserve.

“In the past when the council hasn’t cut the grass, we’ve begged, stole and borrowed petrol mowers and cut it by hand with a team of volunteers but those days have long gone hopefully.

“We started the process by speaking to one of the subcontractors that works for Trafford Council, Paul Grange, who has worked on our pitches and helped us with stuff in the past. Over the years the pitches have been in shocking condition because Trafford had no money, So, we used to pay extra money out of our own funds to get them upgraded.

“Campey has been ace. From costing, to specifications and the equipment that we needed, and more importantly could afford, they’ve been great. They kept us updated at each stage, and we asked for upgrades like a tracker on the tractor, and although they don’t normally do it, they sorted it. We put a grant application into the Football Foundation which they helped us with, and without that, we wouldn’t have the equipment, so John Campey and his team have been very good.”

With the first cut of many completed on the day of delivery and installation in late July 2020, Darren and the club are already looking at ways they can improve the wider area. Because it is a community field, they want to make it better for everyone, not just the players, and a part of this plan is creating a Friends of Smiths Field group. By doing this they hope to raise funds that will allow them to improve the landscaping, put in nature and fitness trails and complete other projects to make it a more usable area for the wider community.

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Dartfordians RFC upgrade with Campey

September 3, 2020/in Machinery, News, Press Release/by CharmianRobson

Dartfordians RFC upgrade with Campey: Dartfordians RFC has upgraded their maintenance operation with a Trimax Striker and New Holland Boomer 40 from Campey Turf Care Systems.

Time waits for no machine, and at London based Dartfordians RFC, that meant their old Massey Ferguson tractor and gang mowers needed to be replaced so they could continue to maintain the ground to a high standard. Replacing the machinery was a joint venture between the rugby and cricket club. Both operate the site under the DCSC which manages the building, bar and groundsman, Graham Smith, who was a member of the rugby club before becoming the groundsman four years ago.

Dartfordians RFC upgrade with Campey

As the sole groundsman – along with some volunteers – Graham is responsible for maintaining the three rugby pitches and football pitch in the winter as well as the cricket square and outfield in the summer. Additionally, there is a park adjacent to the ground that is maintained by Graham in an ongoing arrangement between the rugby club and Bexley Council.

With the five-hectare site in constant use throughout the year, having reliable machinery is a must, and after speaking with Campey Product Specialist, Ben Taylor, Graham was confident Campey could provide what they needed.

“I’m really impressed with Ben. He’s very amenable, he talks straight, and he knew what we wanted and put together a deal that was very acceptable with us and we are looking forward to a good long relationship with equipment in the future,” Graham began.

“I think the customer service side of it is very important and it’s a big consideration when we’re buying machines. You could go somewhere else and buy a tractor, and with money constraints we could have ended up buying a second hand one without any warranty. As we bought new we have that and we know if we want to add to it in the future with a bucket or similar things like that we’ll get all the help we need.

“You want it to start, to run and a good amount of power and everything to work. With the period we’d gone through with our old machinery breaking down we’re now in a new zone. It becomes very critical at times [having reliable machinery] and really you should always have a backup and that’s what we needed. Equipment fails and suddenly you’re stuck and if it was in the cricket season and we couldn’t cut the grass then they wouldn’t be able to play and likewise with the rugby. We need to maintain the pitches and keep them cut to the right length to encourage growth.

“It’s going to make my life a lot easier with the new kit. On our particular tractor we’ve got the oversized grass tyres so there is no damage on the pitches. That’ll be especially important in the winter because we’ll still have the ability to drive across a pitch without doing any damage, whereas our old tractor had agricultural tyres and there were times of the year where you wouldn’t drive it onto a pitch.

“Having had the tractor for a few weeks now I’ve found it very good, and it’s proved to be a very good piece of machinery. Because it’s 40hp I’ve found that I can run the mower in the economy mode which cuts down the revs and saves fuel, and the tractor being powerful enough to do that is a really good thing. I think the Trimax and the way it works along with the bearings that are guaranteed for life shows the confidence that Trimax have in their own machine.”

The rugby club brings a lot of value to their local area with men’s, women’s, junior and academy rugby catering for people from U11’s and upwards. Their Dartfordians 1^st XV were promoted to London1 South at the end of the 2018-19 season, an impressive feat for a community club, and have consolidated their position in the league.

Providing high quality surfaces for all of the players is the top priority for Graham, and after the initial investment he hopes the club can take advantage of their new tractor and invest in more equipment in the future.

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)

Unicorn Athletic achieve full maintenance programme

Dartfordians RFC upgrade with Campey

Unicorn Athletic achieve full maintenance programme

Dartfordians RFC upgrade with Campey

Full Sized Blog Element (Big Preview Pic)

Unicorn Athletic achieve full maintenance programme

Unicorn Athletic achieve full maintenance programme: In March 2020, after 20-years of vying for control of their main Smiths Field site from Trafford Council, Unicorn Athletic JFC has begun life in charge with equipment from Campey Turf Care Systems.

Dartfordians RFC upgrade with Campey

Dartfordians RFC upgrade with Campey: Dartfordians RFC has upgraded their maintenance operation with a Trimax Striker and New Holland Boomer 40 from Campey Turf Care Systems.

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