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idverde and TCL Group join forces

October 24, 2019/in News, Press Release/by Charlotte Webber

idverde and TCL Group join forces: idverde has acquired TCL Group, the national provider of Landscaping, Play products and Grounds Maintenance services to a diverse UK customer base. idverde Group is Europe’s leading provider of Green Services with a turnover in excess of €600m, employing over 6,000 colleagues throughout France, Holland and the UK. With […]

GaNTIP programme reports another year of progress

October 23, 2019/in News, Press Release/by Colin Hoskins

GaNTIP programme reports another year of progress: New statistics show that the pitch improvement strategy instigated by the Premier League, The Football Association, the Government’s Football Foundation, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) and the Institute of Groundsmanship (IOG) continues to have a massive impact on football and cricket participation in England. The organisations’ […]

idverde and TCL Group join forces

October 24, 2019/in News, Press Release/by Charlotte Webber

GaNTIP programme reports another year of progress

October 23, 2019/in News, Press Release/by Colin Hoskins

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idverde and TCL Group join forces

October 24, 2019/in News, Press Release/by Charlotte Webber

idverde and TCL Group join forces: idverde has acquired TCL Group, the national provider of Landscaping, Play products and Grounds Maintenance services to a diverse UK customer base.

idverde Group is Europe’s leading provider of Green Services with a turnover in excess of €600m, employing over 6,000 colleagues throughout France, Holland and the UK.

With Regional hubs in Derby, Northampton, Dorking and Melksham, TCL has annual sales of £65m and employs over 850 colleagues, delivering its products and services to a range of Blue Chip and Public Sector clients. This acquisition expands idverde’s UK portfolio of services, providing a complementary offer to existing clients in both companies and further develops idverde’s extensive national coverage delivered by idverde colleagues. idverde UK now has over 3,850 directly employed colleagues across the UK which enables its service capability to be far reaching to serve clients both locally and nationally.

Simon Cashmore, Executive Chairman of TCL, and his executive management team will take up senior roles within idverde UK.

Doug Graham, CEO at idverde UK, commented: “We have been tracking TCL for some time and have been impressed with the way in which the business has developed and are really pleased to have secured the deal to truly make idverde the undisputed market leader in the UK. In addition to its grounds maintenance services delivered through the royal warrant holding Burleys division, with TCL’s Playforce products and services and Housebuilder landscaping services, TCL brings new and enhanced service capability to idverde and it strengthens our strategy to be the green services provider of choice, which is underpinned by our 3,850 directly employed colleagues. I am delighted to welcome Simon and the TCL team to the business as they continue into the next chapter of the journey as part of the idverde team.”

Simon Cashmore, Executive Chairman of TCL added: “Alongside Simon Abley and a number of close colleagues it has been a huge pleasure to have had the opportunity to lead TCL Group since 2007 and build the business from a single site Midlands based operation into a multi-channel / multi-services organisation, operating across a national footprint. Joining forces with idverde represents an incredibly exciting opportunity for colleagues working within the group and indeed for our customers, with many advantages for both as a result of becoming part of the UK market leader. The range of services provided by idverde and TCL are hugely complementary and combine to create a really compelling proposition for the enlarged group’s many customers. I would like to thank BGF and Investec, and previously Caledonia Investments plc, for the role they have played in supporting the growth of the business and I look forward to being able to play a part in helping the business continue to flourish within idverde.’’

Hervé Lançon, President at idverde Group, remarked: “We are very proud to welcome TCL to the idverde Group. idverde UK is a very important contributor to the success of the idverde Group pan-European strategy. Under the leadership of the UK CEO, Doug Graham, the team are driving the UK development through a successful build up strategy in addition to solid organic growth. Simon Cashmore and his TCL colleagues demonstrated to us that they share many of the values that we promote at idverde and I look forward to continuing to work with the team.”

Doug Graham, CEO at idverde UK, went on to add: “The acquisition of TCL marks the fifth transaction that Livingstone has advised us on and they have played an integral role in delivering our ambitious international growth strategy. We highly value their sector insight, ongoing advice and hands-on execution support and we look forward to continuing our working relationship.”

Karen Dawaf Harron, Director at Livingstone, concluded “Livingstone is delighted to have played a part in delivering the TCL acquisition – our fifth transaction advising idverde in four years. The UK Green Services sector is a vibrant, thriving arena and TCL significantly enhances idverde’s presence in the private sector presence, its capabilities around landscape construction and its geographic coverage.”

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GaNTIP programme reports another year of progress

October 23, 2019/in News, Press Release/by Colin Hoskins

GaNTIP programme reports another year of progress: New statistics show that the pitch improvement strategy instigated by the Premier League, The Football Association, the Government’s Football Foundation, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) and the Institute of Groundsmanship (IOG) continues to have a massive impact on football and cricket participation in England.

The organisations’ joint Grounds and Natural Turf Improvement Programme (GaNTIP), which is funded by the Football Foundation and ECB, and led by the IOG, seeks to raise the quality of natural turf pitches to enhance player experience and increase capacity and participation levels.

And with over 2,890 pitches assessed by GaNTIP regional pitch advisors between April 2018 and March 2019, the results continue to impress, in terms of football, having:

Boosted pitch match capacity by 28% – from an average of 2.5 games per pitch to 3.2;
Reduced postponements by 24%;
Increased pitch quality levels – 83% of the 2,890 pitches assessed have improved; and
Engaged with 1,082 volunteers, of whom 192 have received training to boost knowledge levels and improve their pitch maintenance techniques. Indeed, the programme has engaged with volunteer time valued at over £3 million (if their time/value were calculated), based on minimum wage and average number of hours contributed (most volunteers work six-10 hours a week).

This, in turn, has enabled more than four million players to enjoy the game – calculated using 9 versus 9 pitches over a 40-week season; 18 players plus officials x 2,890 pitches and two games per week/weekend.

In order to increase pitch capacity, GaNTIP’s work with grassroots football has also involved the development of The Football Foundation Groundskeeping Community – a platform to provide expert advice to grounds staff – the development of a digital pitch assessment tool and the implementation of online modules (via the IOG website), as well as ‘traditional’ attendance courses/modules to support Football Foundation funding criteria.

Interestingly, GaNTIP’s inspections reveal that 82% of the pitches tested had below standard levels of compaction. “A common issue throughout GaNTIP’s history,” says IOG director of technical & learning Jason Booth, who is responsible for GaNTIP.

In addition, in collaboration with the ECB to develop and initiate a structured approach for local grounds staff, GaNTIP has:

Serviced 38 County Cricket Boards and 38 County Grounds Associations/support groups, working with nine ECB Regional Club and Facilities managers to develop and deliver plans locally;
Revitalised the County Pitch Advisor programme by supporting more than 70 Advisors;
Developed a ‘toolbox’ to enable County Pitch Advisors and County Cricket Boards deliver a consistent approach to support;
Trained 233 delegates (via the IOG’s online and day attendance cricket courses); and
Assisted and developed the ECB’s new junior format for pitch sizes.

GaNTIP is monitored and supported by Sport England and the programme is now in year three (April 2019-March 2020) of Phase 2 (Phase 1 was 2014-2017) with two key account managers – Tom Rowley for football and Ian Mather-Brewster for cricket.

Jason Booth points out that the programme continues to increase awareness of the importance of the sustainability of natural turf pitches and hopes to invigorate more education and learning over the next 12 months.

“The programme is successfully achieving its aims of improving grassroots pitch quality and the education of the people who maintain those pitches, enabling the national governing bodies (NGBs) of football and cricket to provide clear direction on their grass pitch strategies,” he says.

“GaNTIP is making great strides and the programme and its RPAs are regarded as an integral part of the strategies of the NGBs currently within the programme. But the implications and benefits of GaNTIP could – and should – impact all grass sports and it is reassuring that other NGBs are monitoring our progress and showing great interest in what has been achieved and what GaNTIP could contribute to their sports.”

He adds: “Importantly, GaNTIP is also providing the grassroots and volunteer community with access to unrivalled training and education, which is proving indispensable in terms of pitch care. The programme is working hard with the NGBs and stakeholders to align volunteer training with the likes of coaching, because playing surfaces are equally as critical to participation levels.”

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

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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.

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GaNTIP programme reports another year of progress

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GaNTIP programme reports another year of progress

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