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SISIS Flexicomb Perfect For UKC

May 4, 2018/in Machinery, Press Release/by Lucy Nicholls

SISIS Flexicomb Perfect For UKC: Lee Ballard, senior groundsperson at the University of Kent (UKC) in Canterbury, believes that his newly purchased SISIS Flexicomb is the perfect tool to help extend the life of one of the synthetic sports surfaces at the University. Canterbury in Kent may well be known predominantly as the place of Thomas […]

Reading Switch To Johnsons

May 3, 2018/in News, Press Release/by Louise Challiss

Reading Switch To Johnsons: Switching to a brand new grass seed after 10 years of using the same mixture is a big step, but one that Grounds Manager Adam Grantham made at both the Madejski Stadium and Reading FC’s training ground, Hogwood Park. Now into his second season, the switch to Johnsons Sports Seed J Premier […]

SISIS Flexicomb Perfect For UKC

May 4, 2018/in Machinery, Press Release/by Lucy Nicholls

Reading Switch To Johnsons

May 3, 2018/in News, Press Release/by Louise Challiss

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SISIS Flexicomb Perfect For UKC

May 4, 2018/in Machinery, Press Release/by Lucy Nicholls

Canterbury in Kent may well be known predominantly as the place of Thomas Becket’s murder at Canterbury Cathedral or for Geoffrey Chaucer’s 14th-century literary classic The Canterbury Tales, but it also boasts an internationally recognised university.

Ranked in the top 10 in the UK in a national student survey, with over 5,000 students from different nationalities, the University of Kent has a reputation for academic excellence. It also has outstanding sports facilities, which includes two grass football pitches, two grass rugby pitches and synthetic sports surfaces.

Overseeing the maintenance of the sports pitches is Lee Ballard, who admits that one of the synthetic surfaces requires extra special attention due to its age and heavy usage.

“We’ve had one of the pitches for nearly 12 years now and that houses full-size football games, four five-a-side pitches and lacrosse games. It gets a lot of usage and is used from 5pm until 10pm seven days a week. You have the students who use it as well as local sports clubs and Gillingham FC’s academy teams.

“The pitch has had years of not having the best machinery to get deep enough to give it a good clean and we are trying to extend the life of the surface as much as we can,” he said.

The common misconception is that synthetic surfaces are maintenance free. Just like natural turf surfaces, synthetic surfaces require maintenance as soon as they are constructed if they are to perform to the standard expected of them. Regular brushing along with periodic aggressive brushing and maintenance is required to ensure that the playing surfaces achieve their full life expectancy, and to help Lee with this task he chose to purchase the SISIS Flexicomb.

“When I first started in this role my aim was to improve the synthetic surfaces. Previously we were using a machine which just had tines on it and it never seemed to do a very professional job. So, we started looking around and I saw an online video of the Flexicomb being used at Tottenham Hotspur. It looked great so I took all the details down, passed it further up the chain to say this was the machine we needed, and luckily there was money in the budget to purchase it.

“We obviously had a demonstration before we bought it but if I’m honest I knew that it was the tool we wanted because when I saw the video it just ticked all of the boxes.”

Designed primarily for use on synthetic surfaces, the Flexicomb ensures even distribution of infill materials and lifts the pile. The adjustable setting ensures the effect of a rake, but with the softness of a brush, reducing the risk of damage to the fibres. The bristle sections are replaceable and the Flexicomb is designed for a long working life with minimal maintenance.

Furthermore, it can be used with SISIS Singleplay, Twinplay or Quadraplay mounting frames, which can all be connected to any tractor with 3 point linkage and utility trucks with suitable frames.

“We tend to use the Flexicomb three times a week depending on the maintenance schedule and make sure we give the surface a good brush after every ten hours of usage,” says Lee. “Sometimes we will double brush it both ways if time allows.

“It has so many good features – I like how easy it is to set-up and how simple it is to use. It does such a good job and leaves you with a great finish which is important because presentation is key. I also like how you can be slightly more aggressive on the ground and get in and move some of the crumb about and get rid of some of that compaction.

“The pitch is our front window so we try to look after it as much as possible and the more you put into it the more rewards you reap. The SISIS Flexicomb plays an integral part in helping us to achieve this.”

For further information or a no obligation demonstration, please contact SISIS on 01332 824 777 or visit www.sisis.com

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Reading Switch To Johnsons

May 3, 2018/in News, Press Release/by Louise Challiss

Reading Switch To Johnsons: Switching to a brand new grass seed after 10 years of using the same mixture is a big step, but one that Grounds Manager Adam Grantham made at both the Madejski Stadium and Reading FC’s training ground, Hogwood Park. Now into his second season, the switch to Johnsons Sports Seed J Premier Pitch is paying off, with the mixture delivering all of the qualities Adam looks for in creating top-rate surfaces.

“When I first took over the management of the stadium, as well as the training facilities, 4 years ago Johnsons was the seed of choice” explains Adam who has been with Reading Football Club for 14 years. “Although I could see what the Johnsons mixture was capable of, I kept with my head and stuck with the mixtures I was familiar with.” However, after hearing lots about the J Premier Pitch mixture Adam decided to trial it on one of the nine pitches at the training ground and were very happy with the results.

“The response we got, compared to what we were using, was far superior in terms of the colour, wear and disease resistance – the key qualities – I was looking for. I also checked out the cultivars in the STRI book and when you see them all towards the top, you know you’re getting a good mixture.” Following the successful trial, Adam was happy to make the switch seeding all nine training pitches, as well as the Stadium pitch, with Johnsons Premier Pitch.

With proven performance at many of Europe’s leading stadia, J Premier Pitch contains top-rated cultivars including Eurodiamond, to deliver a sward with exceptional wear tolerance, density and rapid recovery. In addition, the rapid establishment means it can be ready to mow in as little as three weeks. It is also now available with DLF’s ProNitro seed coat technology.

“We’ve kept all other elements the same, the seed is fed the same, but we’ve seen a great improvement in the quality of the pitches.” Content with his switch, Adam now has the consistency that is required throughout the year thanks to the Johnsons mix.

For further information visit www.johnsonssportsseed.co.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 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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SISIS Flexicomb Perfect For UKC

Reading Switch To Johnsons

SISIS Flexicomb Perfect For UKC

Reading Switch To Johnsons

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SISIS Flexicomb Perfect For UKC

Reading Switch To Johnsons

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