Blog Elements - Turf Matters

Half Sized Blog Element (Single Author Style)

Half Sized Blog Element (Multi Author Style)

Groundskeepers: The unsung heroes

February 23, 2017/in Press Release/by Admin

Each day, groundskeepers across the country start their day at sunrise, helping to keep our schools tidy and green. Meet three Brisbane groundsmen who believe their job is the best in the world. Michael Shear – St Ambrose’s School, Newmarket… Mr Shear swapped his job as an insurance officer 15 years ago for a life […]

3G fake truth

February 23, 2017/in Press Release/by Admin

The coverage of non-league football was incredible last weekend. Sutton United and Lincoln City were virtually wall-to-wall on any media outlet covering football. When Lincoln beat Burnley, away from home, it was quite simply sensational. I am full of admiration and respect for what they have achieved. The supporters will be in seventh heaven for […]

Groundskeepers: The unsung heroes

February 23, 2017/in Press Release/by Admin

3G fake truth

February 23, 2017/in Press Release/by Admin

Full Sized Blog Element (Big Preview Pic)

Groundskeepers: The unsung heroes

February 23, 2017/in Press Release/by Admin

Each day, groundskeepers across the country start their day at sunrise, helping to keep our schools tidy and green.

Meet three Brisbane groundsmen who believe their job is the best in the world.

Michael Shear – St Ambrose’s School, Newmarket…

Mr Shear swapped his job as an insurance officer 15 years ago for a life of worm farms and sports ovals.

“It was just not me and when I started here I just loved getting out of bed every day.

“It’s the best job ever; every part of it has been great.

He said each day was different.

“The fun part is never knowing what’s going to come up during the day.

“I start at 6:30am and I clean up from the day before and then things come up like leaking air-cons or bins.”

Seeing the children start school and grow up is also an enjoyable part of the job for Mr Shear.

“I call all the boys ‘sir’ and all the girls ‘miss’,” he said.

“Years later you see the kids grown up and how they turn out so great … that’s really good.”

Len Moss – St Mary MacKillop Primary School, Birkdale…

With more than 600 students at the school where Mr Moss works, remembering names is a daily challenge.

“I can remember a few of the names but it’s hard to catch them all. I don’t know how the teachers do it.”

Mr Moss was an electrician for 30 years before he turned to groundskeeping.

“You have variety and it’s great to have the kids around as they always want to say hello and see what you’re doing.

Each day Mr Moss can be seen mowing and cleaning.

“I do anything and everything from hedging to cleaning up after a kid that has been sick.

“I like to walk around the school seeing what you’ve done and what you’ve changed.

“Being part of the community is a big part of it … I’ll keep going for as long as my body lets me.”

Robert Miles – Holland Park State School…

For Mr Miles, his daily mission is to keep the grounds, the parents, the teachers and the children happy.

“I’m surprised when the kids notice the grounds so much, it helps me not see the hills so steep at the end of the day.

“I love creating the beautiful gardens and being able to make the place look better.”

Mr Miles, who was previously a musician, has looked after the grounds at Holland Park for the past eight years.

“I think this jobs suits me and the hills keep me thin.

“The biggest thing about the job is that you just have to keep at it and eventually you’ll get there.”

3G fake truth

February 23, 2017/in Press Release/by Admin

The coverage of non-league football was incredible last weekend.

Sutton United and Lincoln City were virtually wall-to-wall on any media outlet covering football. When Lincoln beat Burnley, away from home, it was quite simply sensational. I am full of admiration and respect for what they have achieved. The supporters will be in seventh heaven for a few days or even weeks and the clubs’ coffers will be awash with gold.

For Lincoln the adventure continues and who can say, now, when it might stop? For other National League clubs these stellar performances are an incentive to work even harder to achieve similar results next season, now that these two clubs have shown it can be done.

We have a particular connection with Sutton because of our 3G pitches. Our positive experience with 3G since 2012 encouraged Sutton to install theirs in 2015 and we had many constructive contacts along the way.

This is the reason I was particularly delighted with their FA Cup progress, as it showcased this fantastic pitch. In three rounds of the FA Cup, three 3G records were broken. The first time a League One, a Championship and finally a Premier League club had played a senior competitive match on 3G.

Each time the pitch played beautifully and there were no problems of any significance. Each match was marked by attractive, passing football along with robust, sliding challenges on occasions. Watching on TV it would have been easy to imagine the teams were playing on a Premier League quality natural mud and grass pitch.

Except that sadly we couldn’t. The media coverage of 3G had about as much basis in fact as a Donald Trump press statement.

Instead of pushing the achievements of a non-league club like Sutton in an unpatronising, analytical way by explaining in detail how the 3G business model has been the saving of their club like it has been of ours, the commentators and pundits jumped on every chance to criticise the pitch.

We were treated to comments about how Danny Wellbeck could not be risked on the pitch with a slightly injured ankle, how the pitch was very different and difficult (Arsène Wenger); how the pitch would be watered and would behave very differently to a dry one (Arsène Wenger again, who seems not to have noticed that it rains in England occasionally and that even mud-grass pitches are sometimes wet, sometimes dry); how Arsenal would have to beware “the ball suddenly deviating or stopping dead” (Martin Keown, for goodness sake ); that it was a good question (rather than a no-brainer) as to whether playing on 3G was better than playing on a traditional non-league bog (Graeme Le Saux).

Mr Le Saux is by the way an ‘Ambassador’ for the Football Foundation, who have been busy installing 3G pitches all over the country in recent years. Please Graeme, hurry up and tell The Football Foundation just how bad 3G pitches are, because it would appear they don’t know yet.

The worst part of hearing all this nonsense spouted by so-called experts, who really should know better, is the disrespect to non-league clubs. Here was one shining example of a non-league club, Sutton, using a top quality artificial pitch to improve the football they play on it, as evidenced by an astonishing FA Cup run.

But no, the media ignored the positives for the non-league club and concentrated on all the supposed negatives for the Premier League club. There were no plaudits for 3G pitches enabling the community to become fully involved in their non-league club by having football played on them virtually non-stop.

There was no mention of 3G clubs’ football academies bringing out the best of our youngsters around the country. No analysis of how 3G can make postponements a thing of the past and make a club financially sustainable. It was awful, patronising, embarrassing.

But I suppose it could have been worse…the pundits and commentators could have expressed astonished disapproval about other European countries, some of whom seem to have recently won World Cups, who foolishly allow and encourage these difficult 3G pitches in their top professional Leagues; they could have attacked the irresponsible FIFA people, who allow 3G in the Champions League and World Cup qualifiers and in the Womens’ World Cup finals; or even criticised professional rugby for allowing 3G to be used in senior club level and full internationals, when it’s clearly bad for your joints – I mean what do rugby people know anyway?

To read the original blog, click here

Half Sized Blog Element (Single Author Style)

Half Sized Blog Element (Multi Author Style)

Groundskeepers: The unsung heroes

3G fake truth

Groundskeepers: The unsung heroes

3G fake truth

Full Sized Blog Element (Big Preview Pic)

Groundskeepers: The unsung heroes

3G fake truth

RESOURCES

CONTACT

CONNECT