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Wembley brings in new pitch

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Wembley brings in new pitch: Wembley Stadium, connected by EE, will have a new state-of-the-art pitch in place for this week’s FA Community Shield between Manchester City FC and Arsenal FC.

The FA Community Shield is the traditional curtain-raiser to a new football season. Last year’s contest was moved to the King Power Stadium in Leicester while Wembley Stadium hosted the UEFA Women’s Euro ‘22 Final.

Wembley brings in new pitch

Wembley brings in new pitch

The fixture returns to its usual home this week, with the Wembley grounds-team adding the final touches to a playing surface, which over the summer played host to sell-out concerts attended by over half a million people.

The fact Wembley Stadium is ready to host such a prestigious football match, so soon after concert season, is down to the latest advancement in pitch technology. The hybrid carpet ‘Lay and Play’ grass pitch was grown off site, on a turf farm hundreds of miles away from the stadium. Link to timelapse video here: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1HEHX2zIwjzPx_wLp7qjQ6YzdbSNhD1HS?usp=sharing

Once it was ready, more than 720 rolls of the hallowed turf were put on a number of lorries and transported to the stadium, before it was laid out last week. At 10 metres long by 1.2 metres (which if end to end would be 7km in length), the whole install took 60 hours to complete.

Wembley Stadium’s Grounds Manager Karl Standley said: “Lay and Play is a game-changer for a multi-purpose venue like Wembley Stadium. Previously, it might have taken up to five weeks after a concert to get a pitch ready for a football fixture. Now this can be done in just five days.

“Growing it offsite means we can ultimately cut down the time required between concerts and football to let the pitch recover, so that Wembley can continue to keep up with global demand to stage world-class events.”

It took more than three years of research and development to get to a stage where the meticulous Wembley team was happy that lay and play technology could meet their high standards.

“The Wembley pitch is unique and has very certain requirements. It involves a specific blend of sun, water, nutrients and takes 14 weeks to get into perfect shape. Even the fertiliser plan is bespoke to our requirements,” adds Karl.

“It is like one big chemistry experiment. We had to test every stage of the process including the grow time, any potential damage during transport and how it reacts when it comes into the stadium. It is a very precise procedure, and we monitor every stage closely.

“The pitch for this week’s FA Community Shield fixture came into the stadium on July 25 and has settled in nicely. After that it will be used for the Rugby League Challenge Final before concerts and events including AEW Elite Wrestling at the stadium.

“The next step is to make the whole process sustainable with the old pitch going back into grassroots football.

“At present the old pitch goes off to a production site where the grass, sand and plastic is separated. The grass decomposes naturally, and the sand is sent back to us so it can be re-used or sent out for use on grassroot pitches.

“We are close to now finding a use for the plastic, whereby it can be melted down and used to produce equipment for sports teams. Eventually the whole process will be 100% sustainable.”

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Campey’s leading machines in action at GroundsFest

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Campey’s leading machines in action at GroundsFest: Campey Turf Care Systems is ready to take full advantage of the outdoor demonstration space at GroundsFest, with the Imants ShockWave, Dakota Turf Tender, Foley Company Air2G2 336 and Campey UNIRAKE© all prepared for action on stand OSA460.

The combination of outdoor and indoor stands has made GroundsFest the perfect event for Campey to give visitors valuable in-action insights into machines, how they work and the difference they can make.

Campey's leading machines in action at GroundsFest

Campey’s leading machines in action at GroundsFest

Speaking about the inaugural event, Campey Turf Care Director Lee Morgado said: “GroundsFest is a new concept which puts the visitors at the forefront of the experience. One of those aspects is live demos, which makes the event more valuable to us as a company.

“As a machinery dealer and manufacturer, it is invaluable to show people exactly what the equipment can do, how it operates, and the results they can expect. It also allows us to answer questions in greater detail which benefits our customers, and that is what it’s all about.”

Campey has chosen machines that encompass a range of maintenance practices for the show. For variable organic matter removal, the UNIRAKE© is the perfect choice. Users can adjust the severity of grooming to remove a varying amount of organic matter or simply stand the sward up to encourage growth. Altering the severity of grooming is quick and easy and can be done in no less than 30 seconds.

The latest re-designed Imants ShockWave sporting its new livery, will be on show for wide area aeration, proving in person why it is the best linear compactor for heavily used areas where play can’t stop. It is designed to revitalise fine turf and sports fields by relieving soil compaction, improving aeration, and removing surface water, all whilst causing minimal surface disruption so play can resume quickly and safely.

In smaller or tighter areas, the Foley Air2G2 336 remains the industry’s finest pedestrian aerator. Instant results and the immediate continuation of play have set this machine apart since its release, making it a mainstay across most sports.

Completing the line-up of must-see machinery is the Dakota Turf Tender. The topdresser offers an impressive level of consistency with electric control boxes allowing users to set their width of spread an infinitely variable amount while ensuring that it can be changed and returned to that width at any time

Campey’s team of product specialists will be demonstrating the machinery and will be available throughout the two days to provide advice, answer questions or have a catch-up over a coffee.

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FTH hire group continues to invest in Kubota

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FTH hire group continues to invest in Kubota: One of the largest plant and tool hire companies operating in the South-East and London has placed an order for 24 new Kubota mini-excavators from main dealer Lister Wilder as part of an ongoing commitment to ensure its customers have access to the latest market-leading equipment solutions. This is part of a total planned investment in 188 Kubota machines in 2023.

FTH Hire Group, which has its head office in Farnborough, has purchased a combination of 1, 3 and 8  tonne models. Rob Watson, Marketing Manager at FTH Hire Group, commented: “We have a fantastic range of new excavators for hire and pride ourselves on supplying the latest and best equipment available for our customers. Meeting their needs is vitally important and that is why we have a large fleet of Kubota machines, which are powerful and reliable to tackle the toughest tasks.

FTH hire group continues to invest in Kubota

FTH hire group continues to invest in Kubota

“Running a fleet of 670 excavators across our 10 depots in the UK means we couldn’t operate a successful business if the downtime on our machines wasn’t kept to a minimum. That’s why 80% of our diggers are manufactured by Kubota and backed-up by first class service and after-care from Lister Wilder.”

Investing in growth is a key element of the continued success story of FTH Hire Group, which has recently made a multi-million pound investment that includes opening-up depots in Chelmsford, Scotland and Southampton during the past 12 months.

Rob concluded: “The wider geographical spread of our depots enables us to enhance our business operations, and further improve our ability to meet the needs of our customers – bringing us closer geographically to many more”.

For more information on Kubota and its extensive range of solutions for the construction industry, visit www.kubota-eu.com.

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Reform Metrac H75 is in demand

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Reform Metrac H75 is in demand: The Blackburn based Stuart Taylor dealership has recently taken delivery of three Reform Metrac H75 bank mowers from UK Agent Simon Richard Ltd.

Tommy Taylor said, “ two of the Reforms are for Stoke City council for maintenance of banked grassed areas and a wide range of open spaces. The authority say they are impressed with both performance and operator safety”

Reform Metrac H75 is in demand

Reform Metrac H75 is in demand

Simon Richard added “ the 75hp Reform Metrac H75 has proven itself to be a year round workhorse for a wide range of groundcare tasks. Steering modes include front, rear, Crab and four wheel steer”

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Kubota’s investment outlined in press event

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Kubota’s investment outlined in press event: Media spanning sports turf, landscaping, amenity and equine were recently given a rare insight into the ‘behind the scenes’ workings of one of the most recognisable brands in groundcare, as Kubota UK opened their doors for an update event.

The overarching theme of the two days was Kubota’s ongoing investment into the industry – with press updated on recent acquisitions and new initiatives in the areas of warranty and recruitment, while also having the opportunity to get ‘hands-on’ with some of the latest products from across their mower and compact tractor portfolios.

Kubota’s investment outlined in press event

Kubota’s investment outlined in press event

The sun was shining as Kubota UK Managing Director David Hart and General Manager for Tractor Business Unit (TBU) Henry Bredin welcomed members of the press to their Thame headquarters in early June. After learning about some of the corporate history and more recent global developments, such as the new £0.5bn Kubota Institute of Technology opened in Osaka Japan, attendees were treated to a tour of the facility where many questions on the challenges of worldwide manufacture, logistics and alternative power sources were answered.

Handing the baton to Phil Catley, Kubota UK Groundcare Product Manager and Field Service Manager Tom Lockwood, day two continued on a similar theme as the area of investment in aftersales was addressed. With the vision of creating an industry-leading dealer, technical and commercial support infrastructure, Tom discussed initiatives including the Kubota Service Excellence Awards and Kubota University programme, both of which are designed to develop and deliver training and advice to dealers thus ensuring the very best ongoing customer experience.

Also covered was the Kubota Apprenticeship programme, offered in partnership with Coleg Cambria Llysfasi, and designed to address the skills shortage in the industry. The four-year practical-based training scheme enrolled a record 13 students in 2023, setting the apprentices up for a career in engineering and progressing them into positions within Kubota dealerships across the UK.

Proceedings concluded with a ‘ride and drive’ experience where press had the opportunity to demonstrate a number of machines from across the range, including the recently-launched FC3 and FC4 mowers, and the LXe – Kubota’s first electric compact tractor, in the UK currently for extensive testing.

Commenting on the event, Kubota UK Marketing Manager Rob Edwards said, “We, like all manufacturers, are aware of the issues facing the industry and that doesn’t just stop at having the right products to fit today’s market. It was brilliant to be able to demonstrate to the press the programmes we’re delivering to support our dealers and our customers, and show how proud we are to be re-investing in the needs of the next generation. We extend a massive thank you once again, to all of those who took the time to attend.”

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