Tag Archive for: Pitch

Dorchester’s 3G Pitch Underway

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Dorchester’s 3G Pitch Underway: Matt Lucas, chairman of Dorchester Town believes the installation of the Magpies’ new 3G artificial pitch is a “massive step” for the Avenue Stadium club.

Preparation work yesterday began on the surface, with the grass being sprayed ready for removal on Tuesday, May 8.

That came after Dorchester Town Reserves lost 3-1 to Poole Town in the final ever game on the existing turf on Monday night.

And Lucas is pleased that the hours of work undertaken by the club’s sub-committee will finally come to fruition.

He told Echosport: “It’s a massive step and we’re really excited. The grass is being sprayed before the contractors come in on May 8, then they will begin taking away all the excess.

“It’s really starting in earnest, we’re really excited. It’s great to be able to achieve what we as a club have achieved with having it.

“A hell of a lot of work has gone into it over a long period of time. Our thanks go to West Dorset Council, Dorchester Town Council, Dorchester Town Youth and the Section 106 Committee – the sub-committee has worked so hard in finding the right pathway for us.”

With the overhaul of the Magpies’ pitch aimed at bringing the local community and local football together, Lucas is particularly heartened by the good spirit behind the pitch project.

He said: “What’s been great is that everyone has come in and been involved in getting the 3G and of course the supporters and people that follow the club in purchasing the squares.

“It’s really, really positive seeing everybody pulling together and getting ready for next season.

“We obviously see it as a great thing for the place as a whole because football is going to be available for an awful lot of people in the area.

“What makes it for me is how everybody is coming together to make this happen. I would personally like to thank the sub-committee that have been planning everything over a long period of time.

“I’m extremely pleased for them that we’ve got to the stage we’re at now,” he said.

The Magpies have installed a camera to map the progress of the installation from start to finish. Updates will be available on all of the club’s social media channels.

Dorchester Town’s end-of-season presentation evening will be held at the Avenue Stadium on Saturday, May 12.

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Watford Pitch Wins Award

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Watford Pitch Wins Award: The Premier League Grounds Team of the Season award for the 2017/18 campaign has gone to Watford.

The club’s head groundsman, Scott Tingley, and his team won the award for the pitch at Vicarage Road after assessment from the Premier League’s Playing Surfaces Committee and the independent assessor Dr Stephen Baker from the Sports Turf Research Institute.

The award is based on a number of factors including marks from referees and match delegates, usage of the pitch and the environmental conditions, an end-of-season pitch quality assessment and the resources and resource management at each club.

“The award is testament to the pitch’s current condition, the result of much hard work and dedication from the club’s grounds team,” Scott Duxbury, the club chairman, said.

Tingley and his team will receive the award on 5 May, at Watford’s match with Newcastle United.

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Campey’s Pitch Renovation Day

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Campey’s Pitch Renovation Day: Campey Turf Care Systems is bringing the highly successful Grassroots Pitch Renovation Day to Debdale Park Football Club in Mansfield on Wednesday 16th May 2018.

The maintenance of local football pitches and playing fields has long been in decline with those using them suffering from poor playing conditions and consistently postponed games. This has led to a drop in participation and lost revenue for clubs that play an important role in the community.

Campey's Pitch Renovation Day

A majority of grassroots clubs run on limited funds and varied amounts of experience offered by volunteer groundsman and local dealers. Because of this, the Renovation Day also offers advice from Campey product specialists who will be able to provide tailored answers to problems that clubs may be facing. All grounds staff, whether professional, amateur, part or full time are invited to attend.

The Grass Roots Renovation Day at Debdale Park will provide the opportunity to gain first-hand experience with the latest and most innovative sports turf machinery and materials. Carrying out basic economically effective maintenance correctly, can make a massive difference in the condition of a playing surface.

Planning and executing a renovation is key to the success of a pitch throughout the season and all stages of renovation will be demonstrated through out the day. The process will begin by using the new Koro FIELDTOPMAKER to fraise mow the pitch before the Imants Shockwave is used for decompaction in preparation for sand to be spread with a Dakota Turf Tender. The Recycling Dresser will then be used to mix the new sand and soil together before a Vredo Overseeder places seed directly into the ground and a Raycam Unirake levels and rakes the surface.

Campey's Pitch Renovation Day

The Raycam LM3010 liquid transfer line marker will demonstrate how to add the perfect finishing touches while the industry leading aeration machine, the Air2G2 GT Air Inject, will also be in action during the day to show what can be done during the season to tackle compacted areas.

For more information, visit: www.campeyturfcare.com

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Sutton’s 3G Pitch Dilemma

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Sutton’s 3G Pitch Dilemma: Sutton United will tear up their 3G pitch and replace it with grass at a cost of £300,000 if they win promotion from the National League after admitting defeat in their fight to allow the surface in the EFL.

Sutton are third in the National League but under Football League rules the club would be refused entry to League Two next season if they kept their pitch as it was.

And, in a bizarre twist, should they win promotion and refuse to lay grass turf they would be demoted to National League South.

Sutton hosted Arsenal in the FA Cup last year and it had been suggested they would prefer to keep the pitch and remain a non‑League club.

But Sutton chairman Bruce Elliott has confirmed that, if they win promotion, the club will install a grass pitch.

Sutton spent £420,000 to install their 3G pitch in 2015 and have urged the EFL to change their rules. However, that would require the backing of the majority of EFL clubs and Elliott says there is “no appetite” for that.

Artificial surfaces were banned from English professional leagues in 1995 but Elliott said: “It is frustrating because these pitches are clearly acceptable now. They have moved on from those pitches that came in at Luton and QPR many years ago. Technology has moved on. People are not using the same computer they were using 30 years ago and artificial surfaces have moved on with technology.

“It is frustrating that World Cup games can be played on them, as can European games, FA Cup matches but not games in League One or League Two.

“But you have to accept the rules. If we get promoted we will have to take up our 3G pitch and replace it with grass.

“It would be a sad day because it has been brilliant for us but you always want to play at the best level you can and if we can get into the Football League for the first time in the club’s 120-year history then of course we will do.

“We believe 3G is the way forward, however, if we have to take what we see as a backwards step to move forward then needs must.”

Part-timers Sutton lost 2-1 to Halifax Town last night but are in a play-off position with four games remaining.

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Club’s Anger At Pitch Vandalism

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Club’s Anger At Pitch Vandalism: The manager of an award-winning junior football team due to be visited by Real Madrid’s Youth Academy has spoken of his club’s frustration at constant vandalism to its pitches.

He spoke out following an announcement by police that one of the drivers who allegedly damaged the pitch has been reported for their act of vandalism.

The pitches, at the junction of Woodhead Road and Summerville Road in Lidget Green, have been plagued by vandals riding quad bikes, motorbikes and now 4×4 vehicles for at least the past five years, said Alpha United Juniors manager Mohammed Waheed.

Mr Waheed welcomed the work by the police being done to tackle anti-social behaviour on the fields, but said more action was necessary.

He said: “It’s been a huge problem for the club when you have this behaviour from people on quads, bikes and now cars.

“They create deep grooves and must be doing various manoeuvres when they are on the pitches.

“It is making us cancel matches and training and had to report it to the league to explain why we were cancelling so many games.

“Ultimately it affects the children who just want to play and takes it away from them, and makes us question if we can run a club in the area.

“It is not a great advert for the area and as a double national award-winning club it does not help when this is happening.

“The risk of getting injured is so much higher and opposition clubs do not want to risk playing on the pitch.

“We have Real Madrid’s Youth Academy Clinic coming next week too, to do sessions for the children.”

Mr Waheed said the club had been pushing for obstacles to be put in to stop vandals getting on the pitches.

“We have been asking for barriers to be put up around the pitch and to cut off the exit points to try and stop people getting on,” he continued.

“We have been reporting these problems for at least five years, and local residents have told us it has been going on for longer.

“Something needs to be done about it, we have had backing from the West Riding FA for barriers, they recognise the work we do in the community and want to help.”

Mr Waheed thanked police for catching one of the suspects who had damaged the pitches.

Officers in Bradford West identified the driver of a Mitsubishi Shogun, who had been seen driving across the pitch, thanks to help from members of the public.

The driver has been reported for inconsiderate driving in a public place.

A Facebook post from Bradford West NPT said: “Anti-social use of this particular field is being closely monitored by the ASB bike team who are in direct communication with residents.

“Vehicles are for roads, not football pitches!”

Mr Waheed added: “It’s good to see action being taken and more patrols from the Anti-Social Behaviour team being carried out, but more still needs to be done to catch the people responsible for this.”

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