Tag Archive for: Spurs

Spurs trust STAR EV with player welfare

Spurs trust STAR EV with player welfare: Tottenham Hotspur Football Club is placing its trust in STAR EV and Reesink e-Vehicles when it comes to its football players’ welfare at its Training Centre in North London with three all-electric ambulance vehicles.

It is absolutely vital for all the footballers’ welfare that strict medical requirements are in place at all times and as well as having a fully trained medical team, Tottenham now has two new ambulance vehicles for the men’s team and one for the women’s. These vehicles are kept on site, fully equipped and ready to support the medical team at a moment’s notice.

Spurs trust STAR EV with player welfare

Spurs trust STAR EV with player welfare

For the club that holds the title of the Premier League’s greenest club, it was a given that the vehicles would be battery-powered, but the decision of which brand to put his trust in when it comes to supporting the medical teams with the safety of the players came down to Darren Baldwin, Head of Playing Surfaces and Estates at Tottenham Hotspur Football Club, who explains: “What makes these ambulance vehicles stand out are their logical design and innovative features that combine to make the job of the medical team easier.

“The gurney in particular is applauded for how it slides on and off and locks in securely with just two clicks of the handle, while the auto lift and load feature mean it stands up securely. The medical boxes and good storage capacity make sure the team has everything they need logically stored and conveniently to hand so they can be efficient under pressure.”

It’s not just the ease of use the medical team has commented on though, Darren reports positive feedback on the quality of the product too. He continues: “We’ve all been blown away by the quality of these vehicles, they are far in advance of the competition. The little things have been accounted for, like the windshields, for example, they aren’t plastic, and they have windscreen wipers. That’s a fantastic feature to come as standard.”

The grounds of Tottenham Hotspur are extensive – 18 acres – and these machines are required for the academy, training grounds and pitches so how have they performed on such a large site? Darren says: “There is a lot of trust in the batteries! Obviously, it’s a big consideration choosing electric for such vital vehicles – we need to be able to rely on them 100 percent of the time. But charging is easy and there are clear controls to show what charge is left.”

Dave French, sales manager of Reesink e-Vehicles, the UK distributor of STAR EV, says: “There’s no reason to doubt battery power these days, especially with STAR EV, it brings to the UK battery power built to last. There’s on-board charging, meaning no expensive infrastructure. And with the Lithium option, you don’t need to worry power drifting away either, you get a constant amount delivered throughout the discharge. Both the AK and Capella ambulance vehicles are nimble and compact vehicles, designed from the ground up to manage the carriage of a casualty, whilst offering excellent support from other passengers.”

Dave concludes: “It’s a real honour to not only have equipped Tottenham Hotspur with such a key equipment purchase to keep its players safe, but that the club, which is voted as one of the greenest in the premiership chose STAR EV to continue on its journey to carbon neutrality.”

To find out more about STAR EV call 01480 226800 or go online at reesink-evehicles.co.uk

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10 STAR EV machines for Spurs

10 STAR EV machines for Spurs: Tottenham Hotspur Football Club has chosen 10 electric STAR EV Capella Work Machines for use at its Training Centre in North London.

The Training Centre plays host to all of its teams, from the U8s through to the U23s plus both Men’s and Women’s First Teams. In addition, the Club regularly hosts international teams including England on numerous occasions. Head of Playing Surfaces and Estates, Darren Baldwin knew he needed a capable and versatile range of utility vehicles to rely on. All while being electric.

10 STAR EV machines for Spurs

10 STAR EV machines for Spurs

He says: “We were looking for a brand that could rival the highly productive ‘mules’ in the utility vehicles category that are petrol and diesel. It would have been a hard hit to sacrifice productivity for being electric, but with STAR EV we haven’t had to.

“These machines have brought everything we need and more to the role of what a utility vehicle support fleet should do. We have an 80-acre site and a wide range of jobs that need doing, so these machines need to perform. We haven’t had a case when they haven’t.”

The combination of a 48V 5kW AC motor, a 210Ah Lithium-Ion battery and a carry capacity of 670kg have particularly impressed Darren: “They are market-leading when it comes to towing capacity, and the amount of payload they can handle competes with all the others we’ve ever used.

“Whether it’s lugging mannequins, balls and airbed walls for training around the campus, fulfilling housekeeping duties for the 46-bedroom lodge or supporting the grounds and gardens maintenance team, these workhorses have proved they can do all we need them to. They’re easy and comfortable to use, and quick too.”

But what about the practicalities of using an electric fleet? Darren confirms there’s no need for concern about using battery-powered machinery across such a large site with the app they all have access to: “It’s really easy to tell via the app what the battery life is so there’s no chance of ever getting caught out, but to be honest the charge time is so good I highly doubt that could ever happen despite the size of the venue.

“The buggies give an easy 50 miles per charge and it’s a real selling point for us that they only need one charge per week on average. The fact that charge can be done by a three-prong 13-amp plug, with 10 buggies across three charging stations, really puts them apart from the competition.”

In fact, Darren is so impressed with the performance he and the team has experienced so far, he’s planning on placing another order to make the club’s entire buggy fleet STAR EV. He says: “We started with 10 machines, but we’re already talking about adding to that and making the whole fleet STAR.”

To talk to Reesink e-Vehicles about the STAR EV range, call 01480 226800 or go online at reesink-evehicles.co.uk

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Star for Spurs

Star for Spurs: Tottenham Hotspur Football Club has chosen STAR EV to play a key part in its journey to becoming net zero carbon.

As a fleet of STAR EV all-electric vehicles from distributor Reesink e-Vehicles arrive at the Training Centre in North London, Darren Baldwin, Head of Playing Surfaces and Estates at the club, which has topped the Premier League sustainability table produced by the UN-backed Sport Positive and published by BBC Sport for three years running, tells us why he chose STAR EV.

Star for Spurs

Star for Spurs

“We needed an alternative form of transport for staff and VIPs around the Training Centre that has a reduced impact on the environment,” he explains. “We’re already investing in electric options for tending to the pitches and what we needed next was an electric solution that encompassed golf buggies, people carriers, utility vehicles and ambulances.”

Tottenham Hotspur is using 10 Capella Work Machines, three ambulances – two for the men’s team and one for the women’s – and a Sirius four-seater people carrier. All are electric and come with STAR EV’s record of using high quality materials to create one of the most resourceful green vehicles on the market.

With Tottenham Hotspur a proud member of the UN Race to Zero, committing to halve its carbon emissions by 2030 and become net zero carbon by 2040, its partnership with STAR EV will help it secure a place in the top tier of sustainability in sport.

Darren has been at the club for 26 years and has certainly seen many pivotal points in the industry, and he says electric power is up there with the likes of the DESSO Grass master pitch and grow light technology in terms of key developments: “It’s exciting, this stage of electric power. We’ve certainly achieved a lot so far but there’s a way to go yet and it has a far-reaching spectrum. Yes, the vehicles play a key part, but this is just the start, it will encompass all sorts, such as electric lighting rigs, too.”

With a grounds team of 45 using the machines, there’s a lot of feedback on using the brand. Darren says: “We put feelers out to many manufacturers and found that STAR EV leads the market when it comes to a smooth ride, versatility, payload and towing capacity, battery life and performance. We all really like them.

“We also did a great deal of research into the right partner to work with. We already have a successful relationship working with Reesink UK for our turfcare machinery, so when we heard they had an e-Vehicles division focusing solely on electric vehicles we trusted them with delivering us with the best possible solution for an all-electric fleet.”

And it seems Reesink e-Vehicles hit the nail on the head with STAR EV as Darren concludes: “STAR EV fits in exactly with what Spurs is all about and that’s having the best available game-changing equipment on the market there is. STAR EV meets the expectations we have for the club and the expectations we have for achieving climate neutrality.”

To talk to Reesink e-Vehicles about the STAR EV range, call 01480 226800 or go online at reesink-evehicles.co.uk

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Hunter performs for Spurs

Hunter performs for Spurs: Since upgrading to an advanced Hunter irrigation system, Tottenham Hotspur F.C’s incredible training centre has seen remarkable improvements according to Darren Baldwin, Head of Playing Surfaces & Estates, and Liam Plummer, Irrigation Technician.

Tottenham Hotspur F.C’s state of the art Enfield training centre needs little introduction. It is, after all, widely regarded as one of the best training facilities in world football.

Hunter performs for Spurs

Hunter performs for Spurs

“The chairman and I share the same vision in the sense that this facility must never look tired or old,” said Darren. “We are always developing, always adding, always tweaking, always looking to make improvements.”

This is exactly what he decided to do with the irrigation system which was purchased through KAR UK, a leading wholesaler of irrigation equipment and distributor of Hunter products.

“It was always going to be Hunter from KAR UK,” continued Darren. “The whole package is superior– from technical, set-up, products, flexibility, the design, it just all works for us.”

Not content with just a new upgraded irrigation system, perfectionist Darren also brought in Liam Plummer, an experienced Irrigation Technician, who recently joined from The Grove Golf Course.

“I was working in greenkeeping and irrigation for fifteen years, but this job really appealed to me because it enabled me to purely focus on irrigation,” said Liam. “I don’t see problems, instead I see solutions. I thought this job was just too good an opportunity to turn down.”

With 16 grass pitches and hundreds of acres of green spaces and landscaping areas, Liam quickly found that there is certainly enough to keep him busy. He does, however, admit that the upgraded Hunter system, which consists of three ACC2 controllers and the Centralus irrigation management platform, does make his life easier.

Hunter performs for Spurs

Hunter performs for Spurs

“The new software has helped me to put a watering schedule in place with ease, which is something we couldn’t do before,” he said. “We have three zones on this site and each ACC2 manages a separate zone with the Centralus software controlling those three areas.”

Hunter’s ACC2 controller delivers advanced water management to meet the demands of large-scale commercial projects. The ACC2 has built-in intelligence, with the ability to maintain preset flows on up to 6 flow zones simultaneously. Perfectly complementing the ACC2 is the Centralus irrigation management platform, which offers secure, comprehensive cloud-based control and monitoring features for ACC2 controllers. The connectivity allows users to view a controller’s status, change settings, enable automatic weather adjustments, view forecasts, save water and receive instant notifications of important system alarms.

Furthermore, it allows users to manage the ACC2 controllers remotely – as Liam explained.

“I can manage it all from my phone or laptop,” he said. “I can be anywhere and put any sprinkler on just by pressing a button. There have even been times when I’ve been sat on the sofa at home, and I’ve had a call asking me to turn some sprinklers on because they needed water after applying fertiliser to a pitch.”

The grass pitches at the training centre have also received a boost after the sprinklers were upgraded to the new TTS-885’s and I-80’s from Hunter. These powerful rotors boast some of the highest torque outputs of any rotor in the commercial sphere and provide total top serviceability (TTS) via their integrated, surface-mounted snap-rings for no-dig easy maintenance.

“They are by far the best sprinklers for large turf areas and are perfect for football pitches,” said Liam. “The coverage you get from them is fantastic. You get that all important uniformity across the whole pitch, due to the rotors and nozzle configuration being the same.

“I also like the fact that, if needed, you can take almost the entire sprinkler apart without having to de-pressurise or drain the system. It saves so much time. We also have Hunter’s MP rotators, and Pro spray nozzles on the landscaping areas such as our show lawns. They are short, low pressure, and they do exactly what we want them to do.

“I would say that the new Hunter sprinklers make us more accurate with our water usage which is very important these days.”

Hunter performs for Spurs

Hunter performs for Spurs

Darren agreed and revealed that Tottenham Hotspur F.C finished top of the 2020 Premier League Sustainability Table. Furthermore, he believes that the club’s efficient water management procedures certainly played a part in the award.

“We reviewed every single arc on every sprinkler to make sure we were not putting out too much, he said. “So, when it comes to water, and the irrigation, the system is designed around saving grey water – and we recycle this grey water back into our new Even Products irrigation tanks (also purchased through KAR UK) which give us greater capacity on the same footprint.

“Ultimately, the new Hunter software allows us to be more accurate with what we are using, and we also have less waste. The really good news out of all this is that it has massively improved our sustainability.”

With the new tanks and system supplied by KAR UK, Liam concluded by praising the support and service the club receives.

“The back-up from KAR UK is perfect,” he said. “They are always available to advise me on a product or a technical aspect I may be unsure of. If I need clarity on something, then Mike McDonnell (UK sales manager) will always come here to assist.”

For more information, please visit www.karuk.com

You can also follow KAR UK on Twitter @KARUK_LTD for much more news, reviews and insightful views.

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The Evolution Of Spurs

The Evolution Of Spurs: After almost two seasons of calling Wembley home, Tottenham Hotspur will finally play their first official game at their new ground on Wednesday 3rd April, hosting Crystal Palace in the Premier League.

The Tottenham Hotspur Stadium is jam-packed with endless aesthetic pleasures, from the revolutionary to the retro. The picturesque exterior to the sweeping curves of the stands, the stadium is a spectacular addition to the country’s capital.

Planning permission was submitted in 2009 for the new stadium, but it wasn’t until 2015 that the various hurdles were cleared and construction could finally begin. The opening fixture may have been delayed, but it’s safe to say it’ll be worth the wait!

The Evolution Of Spurs

Well, where to begin?

Let’s start with the largest statistic, the capacity. It was originally proposed that the stadium would hold 58,000, but the capacity gradually increased as the plans evolved. The final capacity was confirmed last year as 62,062 – a considerable increase on White Hart Lane’s 36,284. The stadium will become the seventh biggest in the United Kingdom, and the second largest in the PremierLeague, behind Old Trafford.

Spurs fans will be able to watch their goal replays on the highest quality screens, the largest of any ground in Europe, which stretch to a dazzling 325 sqm. There are also 1,800 smaller high definition televisions around the interior.

The Evolution Of Spurs

Now onto the playing surface (not just one pitch, but two!). The stadium will be the first of its kind in the United Kingdom to have two pitches inside the same bowl. The retractable, natural turf surface splits into three pitch-long steel trays. When the trays slide together, the join is invisible and imperceptible to the players.

The trays, weighing more than 3,000 tonnes each, can be rolled under the new South Stand to reveal the artificial surface in a process taking about 25 minutes. When the natural turf pitch is not required, it will live under the South Stand, for up to 10 days thanks to LED lighting, unique cooling and irrigation systems.

Tottenham have agreed a 10-year partnership with the NFL, making the new stadium a dedicated home for the sport in the United Kingdom. Alongside this, Saracens Rugby Club have a five-year partnership with Tottenham to play their annual showpiece fixture at the new stadium.

The Evolution Of Spurs

So, when did Harrod Sport get involved?

Harrod Sport and Tottenham Hotspur have a 25-year strong relationship, and with the obstacles surrounding Football, American Football and Rugby all being played at the stadium, it was important for Harrod Sport’s involvement in the early stages. So just how much went on behind the scenes with the design of the second largest stadium in the Premier League?

In October 2017, Mark Smith, Design Manager at Harrod Sport and Sales Manager, John Robinson met with the design engineers, the principal pitch contractor and Tottenham Hotspur’s Head of Playing Surfaces. The physical workings of Spurs state of the art, retractable pitch were viewed and discussed. The challenges faced as a company were extensive. Football, Rugby and American Football, all on a 0.5m deep framework pitch consisting of thousands of tonnes of steel framework! A challenge that Harrod Sport were excited and honoured to take head-on and deliver.

The Evolution Of Spurs

Challenges faced and how we overcome them

The distance between the single tier and the goal line is just five metres – meaning fans will be closer to the action than at any other newly developed Premier League stadium. This resulted in the pitch having a dramatically angled run-off. Due to this, advice was needed on net support locations to meet Tottenham’s net requirements with bespoke runback depths. The sockets were set into the steel framework and the run-off required specialist net supports to fit. Because of the angled run off, bespoke PVC foam wedges were also designed for the rear of the warm-up goals to sit on to create a level surface.

The NFL posed differing problems at both ends of the pitch. One was designed around the centre rail that the natural turf pitch rolls out over. To overcome this, the NFL foundation was designed exactingly to fit underneath the central rail with a removable hinge assembly attaching to the bottom section of the upright. The other end of the pitch proved just as challenging as this time the socket foundations needed to be mounted to a single capping beam located directly in front of the hydraulically raised goal line runoff.

Special sockets were also manufactured for the rugby posts to fit into pre-formed sleeves under the artificial pitch. For the natural turf pitch, the rugby post foundation needed to be mounted directly to the large metal structure making up the pitch tray and required bolt-down hinge adaptors and specialist turf trays.

To date, Harrod Sport has supplied their unique Stadium Pro Football Goals, NFL Posts, Millennium Rugby Posts, Turf Trays, Crowd Protection Ball Stop Systems, NFL & Rugby Lifting Devices, Goal Post Storage Trolleys, NFL & Rugby Post Protectors, Corner Poles, and Bespoke PVC Foam Wedges.

The Evolution Of Spurs

The club have without a doubt created one of the finest stadiums in the world for spectators and visitors, and in turn delivered a major new landmark for Tottenham and London. The extraordinary design will reset parameters surrounding what is achievable with multi-sport venues. Harrod Sport are honoured to have been involved in this amazing project and look forward to the opening game with excitement and pride.

Did you know that Harrod Sport are the suppliers of the bespoke Stadium Pro Football Goals to prestigious stadiums across the world? Learn more about Harrod Sport here.

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