Tag Archive for: Tottenham

Stylish Sirius for Tottenham

Stylish Sirius for Tottenham: The role of head groundsman is pivotal at any facility, but especially one the size of Tottenham Hotspur’s. That’s why the club has recently invested in the Sirius, an electric buggy from STAR EV for its Head of Playing Surfaces and Estates.

Darren Baldwin has been at the club in North London for 26 years and has 18 acres to get around including 15 grass pitches and the world’s first dividing retractable stadium pitch, and a team of 45 to manage, so it was essential he had his own transport – and for that the STAR EV Sirius 2+2 was perfect. Unlike other brands that repurpose fleet cars, the Sirius was designed specifically as a personal transportation vehicle.

Stylish Sirius for Tottenham

Stylish Sirius for Tottenham

Darren says: “Being responsible for the delivery of pitch maintenance to the highest standards, managing a team of staff to deliver the highest quality playing surfaces and having first team commitments to work around, being able to work flexibly is really important. I need to be able to get around the grounds at ease and speed. When it comes to vehicles that do that well, it’s not rocket science, but it’s not always done right. When it comes to the quality, the finish, and the details of STAR EV, it’s above and beyond what other brands offer.”

As well as for his own use, Darren also uses the Sirius to host VIP tours and that’s when the quality of the Sirius really comes to the fore, as he explains: “A part of my role is to do VIP tours, and this buggy is a good marketing point for that. Being all-electric the ride is quiet, smooth and there are no fumes. The quality of the seats, alloy wheels as standard, easy read digital display, the built-in screen on the dash – that’s something not all brands have, all amounts to delivering a stylish ride for guests.

“It has a sporty look, too, which is very attractive, and we’ve branded it up, so it really does look the part and is just a pleasure to use.”

Darren opted for the canopy design with a glass screen and wiper, which brings the best of both worlds to those using it, keeping passengers cool, allowing for air flow, providing shade from the sun and shelter from the rain, while offering the best possible visibility in all weathers.

The Sirius joined the club alongside a fleet of 18 other all-electric work machines and ambulance vehicles and is probably as big a leap from the technology present at the club when he started as could be. Daren explains: “When I started it was just me, I had one pedestrian mower for the stadium, a set of three gang mowers for the training pitch and a compact tractor. There was no electricity or water to the shed. I’ve literally seen it go from the worst facilities to the best in the world.

“Now the club leads the premier league when it comes to reducing its emissions and we’re doing our part on the grounds side of that. We use battery-powered mowers for maintaining the pitches and with the arrival from STAR EV now have an all-electric fleet for the grounds too. It really represents how far the club has come.”

Contact Reesink about the STAR EV range by calling 01480 226800 or go online at reesink-evehicles.co.uk

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Tottenham Not Allowed To Alter Wembley Pitch

Tottenham not allowed to alter Wembley pitch – Tottenham’s plans to reduce the size of the Wembley playing surface have been blocked by the Premier League.

Tottenham not allowed to alter Wembley pitch

Spurs will play their home matches at the national stadium next season while their new £800million home is built ready for the start of the 2018 – 19 season.

Mauricio Pochettino’s side played five times at Wembley last season in Europe and the FA Cup, but only won one of those matches.

Part of their problems at Wembley was put down to the size of the pitch which doesn’t suit their high-pressing game; the White Hart Lane surface was the second smallest in the league ahead of Stoke at 100m by 67m, while Wembley’s surface is 105m by 69m.

The Premier League introduced rules two years ago to standardise pitches at 100m by 68m. The only pitches that are allowed to be smaller are those in older grounds, like White Hart Lane and Stamford Bridge, where there isn’t room to extend the pitch outwards.

Because Wembley does have the space to meet the Premier League’s minimum requirement for a pitch, Spurs won’t be allowed to make the dimensions any smaller, although they could request it is reduced from 69m to 68m, per the league’s rules.

According to the Times, it was made clear to Tottenham at a meeting of the Premier League’s 20 chairman that they would not be allowed special dispensation to change the size of the pitch.

That could be an issue for Spurs as they seek to improve upon their second-placed finish last season. Pochettino’s men secured a record high finish and points haul, but fell short in the title race behind eventual champions Chelsea.

When it is built, the pitch at Tottenham’s new stadium will also have to confirm to the pitch size rules.

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