PITCH MAINTENANCE TRAINING

Learn the essential Groundsmanship skills on Football Pitch maintenance.

Be competent on Best Practice methods to include

Pitch maintenance and renovation practices,

Pitch assessment using Performance Quality Standards,

Nutrition and Fertiliser application & Calibration,

Setting and Linemarking a new Playing surface.

To enrol on this course dayes Feb 1st, 8th and 15th please contact the Institute on This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it to secure a place.

MORTON STADIUM, SANTRY DUBLIN IRELAND – Headquarters of the Irish Institute of Sports Surfaces is Managed by the National Sports Campus Development Authority (NSCDA) under the remit of the Department of Sport.

The Stadium is well known as the National Athletics Stadium in Ireland but it has become much more than Athletics both indoors and ourdoors. It is a leading National Sports Facility and boosts one of the best Grass surfaces for field sports aswell as having an IAAF certified Olympic indoor and outdoor Athletics track.

Morton Stadium Santry Dublin Ireland best known for staging National Athletic events with some of our National stars such as Dearbhla O Rourke and Deirdre Ryan has grown in popularity for staging multi sports stars and teams. The Stadium in Santry has become an ideal preparation ground for the Ireland Cricket team as they prepare for their intercontinental tour. The Stadium pitch also hosts the Raheny Ladies FC team and host their matches the Senior ladies league, Drumcondra FC also use the pitch for their home game league games sharing the usage with the Raheny FC club. The facility also hosts other fixtures such as American football on occasion with teams from the American football league playing fixtures on the stadium pitch. Most recently the Dublin GAA Ladies Seniors also use the facility for training both in the Gym and the use of the high standard natural grass playing surface.

Clients include both local, national and international Sports stars.

The objectives of Synthetic Pitch Performance Testing whether its for the GAA,  FIFA or IRB Quality Concept their guidelines are there to ensure Synthetic pitches are constructed to the required quality.These guidelines are also important for the client to ensure their investment is installed correctly and that they provide satisfactory and safe playing environments throughout their service lives. Such tests include Head Injury Criterion, Surface Traction, Ball roll consistency are some of the tests involved.

However there is a three step process for the client to ensure they achieve the surface accredited by their sporting governing body:

Donal Kearney (IISS) Paul Hartnett (Cork City FC) Eamonn Naughton (League Chairman) Stephen Cahill (Turners Cross) Jer Doran (Whites Amenity)

Turners Cross and their grounds staff were awarded the 2011 'Pitch of the year award' by the FAI and the Irish Institute of Sports Surfaces. This took place at halftime of the FAI Cup final at the Aviva Stadium.

The Institute researched the condition of each of the top three grounds Tallaght Stadium, Sligo Rovers showgrounds and Turners Cross Cork City. Each pitch was measured on  industry performance quality standards. These standards are objective assessments. On this occasion Turners Cross achieved the most awarded points on the condition of their pitch. It is important that all pitch maintenance plans are geared towards improving the structural standards of the playing surface, creating a more wear tolerant playing surface and most importantly to improve player safety.

After Renovations          Before Renovations

In Darver Co. Louth the playing surfaces of the Louth GAA were recently renovated in a 2 week period. The playing surfaces are sand based pitches which receive a relentless amount of wear and tear all year round. The pitches are floodlit facilties used all year round by all age groups and especially for youth games of Cumann na mbunscoil and inter county training preparation.

Like all pitch renovations timing is essential to ensure surface conditions are suitable. A process of sand topdressing with the sand the pitch was built with, aeration (Hollowcoring), overseeding with 100% dwarf rye grass and fertilising to aid the recovery and nutritional requirements of the sward.

Morton Stadium  Dublin           Head Quarters of the Institute

Some of the Tests

Compaction tester, Soil Profile, Quadrant

If you do not measure your pitch, how do you know if conditions are either improving or at least achieving what is required? You need data against which to measure a pitch. Performance Quality Standards provide that essential data.

Measuring your pitch can provide an early indication of whether a pitch is ‘on the turn’ and provides an early warning of potential problems; this can be attended to before it becomes too late, as failing to act in time can often result in costly and embarrassing consequences.

PITCH RENOVATION

Grassroots club Tolka Rovers AFC is one of the oldest soccer clubs in Dublin. It was founded in 1922 and until 1982 the football club lived an itinerant existence. During this period the clubs' teams played their soccer matches at a number of venues around Finglas, Ballymun and Blanchardstown. Recognising the need of their facilties the club have always recognised the benefits of a good playing surface through a consistent maintenance programme. Today they proudly boost a fine playing surface which includes an automated watering system. The club recently renovated their pitch with a process of Hollowcoring, Topdressing, overseeding and fertilising. This has greatly relieved the seasons compaction, wear and tear, smoothenned and levelled the surface for the season ahead.The use of Barenbrugs Bar 7 hard wearing sportsturf grass seed and Osmo seaweed based  Pro1 15:3:8 fertiliser contributing greatly to a successful renovation

When setting out to build a new playing surface or improve an existing facility it is essential clubs do not rely on advice from a vested interest. The Irish Institute of Sports Surfaces provides a service that protects the clubs interests and will save you money!

• Site Investigation
• Providing a Solution that works!
• Ensuring a new Construction is completed efficiently
• Managing the Construction and the Maintenance to the satisfaction of the end user.

See www.irishsportsurf.ie/consultancy for further details

Using the correct sand is critical for clubs building a new playing surface. Purchasing sand based on price or on location could prove detrimental in the medium to longterm. Sand used on turfgrass must meet

• Particular particle size specification to ensure the right drainage characteristics
• and a maximum compatibility (bulk density) to ensure their is sufficient air porosity for healthy growth

                      Proctor Test

SAND  Specification

Brushing          Rejuvenation

Three types of maintenance are normally required on your 3 G Pitch Surface during different times of its life span:

1.     Routine regular maintenance

2.     Grooming or Renovation

3.     Rejuvenation

The frequency of such maintenance will vary and needs to be adjusted to reflect the hours of use but is likely to be at least weekly. Such maintenance is undertaken using specialist equipment and is likely to take around two hours per session for a full size pitch.