hatfield broad oak youth football club
TRANSCRIPT
Hatfield Broad Oak YFC
Hatfield Broad Oak Youth Football
Club
Pitch Improvement Programme
Initial Report
Supported by
08/01/2020
Hatfield Broad Oak YFC
Section One – Background/Objectives
Background and Visit Objectives
This report has been compiled for Hatfield Broad Oak YFC and Essex CFA to see how support can be offered in improving the standard of football pitches and level of maintenance across the area. Please note this report has been produced on the basis of evidence found during the initial visit and is for guidance purposes only.
It will give:
• An overall appraisal of the site and maintenance
• To improve the playability of the football pitches
• Advise and recommend the appropriate way forward for the club
Overall Summary/General appearance
The initial visit to the park was upon the request from the club to the Essex County FA, representatives of the club were present for part of this visit. A basic Performance Quality Standard (PQS) assessment was carried out across the pitches.
The club had the following comments to say about the reason for the request and the current condition and maintenance of the pitches at the recreation ground:
The land was landscaped, and the pitches created in 2010/11. Since then the pitches have been neglected by the parish council. They have minimal number of grass cuts and some weed killing. There is a lot of moss. The drainage has not been maintained.
The plan is the parish council will sub lease the pitches to the HBO Sports and Community Club on behalf the clubs. In exchange for public use of the land the parish council will provide maintenance.
The cricket outfield and football pitches have been neglected for several years with minimal maintenance. We need an assessment of what needs to be done initially to bring them up to a good standard and what is a realistic ongoing maintenance regime. We need an idea of budgets for this so we can make sure between the clubs and the parish councils sufficient funds are set aside.
The grass cut up to 22 times a year by a contactor and the cricket club have done a few extra cuts. There has been broad leaf weed killing up to twice a year.
Conclusions and Recommendations:
Only part of the field is currently being used for football, the 11 v 11 pitch has a primary drainage system in place, but the rest of the ground has no drainage in at all and as a result the one pitch is taking all the current usage and will ultimately suffer in the long run if continued, the whole site was assessed and the main issues with the pitch and the outfield in general at the time of my visit were:
• Compaction
• Vertical Root Depth
• Pest & Disease in the form of moss and worm castings
Hatfield Broad Oak YFC
Other areas that could also be looked at being improved include:
• Ground Cover/desirable grasses %
• Surface levels – drainage runs would benefit from being topped up
• Thatch
National soil survey http://www.landis.org.uk/soilscapes/# describes the local soil as ‘ Free draining, loamy soils with a Lime rich Fertility’. Finger and visual textural analysis from samples collected at the site suggests this is correct
The main components of a high-quality playing surface are the amount of grass coverage and the quality of grass cover. A healthy dense grass sward accompanied with a deep root system will provide better resistance to wear and tear provide a stable and uniform playing surface to enable more matches to be played but to also improve the quality of experience for the end user.
The following below should be looked at along with the other recommendations within this report in the key priorities section in particular, along with the maintenance guide and basic machinery needs if the pitches are to be improved in the future
• All maintenance should only take place as and when ground conditions allow and at their optimum, if too wet then keep off, as this will lead to further damage
• The current football pitch was overall in a condition as to be expected for the time of year, the remainder of the field should look to be utilized more in terms of adding additional mini/junior pitches as there is room to achieve this, but extra maintenance of these areas would be required in order for this to happen
• Autumn/Winter fertilizer:
An application of Autumn/winter fertilizer as soon as possible is recommended to provide the grass plant with the required nutrients and to combat the red thread found on the pitch. Be aware to use a low Nitrogen fertilizer in the winter as the plant shuts down it cannot accept excessive nitrogen and it could lead to disease. Soil analysis is recommended, this will help dictate the fertilizer program needed in the future to maintain well balanced nutrition to the grass plant.
• Worm Control:
Worms conduct a valuable contribution to plant and soil health, breaking down excess organic matter, creating pore spaces and channels with the soil profile improving ingress of air, Water and nutrients. Sadly, this benefit is often negated by the detrimental effect of worm castings at the surface where they are easily smeared by foot or machine traffic creating muddy conditions, an uneven playing surface, smothering grasses and providing an ideal environment for weed seeds to germinate. Eradication of the worm population is neither practical nor achievable and managing both the population and the detrimental effects of casts is the favored option.
Annual applications of a worm depressant at the manufacturers recommended rate for worm control are the chemical option. Conducted during moist, warm weather when worms are most active. On basic level football pitches this is rarely the preferred option unless worm casts become so abundant that machinery becomes clogged.
Mechanical control and management are favored through regular harrowing/drag matting/brushing of the surface when casts are in a dry enough condition to break up and spread without smearing of the turf surface.
• Surface grooming
Chain harrowing will be of benefit, turned upside down and pulled over the surfaces when slightly moist in
Hatfield Broad Oak YFC
the autumn/spring this will help with the unevenness of kick marks. This can be complimented by regular drag matting and regular brushing to get the grass plant standing upright and growing vertically to help allow the air flow to the surface. These operations will also help with the control and prevention of thatch/organic matter build-up, control the moss and disperse worm castings when ground conditions allow
• Pitch Rotation:
If possible, move the pitches over to move wear and tear in the same areas year after year. Consider adding an extra goal socket so that pitches can be moved over each season, portable goalposts make this easier to achieve provided that you have the space to carry this out. Utilize the whole field where possible for
mini/junior pitches and training. Example across:
• Machinery Improvements:
Where possible new additional machinery should look to be purchased as highlighted in the machinery needs section of this report to help the volunteer ground-staff make best use of their time spent looking after the pitches and be able to carry out annual basic maintenance of the playing surfaces found at the ground
• Mowing heights:
It may prove prudent to slightly alter the mowing height across the football pitch in order to protect the grass plant against wear and tear, growth is slowing down and recovery rates rapidly reduced. The remainder of the cricket outfield would benefit from a more regular cutting regime to be put in place as and when required and not just through the cricket season.
Hatfield Broad Oak YFC
Section Two – Club/Site/Pitch Details
Hatfield Broad Oak YFC
Club/Organisation: Hatfield Broad Oak Youth Football Club
Site Address: Hatfield Broad Oak, Village Green. Postcode: CM22 7HE
Active Places Site ID: 6021404
Main contact job title / responsibility:
Mark Strutt - Chairman
Tel: 01279 717169 Mob: 07825940645
Email: [email protected]
Groundsman Mark Strutt Qualified: No IOG Member:
No
Mobile: 07825940645 Email: [email protected]
Number of ground staff:
2 Volunteer /Professional
Volunteer
Maintenance budget per season (£):
TBC Renovation Budget TB
In House: Yes Contractor: Yes Local Authority:
No
Site Owner: William Gosling leases-Hatfield PC
Site Size (Ha): 2.5 Ha
RPA Phil Jeggo Site visit 08/01/2020
Hatfield Broad Oak YFC
Hatfield Broad Oak YFC
Section Three – Assessment and general information
Section Four – Cancellations
Number of cancellations initial visit: 3
NLS Step Charter Standard Number of teams
Step 7 & Below Yes - Charter Standard
Adult Male 1
Mini Soccer 3
Youth Male 0
Youth Female 0
Adult Female 0
Pitch Size Number Initial comments
11 v 11 1 In decent condition typical of normal wear and tear
9 v 9 1 In decent condition typical of normal wear and tear
7 v 7 1 In decent condition typical of normal wear and tear
5 v 5 2 In decent condition typical of normal wear and tear
Additional Facilities e.g. Dual Sport.
Details Initial comments
Cricket 1 Not applicable
Choose an item. Choose an item. Not applicable
Hatfield Broad Oak YFC
Section Five PQS – Performance Quality Standards
This report utilizes the Performance Quality Standard criteria (PQS) as endorsed by the Football Association (FA) and published by the Institute of Groundsmanship (IOG) as benchmark standards for safe, true, consistent and fit for purpose playing facilities.
IOG/FA PQS Table - Football Pitch - Mid Season - 1st Visit
Hatfield Broad Oak Pitch Location Indicative Grading Results
Assessment Criteria Unit Goal
Mouth (1)
Centre Circle
Goal Mouth
(2) Median PQS Grade
1 Length of grass mm 45 45 45 45 Good
2 Total grass cover % 65 65 65 65 Basic
3 Desirable grasses % 55 55 55 55 Basic
4 Weeds % 11 11 11 11 Good
5 Pests & Diseases % 25 25 25 25 Poor
6 Thatch mm 15 15 15 15 Basic
7 Root depth mm 50 50 50 50 Poor
8 Growing Medium mm 120 120 120 120 Basic
9 Pitch surface levels mm 25 25 25 25 Basic
10 Compaction PSI
Below Standard
11 Goal posts Vis Compliant
12 Line Marking Vis
FALSE
Standard
13 Surface debris % Standard
14 Pitch Usage % Standard
Performance Quality Standard: Basic
FACS Threshold Standard Threshold for Total Grass Cover Achieved
Pitch Advisor: Phil Jeggo
Date of Assessment: 8th January 2020
Hatfield Broad Oak YFC
Assessment/Description - Picture * = Site Picture
Mowing Height* 45 mm
Bare areas % * 35 mm
Desirable grasses 55 %
Undesirable grasses 10 %
Weeds 11 %
Pests and disease 25 %
Thatch 15 mm
Root depth* 50 mm
Growing medium* 120 mm
Presentation/ appearance* 30 %
Goalposts* Compliant
Peak soil strength Below Standard
Surface levels/Evenness* 25mm -
Post- match divoting: No
Click on the link below for more information on PQS assessment
Hatfield Broad Oak YFC
Section Six – Useful Links
Details Web Address
The Football Association (FA) www.thefa.com
Football Foundation http://www.footballfoundation.org.uk/
Sport England/IOG Football Groundsmanship
www.groundsmanship.co.uk/football/football-groundsmanship
Football Stadia Improvement http://www.fsif.co.uk/
The FA Hive thefa.hivelearning.com/groundskeeping
The Institute of Groundsmanship (IOG) www.iog.org
IOG learning https://www.iog.org/learning
IOG Turfcare Advisory https://www.iog.org/learning/turfcare-advisory
Section Seven – Current Machinery
Current machinery summary: The current machinery stock is inadequate and unsuitable to provide the maintenance needed in order to produce a playing surface which meets the required benchmarked standard. See reccomendations section for further information
Machinery Type
Operating Hours, Age
New or Second Hand
Comments reflecting suitable/unsuitable. Comment on reliability, and if relevant
frequency of servicing.
Ransome Mastif 36" Mower Second Hand 2017
Unsuitable for purpose
No other machinery owned by the club N/A
Add a comment
Contractor maintained machinery used on rest of pitches/feild
N/A Add a comment
N/A Add a comment
Hatfield Broad Oak YFC
Section Eight – Recommendations
Maintenance
Outline maintenance guide
Maintenance Item Timing and/or
Frequency Additional Comments
Mowing Maintain between 25-
40mm
Important to alternate direction of mowing. No more than 30% removed in one operation.
Line Marking Weekly Approved line marking products should be used.
Aeration - slitting Playing Season Star slitter – not an agricultural slitter.
Decompaction Renovation, Autumn
See more detailed comments in terms of machine type and operating depth e.g. 250mm.
Turf Nutrition Spring, Summer and Autumn
Ensure appropriate formulations are used e.g. Spring Summer NPK 9:7:7. The use of a controlled slow release type should be
looked at being applied as a minimum twice a year if funds allow.
Weed Control Non-Playing Season
Must be applied by a certified contractor.
Seeding and Over-seeding
End of season and in season
End of season over-seeding should ideally be undertaken using a disc/drill seeded. 35g per square metre using Dwarf
Perennial Ryegrass.
Worm and Pest Control
As required Must be applied by a certified contractor.
Top Dressing End of season Should budgets permit – ideally 60 tonnes per full size pitch – medium coarse sand.
Scarification End of Season Contractor recommended.
Hatfield Broad Oak YFC
Key Priorities
Decompaction:
A decompaction operation is essential for aeration to allow air, water and nutrients to pass into and through the profile increase drainage and improve the breakdown of organic matter (thatch). This will increase the infiltration of water through the soil profile and help the problem of waterlogging.
Instigate a programme of deep decompaction operations to be conducted twice annually (October & May) with a vertical action machine at using 18-24mm tines at 100mm spacing’s to achieve maximum heave and penetration without compromising surface integrity. If funds are limited concentrate operations in identified areas suffering from greater levels of compaction.
An intermittent surface aeration programme would be beneficial for example slitting and/or spiking every 2-4 weeks when conditions allow.
In season weekly maintenance:
Throughout the year when conditions permit supplement decompaction and mowing operations with regular surface slitting and grooming to reduce surface compaction, improve ingress of water, air and nutrients and maintain connection between surface and deeper rootzone with attendant fractures and fissures. Aim to complete slitting with either a spiked drum type or disc slitter on a monthly to six-week cycle with surface grooming weekly during the playing season. The latter most effective if conducted by a combination turf grooming tool fitted with attachments for surface slitting, rake, brush and polishing roller.
Hatfield Broad Oak YFC
End of season renovations to Goalmouths and high use areas: In areas devoid of vegetation cultivate to create a tilth and relieve compaction before incorporating a sand/soil 50/50 rootzone, 70/30 or 80/20 mix especially in the goalmouths to add extra binding strength (2-5x1 tonne dumpy bags being sufficient). Firm and restore levels prior to a further light raking and seeding. If possible, cover with germination/protection netting (scaffold debris netting will do) and irrigate to keep soil moist. If depressions are deep in goalmouths & center circles, then restore these levels first with top-dressing before seeding for better germination, this will help aid the playing surface levels in these key areas. To restore the surface levels across the whole pitch then a regular application of between 60 – 100 tonnes per pitch of suitable/compatible sports turf top-dressing would need to be applied as part of the end of season renovations.
Over-seeding High Use Areas: To improve grass coverage and quality over-seeding is required using a dwarf perennial ryegrass mix of at least three cultivars. This should be applied using either a drill seeder of disc seeder which sows the seed directly into the soil at a rate of 30-40gsm per square metre. Timing of application is key, as seed will struggles to germinate in dry hot weather without irrigation. Consider over seeding two weeks before the conclusion of the playing season as this will allow maximum time for germination and establishment to take place. Work with seed representative to identify to best seed cultivars for your requirements. Bear in mind, the highest rated
seeds require a higher input, i.e. irrigation and fertiliser etc.
Hatfield Broad Oak YFC
Machinery Needs
Machinery Requirement Size/Specification Additional Comments
Combination turf grooming attachment
To fit Compact Tractor, to include a brush/rake/slitter/polishing roller attachment, 180 cm width
To help in restoring/preparing pitch during season and help with surface levels and all- year maintenance
Compact tractor 28-34 HP 28-34 Hp, 3-point rear linkage, pto. turf tyres
Would benefit club & improve pitches if they were to have their own compact tractor, which they could then run the various attachments off to help club with better management of the pitches
Rotarly roller mower To fit above compact tractor, 2m Would help in improving grass coverage, overall presentation and time it takes to currently cut pitches, lower maintenance costs also
Training
Successful sports surface management requires a committed, motivated and trained workforce to conduct operations in a timely, efficient and safe manner.
The Institute of Groundsmanship provide a full range of training and education packages, endorsed by the Football Association to suit all experience levels from volunteer to professional.
http://ioglearning.co.uk/
Training Need Provider
IOG Level 1 Institute of Groundsmanship (IOG)
IOG Level 1 Online Blended Learning Football Institute of Groundsmanship (IOG)
IOG Level 2 Institute of Groundsmanship (IOG)
Hatfield Broad Oak YFC
GaNTIP Contact
RPA: Phil Jeggo
Email:
Tel: 07934 299 825
County Football Association Contact
CDM Nick Emery
Email:
Tel: 01245 393077
Football Foundation Contact
TPM: Billy Fox
Email:
Tel: 0345 345 4555 ext4286
For all funding enquiries or to discuss this report further please contact the County Football Association (CFA).