The Playing Season:
The spring season in Europe is the start of the playing season when all the matches are held. This is the busiest time for a groundsman. The FA recommends that the grass should be maintained between 25 to 35 mm for football, depending on the situation. Usually, a shorter, tougher grass will aid the ball to skid, resulting in a fast paced game, while grass on the taller side, results in a slower movement of the ball. Teams like Arsenal, who play a faster game would have the ground prepared with shorter grass. This is one of the factors that go into the advantage for the home team.
Matchdays:
For regular match seasons, the ground needs to be tended more carefully. Regular mowing of the lawn keeps the top surface of the pitch fresh for a game. A roller is also used to get equal crisscross patterns on the grass. Regular watering of the grass depending on the humidity in the air and dryness of the pitch has to be studied and implemented. During excessive rainfall, grounds are covered using large breathable tarpaulin. This is done to prevent over-wetting the ground, but aiding aeration of the grass at the same time.
Sometimes if the pitch is hit by snow, it becomes a real task for the groundsman to get it ready for the Match again. Take a look at how much work goes into these last minute preparations:
Post-Match Repair:
After a 90 minute encounter, the ground needs to be ‘re-fixed’. For this, spots where the turf has come out due to sliding tackles or kicking of the ball, the maintenance team replaces any loose divots or grass, especially in places where the bare earth is exposed. Then the grass has to be watered and fed nutrients to achieve the level and finish of the ground required for the next game.
Post Playing Season:
Post the playing season, the ground has to be re-prepared to overcome the compounded damage to the surface over the playing season. For this, the entire ground is irrigated, fed with fertilizers and mowed down to a height of below 15 mm grass. This is done mainly to rmove loose earth and debris. In winter, with snowfall it is often difficult to maintain grounds. With the richer teams like Premier League teams, expensive technology like under-soil heating and UV glow lights is used to maintain the ground in snow. However, smaller clubs have to resort to washing the ground with more than 15000 litres of water to remove a settled frost cover.
FA Rules:
FA prescribes tests and standards for ground maintenance. This is done mainly to maintain safe and healthy working conditions, develop a standard practice for ground maintenance and maintain playing standards for pitches at international level. For Example, ground cover should be maintained at 70 – 80% depending on the sward height of the grass and is tested by the BS:7370 P3 A6 standards.
So it can be seen that behind every successful game played, every lush green pitch seen on Television, there is a set of hard-working and dedicated groundsman, who is more than often overlooked by us fans. It is said that the success of a drama is dependent on the dedication of the back-stage crew and this stands true for football too!
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