On April 14th and 17th 2015, Hydraparts (the Campey Imants dealer in France) organized its ‘Preparation Tour’ in Rennes and Lille. We were there at the latter to witness the techniques, products and machinery used to renew the sports pitches for the new season.
François Brouillet (Managing Director) spoke about the principles of English groundsmen and how they developed a system to prepare sports pitches at the end of the season in order to get them ready for the next: the end of season preparation. François explained about the techniques and the equipment that is being used. These operations are key to understand the differences in behavior during the following season, comparing British pitches and the rest of Europe.
By the end of the season it appears the pitches are in good condition, but nothing is less true. Closer study shows the wear of busy play areas. Annual bluegrass is a recurring problem for all pitches. This creates a root system with waterproof area.
End of season renovation will fix this:
- Fraise mowing: surface removal
- Sanding the etched surface
- Aeration and removal
- Mixing and levelling
- Sowing
François said it’s important to join the discussion with each other, because
“if you do what you always did, you will get the results you have always obtained”.
The first part of the day was filled with presentations from different companies, suppliers and all the components involved in the process of.
The ESSMA staff was also there to talk in brief about the contribution Hydraparts (Campey Imants) and other ESSMA Pitch partners bring to the association on the subject of knowledge and expertise.
Phil Sharples (Director of pitches – Gabala FC in Azerbaijan) was the last speaker to give an inspirational presentation on renovation scheduling for soccer. Phil has 28 years of experience in the industry, worked for high profile clubs and was lead agronomist for two FIFA World Cup events.
Phil’s aim of his presentation was to
- Discuss new technology that allows to stimulate grass growth and therefore help in renovation
- Look into what the issues could be with poor growth and plant development
- Look at the possible solutions to maintain growth all year
- Discuss some (not all) management technique for renovation
- Help think differently and hopefully clearly
In the afternoon all different techniques and machines were shown in action, so people could witness with their own eyes how everything is done and how the UK approach can be a good one for French groundsmen. Felix Peters (Managing Director Imants) and his team were also present and saw a load of keen participants on the pitches. At the end here was enough time for an intensive Q&A and to ask questions to the right people.
If you’d like to know more about this event or about Hydraparts/Campey Imants, don’t hesitate to contact us.
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