Make Your Pitch A Profitable Pitch

Do you look forward to renovation as a profitable and positive investment for the coming season or do you see it as a necessary chore to be carried out as cheaply as possible? If you are in the former group, then congratulations are in order. If you are in the latter I hope the following comments will stimulate some discussion and a possible change of heart.

Surely a good pitch really is the starting point for any club. A good pitch will result in a safer and improved playing experience for the players together with more games and less cancellations. Some loss is unavoidable, for example when there is ice and snow.

Consider however the cost of cancellation, a 300 gate at £5.00 per head is £1,500 plus bar, food, etc., all adds up to a considerable loss. Rescheduling of games for mid-week seldom attracts the same level of support. With an enhanced pitch reputation better players will be attracted to the club.

The commercial benefit of a good pitch is increased income which should more than repay the extra cost over the conventional end of season pitch work. An additional benefit is a lot less worry and stress for all concerned – only you can judge the importance of this.

What, I can hear you say, is the cost of all this. Currently clubs tell us they are spending on average £2,500 - £3,000 on renovation, a sum arrived at by clubs pleading poverty and contractors reducing prices to a point where the pitch may be green and beautiful for the opening game but certainly isn’t for long – result unhappiness all round.

Consider that the cost of materials of the proper quality – that is sand, seed and fertilisers is approaching £2,000. Sportsturf sand for example is in excess of £20.00 per tonne - it doesn’t leave much over for the contractor to spend enough time carrying out the renovation, keep his machines in good condition, pay his staff and, dare I say it, make a profit!

Our experience is that the problems of most pitches can be overcome at a reasonable cost. Renovate a pitch properly and, apart from mowing, divoting and marking, etc., all that is absolutely essential is winter vertidraining. You don’t need to have a shed full of equipment and this, in itself, represents a considerable saving. If, of course you can do more work such as spiking then do and the pitch will benefit.

We are often told that a pitch has a drainage problem and sometimes it has but more often than not it is a lack of basic maintenance. Renovate a pitch properly and wet spots usually disappear.

As part of our approach, Farmura Contracting totally de-compact the pitch and also hollow core the pitch, putting in 500 holes per square metre and plant the seed in the soil. Our system is modular and depending on what work needs to be carried out the cost is between £4,000 and £6,000. We can also look at improving the pitch over two or three seasons so reducing the cost in any one year.

Farmura’s approach to pitch care is to look to develop a partnership – carrying out the work best suited to a contractor and giving advice and guidance to help the club carry out work best suited to the club.

With many years in the trade we can usually source most things and in the past year have found equipment ranging from tractors to line markers and water removers! Why do we do it – at the end of the day a good pitch at your club is our best advertisement.

Finally, I cannot emphasise enough, irrigation is essential for at least the four to five weeks following renovation. While very few clubs have the luxury of an automatic irrigation system most have moveable, sprinklers. I would suggest that this is very inefficient as, with the best will in the world it is very difficult, if not impossible to get them moved on a regular basis. Travelling sprinklers which move up their own wire are not expensive and if your water pressure is very low a bit of ingenuity can solve the problem.

The final ingredient is time. There is increasing pressure to play games for longer into May and even the beginning of June and then for friendlies to start in July. Unfortunately nobody has told Mother Nature. A pitch needs a minimum of 8 weeks respite, 10 if you can get it and 12 would be perfect – anything less than 8 weeks and you aren’t giving the grass a chance.

How many extra supporters or games do you need to pay the extra cost – not many. Certainly our customers see their pitches as profitable investments. This year Doncaster Rovers won the Conference Pitch of the Year Award, Bedford Town reckon they have the best pitch they have had since it was built, Bromley are playing three teams and last year Lewes got to the first round of the FA Cup.

The secret of success? The application of good, old fashioned commonsense groundsmanship in partnership with people who care – it really does work. Good luck with your pitch this year.

Jonathan Harmer
Managing Director
Farmura Ltd

Farmura was established in the late 1960’s to develop the Farmura system of converting cow manure into organic fertiliser and is now a market leader in its class through continuing organic fertiliser innovation.

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