Sports Pitches
Dependent upon the nature of the activity, be it football, cricket or golf, there will be different performance requirements for the soil rootzone. The requirement for most pitches is to transmit water rapidly away from the surface. The proposed intensity of use both in terms of the nature of the activity, i.e. bowling greens in comparison to rugby pitches and in terms of potential duration, i.e. local amenity pitches in comparison to Premier League soccer pitches, will define the performance requirements of the rootzone and underlying soils. In the UK it has been shown that winter games pitches based on natural soils will sustain approximately 2 hours of play per week. Without careful soil management excessive use of such pitches can lead to a degradation of the physical condition of the soil ultimately resulting in cancellations. The suitability of a soil profile to support a healthy grass sward for a particular sporting activity is best assessed through a combination of on-site soil survey combined with both physical and chemical laboratory analysis.
- Soil Profile Assessment
A member of the Institute of Professional Soil Scientists would attend the site to carry out an intrusive investigation, which would include exposing the soil profile, both the surface soil and underlying subsoil, to determine the physical condition of the soils and the likely drainage potential. This would be combined with chemical testing to determine the fertility status and physical testing to determine the textural characteristics as well as the porosity and permeability of the soils within the profile.
- Management Options
The results of the soil survey would be presented in an interpretative report detailing the quality of the site soils and their potential to support a healthy grass sward for the chosen sporting activity. In instances where the soil is below a specified standard or where a pitch is displaying signs of poor growth, recommendations for renovating or improving the soils would be provided. There is a wide range of management options available to construct, renovate or improve a sports pitch, be it through fertilisers, sand amelioration or the installation of a formal drainage system. At TGEN our recommendations are designed to provide practical solutions to the management needs of the pitch, whilst taking account of the available budget, whether it be for a Premier League pitch or a local authority park.