Module 3:

3.1 Introduction

1   In Module 2 we identified and described a small selection of the performance standards for a football pitch.

Now we can start to think about what work might be needed to ensure that a pitch is produced that is considered both fit for purpose and desirable by many players and other interested parties.

First up, we will probably consider mowing (or cutting if you like) the grass as a key activity, and that is quite right, it is a key activity, if not the key activity.

So that is one work activity identified already. That was easy.

  So, let’s have a think about what might be considered as another activity that is usually needed before each game can be played so that players and the referee can judge if the ball is in or out of play. Have you worked this one out yet?

2   There are quite a few other maintenance activities that are needed to ensure the production of a football pitch. We will have a look at some of these next.

If you are new to this industry and/or the role of a groundskeeper then this is going to be a lot harder to put some suggestions down when compared with a more experienced person.

Don’t worry about trying to describe the purpose of the activity at this stage of the course, although some of these are fairly obvious, just think about identifying the activities and putting them in a list. This will help us start to set the scene for what is involved in groundskeeping for a football pitch.

  Activity: Whether you have experience of groundskeeping or not, try and identify some of the other grounds’ maintenance activities used to look after a football pitch.

If you can list another 6 different activities, then that will be good going.

Note: We are thinking more about activities that might be common on pitches that might be classed as amateur, grass roots or school pitches, possibly up to pitches that host semi-professional players. Professional pitches will also carry out some more specialist type of work, which we are not considering here, for example, the use of undersoil heating, rootzone oxygenation or drainage by vacuum systems, and similar activities.