Happy Xmas & New Year from all at Stanley Park

All the best everyone for 2015 

Tough couple of weeks.......

Tough couple of weeks as Mother Nature has turned on the wet stuff, but the worm spraying is working a treat, well worth doing. The above pitch has had 4 matches played on it this weekend, and 9 in the past two weekends, it what has been really wet and poor weather. Really pleased to see the pitches looking like this, some look a bit worse but as soon as today has gone the rest of the week is forecasted dry, and then we can kick on to next weekend where we have another 30+ matches :-) 

Worm spraying paying off!!

The worm spraying so far has paid off hugely! The silt on top has gone!! No more casts!! The guys are out most this week verti draining main usage areas on pitches filling up from deep slitting all last week. The fields are green and lush, but soon it will be winter fertilisation time. All good at Stanley!! 

Worms & Slitting, and cutting in between :-)

Worms casts sprayed off last week, so had 48hrs of no cutting, and after a heavy weekends play, this week we are cutting, and deep slitting. We have been able to get down 10inches on slitting with no plucking, would ideally like to go deeper, but will have to do for now. Fields recovering well. Slight rest now for some pitches due to half term in schools, then it will be winter fertilizer time!! Happy days. Hope all is well with everyone. 

The Cutting Continues........

With October just a touch away the weather is still warm, Indian summer? Either way the grass is green and being cut to 25mm 3 times per week, its thick and lush. Verti draining started this week, this will take 2 weeks to complete 38 acres, but needs to be done. We are currently holding off on 6-7month fertilizer  feed, as it's just not needed yet, I think this will be done mid to late October. Facility looks great, feedback has been incredible from users and visitors, very proud :-) 

3G, it has it's place.

3G has once again been bought into the news with Wales match in the euro qualifiers, and not great press coverage. In my opinion it has it's place, all over the world our beautiful game, and other sports are being played on this versitle surface, and these matches games training can all take place on this incredible surface. You will never beat playing on grass, ever, but 3G has it's place, last season we would of cancelled over 260 matches and 3 months of training for teams, but because of this surface, all training went ahead, and over 200 matches did take ace only having to cancelled 50 matches in the wettest winter in over 100 years..........maintenance completed today, it's so worth it! 

Anniversary Tournament 2014 120 teams over the weekend

120 teams will descend on Stanley Park this weekend for the facilities 10th year anniversary. The pitches are looking incredible and i, as manager of this great site, am very very proud of my team and it's work spirit, they never fail to amaze me on what they produce for the money available to them, thank you team, and visitors enjoy.

3G marked, over marking complete.....

Over marking on grass and 3G complete as the build up slowly continues, only 5 matches and u16 county trials this weekend, in 1 weeks time, boom 120 at site over the weekend, then non stop till next May 2015!! Happy days!

Another Fresh Marking Day Tomoz.....

All the rest of the areas are now ready to be fresh marked. 3 Adult, 2 9v9 and 2 minis were freshly marked out 2 weeks ago. Over 25 matches later across the 3 adult pitches, we now have the other 3 minis, and a further 3 adult pitches to get freshly marked. All the timings have been spot on this renovation period, sun, rain etc has all come at the right time, great forecasting and planning by Nige and his 1 man team. Even though season has started it really ko in 2 weeks!! Then boom, 30 matches per weekend there forward!! 

FIFA 3G weekly maintenance morning

After the great job completed by Daniel Sheppard of Grass Valet last week, today is flexicombe and brushing time. Training Nick the new groundsman on this task, along with data recording and monitoring. Grass pitches pretty much up together, just need rain/wet stuff, irrigation being sorted today fingers crossed after breakdown Monday. Next week will be cracking on with fresh pitch marking and goal prep ready for first league fixtures of the 2014/15 season. Hope all is well with all readers.

38 acres, cut cut cut!!

After the lovely wet stuff Saturday the grass is growing like mad, and it looks and feels under foot great! Now please excuse me got another 14 pitches to mark and 2 more cuts this week....... Could be worse! Lol all the best to you all 

First markings have started for 2014/15

First markings going down!! Love white fresh lines on fresh green grass!! 1 pitch down, 15 to go!! 

Prem pitch has also had a Primmo Max spray today, all good

FIFA 3G maintenance today for work experience lads

FIFA 3G maintenance today for work experience lads. They both play on it week on week and cannot believe how much work goes into maintaining such a pitch. Brushing, flexicombe, tine, infill, clean, litter pick, weed spray and goal post maintenance. Hope weather holds, both doing a top job!

So far so good........

Fertilizer kicking in after rain and sun! Greening up nice, next lot of top dressing to go down on main pitch, then another hard burst of fertilizer and away we go! Just a little wet stuff from upstairs now and again would be just dandy :-)

3G de compaction day & fertilizer spreading on grass.

Today and this week we are de compacting the 3G and fertilising all the fields ready for the showers scheduled later in the week. Pro-turf and Primo going down. Fingers crossed for the wet stuff!! Hope all your renovations are going to plan all :-) 

Specific Irrigation at Stanley

Need water on the pitches, so irrigation is fully underway and flowing today! But with 39 acres of pitches it's hard to know where, last year we just watered everywhere, and cost a small fortune, which now we can't do with town council budgets being even more tighter than before, so we have purchased a soil moisture kit from delta, so we can take moisture ground levels all over the site and irrigate where needed instead of guess work! 

Verti-Draining & Seeding

The past two weeks has been flat out, very draining and drill seeding. All top dressing is now down, well the first 460 tonnes, a further 80 will be spread early July in heavy areas from last season. Perfect conditions for drill seeding this week. All going to plan so far........... Hope Mother Nature does her bit in a week or so's time! 

80 tonnes spread, 430 to go..............

80 tonnes was spread today in house by Nige. 430 tonnes left to go down in the next 7 days, 30 of which is 70/30 root zone for goal areas and line mans areas. All bar 1 pitch will change location for next season, so all pitches will have spot on goal areas etc. Once top dressing is spread, we then have 20 x 25kg bags of Johnson's Prem seed to drill into areas of less than 90% coverage, which isn't much, then 140 bags of fertilizer once seed germinates and starts showing. July we have another 60 tonnes of top dressing to go onto the main pitch, but all will be worked in with vertidraining, quadraplaying and drag matting, all going to plan do far! Just hope Mother Nature stays on our side!! All the best to all in this manic renovation period!

Let the renovations begin!

First delivery of many, 480 tonnes of Leighton Buzzard top dressing and 30 tonnes of 70/30 root zone to get down in 2 weeks starting Monday. All completed in house with 2 grounds staff. May the fun begin!! 

The season end is Nigh

It's been a long hard season with over 2850 matches and training sessions at the site, not including tournaments, fun weeks or FA courses. The facility, pitches, have coped extremely well, but only down to passionate committed grounds staff but also from the understanding supportive volunteers who use us, I cannot emphasis enough how the relationship between the two groups is, thank you ALL.

Busy busy week!

Busy week, Wiltshire County School finals tomorrow, 9 matches, and the a further 25+ to fit in before and over the weekend. Nigel is back so the serious work can start, and new groundsman starting tomorrow so looking great! 

Sneaky cut as no match today on pitch, weather is stunning today!

FIFA 3G in house de-compaction day

Long process, about 6hrs per month, but the results are great, the back isn't! Lol

Another week closer.......

Busy week this week play wise on the pitches. Had to quadraplay every other day with a full week of fixtures mid week and the weekend. Final bits of materials booked and ordered for renovations, and now ready for the busy works programme hitting us in mid may. Have a great weekends play everyone! 

Sun is shining!!

Good start to the week. All cutting under control, and all looking good. Great STRI report has come through. Quadraplay and deep slitter will be in action this week. Quiet weekend over bank holiday so can really get on top of things, especially being 2 men down, and have been now for over 6 weeks. Troops have down incredibly well to keep on top of things, with even my caretaker taking to the mowing!! :-) 

Good days work!

Well done troops, with limited staff you never fail to amaze me, 38 acres looking like this, great days work, all pitches cut, quadraplayed, line marked. All to do again Thursday and Friday to make tip top for weekend. On the quadraplay we only have the aerator and light roller lowered, the brush and scarifier will be lowered nearer renovation time. 

This week, 7th April 2014

Wet start to the week, and after weekends play pitches have stood up well. All pitches will get a slight rest now due to Easter holidays before the final run in till the end if the season in May. Too wet today to do anything, just light divot repairs done. Tomorrow looking to get kit back out on pitches. Front and top field need a feed in the next couple of weeks, back field still lush and green, but will need aerating at some point, probably Wednesday. Have a great week all. 

Good week so far.........

Weather has been perfect! Quadraplaying  done, 2 cuts done, now to finish off line marking, and maybe another trim before the weekend. STRI & FA visit today, hope sun shines when they come! Have a good day all :-) 

Start of another week........

Busy weekend done, now the start of another, mid week matches now come into play on grass, so more work load. Tidy up site today, all cut and divot repair complete. Now to kick on with quadraplaying and line marking for rest of week with final trim Thursday, with final touches Friday. Staff have come together massively, and still have 4 weeks until we are back up to full steam staff wise, but weather is a huge pick me up for all. Pictures to follow as week progresses all :-) have a great week.

Hi All, hope all your weekends went well.
This weeks plan of attack is a full maintenance program on the FIFA 3G following on from testing last week. All fields will be quadraplayed over the next couple of days in two directions on each pitch/field. Verti-draining is on hold as we are awaiting a new PTO to connect to new tractor. Linemarking back end of week, as all pitches required for a full programme of matches next weekend. The end of season is in sight................
Have a great week all.

Weekend done, next weeks plans.

Beautiful day for association football @Stanley Park today :-) makes all the hard graft worth while

Thursday 20th march 2014

19th march 2014 back field

Good Afternoon All, Hope all of your grounds are looking tip top after what has do be said a couple of positively tropical weeks in the scheme of things! lol. Nigel has now been off for over 3 weeks after his accident, but the troops on site have stepped up to the mark, and produced some fantastic results. All pitches have been freshly roped and marked, and next week we will be cracking on with Verti-draining, or Quadraplaying amongst other things!! Grass is Back!!