Magazine - Healing old wounds

5 Mar 2007 by Parkman

Dave

You should have gone to "Dragons Den" for the money it might have been a lot less painfull !!!!!!
LOL

5 Mar 2007 by chucky

Fascinating article Dave!

No wonder I'm Mr Grumpy!

5 Mar 2007 by ticky21

i would not bother to entertain them dave.........you (Pitchcare) have proved yourself as a far superior "body" to be a member of..(of which i am proud to be one) and your magazine is better value, ive just recieved my copy of "Groundsman" and quite frankly it aint worth a carrot...i wont be renewing my membership to IOG next time....i would rather put my money into your organisation and know it is more appreciated, i think its because you are a groundsman for the groundsman that your success speaks volumes, you said yourself, QUOTE " Pitchcare.com was viewed as a direct threat to IOG...so following on from that, why not begin your own training schemes, and your own Groundsman awards system..? the IOG dont have the monopoly on recognised awards/training..etc.....speaking as one who was tutored by yourself for my FA/IOG certificate...i think you would be inundated with applications....keep up the good work and see ya soon.......Simon...(Ticky)

Ticky supports British farmers...!!

6 Mar 2007 by lizoconnor

Here here! I too have not bothered to renew membership with IOG....tbh i dont see the value for money

Im back baby!

6 Mar 2007 by Edd Smith

well, for my staff I will be getting them an IOG membership because of the training courses. It's cheaper to buy membership and a course than just the course on its own. So for a year it will serve the purpose of getting my staff training but other than that I won't keep up their memberhip.

bigg4bigc

6 Mar 2007 by petermarkcraig

I shall continue to support both organisations as I believe they both have vital role to play in the advancement of our industry.

Of course the grass looks good. The sun is shining.

6 Mar 2007 by Dave

Thanks for your comments.

I'm not suggesting for one minute that people should or shouldn't be a member of the IOG, BIGGA or any other organisation that they choose be involved with. Pitchcare wasn't set up to replace, just to enhance.

I have remained silent until now about Pitchcare's relationship with organisations and companies, because our business doesn't have to be discussed openly and publicly.

However the above editorial was written as a direct response to a published article. Had I not offered a response explaining historical events, some people would have been able to make blind assumptions as to why Pitchcare do not appear to be outwardly receptive to the IOG.

6 Mar 2007 by petermarkcraig

Out in the open is the best policy for both parties.

Of course the grass looks good. The sun is shining.

7 Mar 2007 by roon

big G 4 big C said it right.
IOG do actually put on practical courses that are extremely useful to novices. Once groundstaff get used to the job, maybe Pitchcare serves a better purpose by swapping information between those "on the ground" as it happens. The opportunity to ask top class experts "live" about their problems - as well as anyone else with an opinion - is crucial to the development of grounds throughout the land. The Pitchcare website will undoubtedly encourage more people to take up groundsmanship, but IOG still had (and has) a part to play.
I hope both parties can kiss and make up, we have enough enemies in the schools that don't do sport (i.e., the Government).

30 Mar 2007 by martin brandom

I cant see a comparison between you and the IOG.
It does sound like sour grapes a bit.Ever since you started it seemed a bit like an anti IOG site.
Someone remarked to me that they called it 'Bitchcare' -someone always having a go at someone.

The IOG is a body that talks to sporting bodies has run good qualifications for years ,produces industry standard course to spread skills .It has so much for people ever since its inception to make a profession from what was ( and unfortunately still is) often seen as a second class trade.

Your Pithcare is an interesting diversion and good free read when it flashes up on the e-mail .It seems to be an income generation scheme from advertising far more than the Iog site. Your magazine certainly is very good.

Few people want to spend thirty odd pounds a year on a proffesional organisation like IOG and will obviously want to glean free information from your site on how to do things.
But without the professional days of training from bodies like IOG backed by national bodies like the the FA and ECB we will will be back to the days of 'I know how to do it I read it in a book ' ,rather than proper training which gives creedance to a profession rather than a semi skilled trade.Certainly at a time when the colleges are promoting sports turf courses aimed almost purely at golf where no one ever sees a bowling green or grass tennis court.

The Iog has done a tremendous amount for myself and many groundsman in a way that your organisation cant.

That doesnt decry your venture it is just different.Good luck with your business.

30 Mar 2007 by Dave

Martin,

Thank you for your comments.

I didn't have any wish to air dirty washing in public and my hand was forced somewhat with the CEO's response to Richard Norton's open letter as printed in the IOG magazine.

Your statement about sour grapes couldn't be further from the truth and is a typically naive comment that is unhelpful and perhaps even suggestive of why some IOG members have seen fit to publicly and privately criticise the Pitchcare forum.

The fact that Pitchcare offers a freedom of speech and openess has on occassions allowed members to be critical. These criticicms I might add aren't solely levelled at the IOG, but Pitchcare, BIGGA, Groundsmen and Greenkeepers and individual venues.

Criticism I'm afraid is part of life, you can either deal with it in an adult fashion or bury your head in the sand.

Pitchcare isn't as you suggest an organisation, but it does provide many services for its members.

Advertising is just one of many revenue streams that are provided.
Despite the various revenue streams that we have, the opportunity to reference free good advice, more often than not instantly, has been invaluable to many thousands of people.

Pitchcare continues to grow rapidly, over 2000 new members have subscribed since January taking the total to 25,500. Over 1000 members a day on average log into the website. We average in excess of a million page impressions every month.

I started Pitchcare, asking for help from the IOG and not getting it. We went our own way to build a commercial business built around strong ethics and ultimately giving people what they want.

If you really believe that the IOG will continue to do a tremendous amount for Groundsmen in a way that Pitchcare can't then you are entitled to your view.

The IOG have links with the sporting bodies because they have historically been the only body available-do you believe that this will remain the case ad infinitum.

You mention the magazine and I value your kind comments.

This was not part of our original business plan, but evolved because of an Industry need to produce a quality publication.
The magazine has been well received by Industry and professionals alike, so much so that others have restyled and even copied our ideas to try to improve their own.

We have always taken the moral highground and look to continue raising standards without looking elsewhere for inspiration.

You could never decry 'my' venture. Pitchcare has been provided by me and my hard working team purely as a platform for everybody involved in the Industry to take the Industry forward. If other people aren't interested then let them fall by the wayside.

Kind regards
Dave Saltman