Not such a 'potty' idea at Notts County

Notts County have been ground sharing with Nottingham RUFC for a number of seasons now and the pressure this puts on the pitch is clear to see.
"It has been a tough season," says Greg. "Not only have we had to cope with a lot of fixtures, but the constant cold and wet weather has taken its toll on the pitch. Having said that, we still manage to produce a flat, level surface for play."
"One of the biggest issues is the lack of repair time between matches and, what time we do get, is often affected by inclement weather. It really is just a case of spending time divoting, using the mowers to clean up and firming up the pitch."

"I've built up a good relationship with Simon over the years," says Greg. "We've been using the sarrel roller to ensure the pitch remains open and surface water can drain away."
"Like many lower level clubs, finances are tight and money spent on the pitch is kept to a minimum. However, we are always given enough to get the pitch cleaned off and renovated at the end of the season."
Notts County are the world's oldest football league club, having been formed in 1862. They were FA Cup winners twice in the 1890s, and even had a spell in the top flight in the 1990s, but their recent history has been chequered to say the least, with the threat of administration, and of Middle East ownership, being serious concerns or opportunities, depending on your viewpoint!

"Having dual sports on the pitch is not ideal," says Greg, "but, I understand the reasons behind the decision, as revenue is hugely important to the club."
"Working to beat this winter's snow, frost and rain has been our biggest challenge though, especially when faced with man handling heavy frost sheets on and off in between games. It's been difficult to maintain grass cover and keeping the sward upright when there are so many games in succession."
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"We do not have undersoil heating, although plans are in the pipeline (excuse the pun) to put in a gas powered system in the future. Neither do we have the luxury of lighting rigs, although we did trial some last year and I was very impressed with their performance. The only protection we can give the pitch is with forty Tildenet frost sheets, but they only work down to about minus 4OC."

Nottinghamshire Constabulary's Superintendent Mark Holland said it was a "win, win" situation for all involved. "This property would normally be crushed, so it is important it gets reused."
Greg obviously agrees and says that it will be a massive saving for the club. "Normally, to buy just one rig, you are looking at between £10,000 and £15,000. The club has made a donation to a local charity supported by Nottinghamshire Police as a thank you."
Greg and Trevor have got the change over between football and rugby down to a fine art. "We can take down one set of posts, erect another set and re-mark in less then two hours," Greg says.

"The pitch is marked out using a spray jet impact linemarker - both football and rugby lines are painted in white."
Mowing is done on a daily basis throughout the growing season, maintaining a height of cut around 28mm to provide a safe and quick surface for both rugby and football. "The rugby lads have now got used to playing on a flatter, quicker surface, and they reckon it helps the speed of play," says Greg.
Available budgets dictate the amount of work that can be achieved in terms of maintenance and, more importantly, end of season renovations.
This May, with the help of Fineturf, Greg is going fraise mow the top 15mm, re-level, verti-drain, topdress with thirty tonnes and overseed with Limagrain's MM60 and MM25 grass seed mixtures. He has specified MM25 to help retain some grass cover in worn and shaded areas of the stadium. A 14:6:8 pre-seed fertiliser will be applied at 35gm2, and the final surface sown at 70gm2 over two passes using a Blec seeder.
In his thirteen years with the club, Greg has seen umpteen managers come and go. "They all have their own ways of working and special requirements, but I always make a point of getting to know them and ensure I build up a good working relationship."
"I consider myself very lucky to be working here. Sure, it can be stressful at times, and I do get some flack about the current state of the pitch. But, the management understand the reasons for it and, together, I think we will see improvements next year, especially if the snow and freezing temperatures stay away. Sometimes, you just cannot compete with Mother Nature!"