Robots are the way for Liverpool FC

Now ubiquitous in many domestic gardens where it releases homeowners from the chore of routine lawn maintenance, the robotic mower is increasingly seeing a place in professional groundscare.

While hotels and parkland sites are the obvious market, many leading sports facilities are finding that deploying a robot for regular mowing of formal or landscaped areas frees up groundsmen and greenkeepers to focus on preparation of playing surfaces, while also being cost effective and environmentally friendly.

This has been the case at Liverpool Football Club, as Warren Scott, Director of Grounds (pictured above) explains.

“We use a range of Husqvarna robotic mowers across our sites – the AXA Training Centre, the AXA Melwood Training Centre and the Academy – with different models deployed depending on the area they’re maintaining. Our latest machines use Husqvarna’s EPOS GPS technology, while some of the earlier units operate using boundary wires. We also have 4WD models that are particularly well suited to steeper banks and more challenging terrain.”

“The robots are used across our landscape areas rather than the playing surfaces themselves, helping us maintain around 80,000 square metres of green space. Because they’re battery powered, we’ve been able to eliminate the use of fossil fuels for landscape mowing, which has been an important step in reducing the environmental impact of our day-to-day operations.”

The machines are effectively working around the clock, he explains, offering far greater output than would be possible with ride-on or pedestrian mowers.

“The only time they’re not mowing is when they’re back on charge, which is typically around four hours, so they’re operating for the majority of every 24-hour period.”

Using GPS mapping and camera technology, Warren and his team can define exactly where each machine works and adjust those zones as needed.

“Different areas have different schedules depending on how they’re used, but once the mowing plans are set the robots maintain a really consistent finish without needing constant intervention from the team,” he says.

The golf area at the AXA Training Centre. Husqvarna Fleet Services is used to manage the robots, which have built-in connectivity and GPS. This allows the grounds team to track their position and status, get notifications and change settings in real-time.

In terms of cost savings, the main improvement has been the removal of fossil fuel use across the club’s landscape maintenance, Warren comments. “Which is a significant change when you’re looking after around 80,000 square metres of green space.”

“Just as important is the time we’ve been able to give back to the team. Rather than spending hours on routine landscape mowing, our staff can focus on areas that add greater value, whether that’s biodiversity projects, sustainability initiatives, collecting more performance data or analysing how we continue improving our pitches and wider estate. That’s where we’ve seen the real benefit.”

He adds that they have also seen improvements in standards of maintenance in some challenging areas. 

“One of the biggest improvements has been on areas like banks and slopes, which traditionally take longer to maintain and can be more difficult to mow consistently.”

“Because the robots are out working every day, those areas are always presented to the standard we want, rather than only being cut when staff time allows. The consistency is probably the biggest difference. The finish is maintained every day and it frees the team up to concentrate on more specialist work elsewhere across the sites.”

Early concerns with this type of machine were safety and security, particularly on larger sites where members of the public may come into contact with the robot as it works. Impact on wildlife is another question frequently raised by potential purchasers.

“Safety has always been a priority,” stresses Warren. “The machines are fitted with sensors and obstacle detection technology, allowing them to detect and avoid people, wildlife and other obstacles while operating.”

“On sites where members of the public or academy players are present, we schedule the robots to work overnight or during quieter periods when those areas aren’t in use. That means we can take advantage of the robots’ operating hours while minimising any interaction with people during the day.”

Liverpool Football Club deploys a range of Husqvarna robotic mowers across its sites – the AXA Training Centre, the AXA Melwood Training Centre and the Academy.

“The only time they’re not mowing is when they’re back on charge, which is typically around four hours, so they’re operating for the majority of every 24-hour period.”

“We’re equally conscious of protecting the wildlife that shares our sites. We’re proud to have won the Hedgehog Cup this season, run by the British Hedgehog Preservation Society, and we work hard to ensure our grounds are safe for both the people who use our facilities and the animals that live there. As part of that, our mowers carry the BHPS ‘Check’ stickers to remind staff to inspect areas for hedgehogs and other wildlife before work begins.”

Battery technology is another area that has seen considerable advances, and considering the location and power source for charging points is an important element of robot mower installation.

“Each robot has its own dedicated charging station located close to the area that it is responsible for maintaining, so there’s no need to transport machines around the site for charging. They work on a rotation, automatically returning to charge when required before heading back out to continue mowing,” explains Warren.

“At the moment, the charging stations are powered from the mains, but we’re continuing to explore opportunities around solar charging as part of our wider sustainability ambitions under the club’s award-winning sustainability programme, The Red Way.”

Management of autonomous machines and systems is increasingly part of the job for senior ground staff, and technological developments are significant here, too.

Liverpool Football Club utilises the digital platform Husqvarna Fleet Services to manage the robots, which have built-in connectivity and GPS. This allows a fleet manager to track their position and status, get notifications and change settings in real-time.

When a machine is registered to the user’s account, it becomes visible in the Husqvarna Fleet Services web portal and app, and once the data has been uploaded, it can be accessed on the web portal from a computer or tablet. All functions are also available in the smartphone app which also collects the data from the machines within Bluetooth range of the mobile phone.

Once the workday is finished, the gateway makes sure that all equipment is properly checked in, collects the data stored in the sensors and uploads it to the Husqvarna Fleet Services account.

Warren says: “Husqvarna Fleet Services has significantly reduced the amount of time we spend logging maintenance and troubleshooting. It gives us a clear overview of every machine, allowing us to record maintenance more effectively and identify any issues as soon as they arise.”

“The system tells us straight away if a mower isn’t working, how long it’s been operating and how it’s being used. That means we can react much more quickly, plan servicing around actual usage rather than guesswork, and schedule maintenance more effectively.”

“Having all that information in one place helps us stay on top of the equipment, keep the fleet operating as it should and minimise downtime, so the machines are available whenever we need them.”