September Football Diary 2004

Laurence Gale MScSep 02, 2004in Football

September Football Diary

By Laurence Gale MSc

Late August and September also sees heavy dews on the playing surfaces, especially in the mornings. It is important that the groundstaff remove these dews to prevent disease attack, as red thread and fairy rings can be very prevalent at this time.

Most of the tasks detailed can be undertaken within a limited budget. Local conditions and circumstances will need to be taken into account. If any members are undertaking any specific work not detailed, please let us know by adding a comment in the section below the diary.

September tasks for football
Task	Frequency	Reason
Aeration	When conditions allow	Hand or machine aeration to aid surface drainage, at varying depths of penetration to prevent the development of a soil pan and provide adequate air space for roots to colonise.
Brushing/Sweeping	Daily/weekly	To remove dew and remove surface debris. Using a brush or a SISIS quadraplay will restore levels and produce striping or banding aesthetics.
Disease	Daily/weekly	Keep and eye on fungal disease attack, and use approved fungicides to treat infected areas. Fairy rings and red thread can often be widespread during September. See link for details on diseases. Fairy rings.
Divoting	After matches and training	Repairs and replacing divots after matches is an important part of the maintenance programme to restore playing surfaces
Drainage	Weekly	Inspect drainage outfalls, channels and ditches. Ensure that they are working.
Fertiliser programme	If grass shows signs of stress (weak growth, discoloured)	Fertiliser treatment and turf tonics can be continued in accordance with your annual programme. If you haven't got a fertiliser programme, have your soil tested; try an independent soil analysis company for an impartial set of results. Most groundstaff will be applying autumn N P K fertilisers, perhaps something like a 3/12/12 or 5/15/15/ (Application Rates: 14-28 bags per Ha35g-70g/m2 25Kg Bag) (See link for fertilisers) to maintain grass colourS and vigour. The choice of materials and how well they work will depend on factors such as soil type and weather, with moisture and air temperature being the catalyst for growth.
Goal posts	Weekly	Inspect goal posts and sockets to check they are safe and secure. Check nets to make sure they aren't full of holes (no pun intended).
Grooming/ verticutting	As required	Grooming and verticutting are operations that remove unwanted side grass growth and reduce the amount of debris in the sward. These operations are carried out on a regular basis often weekly or fortnightly. These operations are completed in conjunction with your mowing regimes and, as the sward is thickening at the moment, light scarification will help get more air and light into the base.
Harrowing/ raking	When conditions allow	Helps to restore levels and keep surfaces open.
Irrigation	As required	September can often be a dry month so irrigation will be a priority, especially when surfaces begin to dry out. It is important to irrigate uniformly and ensuring the right amount of water is applied. Ensure that the water gets deep into the root-zone to encourage deep rooting. Allowing areas to dry out can lead to dry patch, a condition that prevents water infiltration into the soil, thus forming areas of non-uniform turf quality. Further information about Irrigation of sports surfaces can be see on link. Irrigation Many professional football groundsman often have to water the pitch prior to games, to specifically speed up the playing surface for players.
Litter / debris	Daily/Weekly	Inspect and remove debris from playing surface, litter, twigs and leaves.
Marking out	As required	Use approved marking compounds / materials and ensure all line markings comply with FA rules and regulations.
Machinery (Repairs and maintenance)	Daily/Weekly	Inspect and clean machinery after use; service and repair damaged machinery.
Mowing	As required	Remember to check the height of cut; at this time of year, the pitch can be cut at a height between 19mm-35mm. Continue to mow the on a regular basis. Grass should now be mowed minimum of three cuts per week. Preferably removing grass clippings if possible. Quality of cut will be dependent on what type of mower is used, cylinder mowers can offer different cutting qualities which is governed by the amount of blades on the cylinder. A five bladed cylinder will give you a fine quality cut.
Post match renovation	After matches	Replace divots Repair worn areas (goalmouths / linesman runs) Top dress to restore levels (localised)
Pre match inspections	As required	Inspecting pitch surface and line markings Checking post safety Keep goalmouths roped off to stop unwanted early use - in an ideal world the pitch should be completely out of bounds. Tidy up the edges of the pitch, strim around advertising signs and crowd barriers. Presentation on the pitch will be let down badly by unkempt edges.
Seed bare & worn areas	When conditions allow	Seeding of sparse or bare areas can be carried out, Use germination sheets to aid this process but remove the sheets regularly to check for diseases. Remember that without good seed to soil contact the operation is useless. Ensure you use new seed as old material may not give you the required germination rates.
Weeds	As required	It's now getting late into the season for applying selective herbicides; soil and air temperatures are not ideal for effective responses from these herbicide products. Hand weeding will be the most effective method of weed control during the winter months.
Soil tests	Ideally once or twice a year, or as required.	Soil sampling is an important part of groundmanship. The results will enable the manager to have a better understanding of the current status of his soil and turf. There are many tests that can be undertaken, but usually the main tests to consider are: Particle Size Distribution (PSD) this will give you accurate information on the soil type and it's particle make up, enabling you to match up with appropriate top dressing materials and ensuring you are able to maintain a consistent hydraulic conductivity (drainage rate) of your soil profile. Soil pH, it is important to keep the soil at a pH of 5.5-6.5, a suitable level for most grass plants. Organic matter content, it is important to keep a balanced level of organic matter content in the soil profile. Nutrient Levels. Keeping a balance of N P K nutrients within the soil profile is essential for healthy plant growth. Once you have this information you will be in a better position to plan your season's feeding and maintenance programmes.

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