Everris grass seed selected for Euro 2012 stadia
Consultants from the Sports Turf Research Institute, the organisation selected to prepare the pitches for Euro 2012, have chosen ProSelect 1 Premium Sport ryegrass seed blend from Everris to overseed four stadium venues.
STRI was appointed by UEFA to advise on the playing surfaces in Warsaw, Wroclaw, Gdansk and Poznan in Poland. A team led by Head of Stadia Services, Andy Cole, has been working tirelessly to deliver pitches that meet the highest international standards.
"Our confidence is in Everris and the company's holistic approach to turf management called iTurf," Andy explains. "It's the company we selected for fertilizers, grass seed, and plant protection products to get the Poland pitches ready for the tournament."
"ProSelect 1 Premium Sport was used at the four venues in Poland to supplement existing turf. We were working to tight timescales and needed rapid, problem-free germination, which is what was delivered despite the low light levels created by the stadia environments."
From pre-seeding at the venues through to the final whistle, the pitches will be maintained with Everris fertilizers, including SierrablenPlus, Greenmaster Pro-Lite and Sportsmaster WSF, as have the pitches at England's Hutnik training camp.
"I was impressed that Everris pulled out all the stops to deliver a lot of seed in a very short space of time," Andy added. "When we're preparing pitches for major tournaments, we depend upon the infrastructure of companies like Everris to help us deliver premium playing surfaces, on spec and on time."
About ProSelect 1 Premium Sport
ProSelect 1 Premium Sport, a blend of four Perennial Ryegrasses, was launched in the UK in 2009.
"It ticks all the boxes in terms of the characteristics you'd want in a premium ryegrass mix, whether you're overseeding into an existing sward or seeding a new pitch from scratch", explains Ed Carter, National Sales & Development Manager at Everris UK & Ireland. "It establishes rapidly to produce a deep rooting, dense sward with superb wear tolerance. It is proven to repair quickly from divots and is resistant to disease, cold and drought. But it is the rich, dark green winter colour that has caught the eye of turf professionals, particularly those preparing top-flight football pitches."
The four fine-leaved ryegrasses in ProSelect 1 Premium Sport were bred specifically for their visual merit in America. The rich, dark green colour of grass varieties is undoubtedly what the market demands in the States and also in Mediterranean countries, while northern Europe has traditionally opted for lighter varieties.
"When you're preparing stadium pitches, aesthetics are important and definition and contrast are all key considerations for match preparation," he adds. "Turf managers want their pitches to have rich winter colour, achieved without the excessive use of nitrogen or iron and these grasses make that possible."
ProSelect grass seed was used at the Bucharest National Arena in Romania which played host to the UEFA Europa League final on 9th May. It is also being used to grow in a new pitch at Coventry City Football Club's Ricoh Arena, where 12 Olympic football matches will be played in eight days, less than eight weeks after the stadium hosted a concert by British alternative rock band, Coldplay. The stadium will be renamed the 'City of Coventry Stadium' for the duration of the Games.
Seed products Proselect can be purchased in the Pitchcare Shop
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