With summer just around the corner, there isn’t a better time to consider the health of your pitch in time for next season or to use for training. Dry, hard and withered pitches, playing fields and courses can cause serious problems for the players, groundskeepers and managers of the club – and be a constant source of embarrassment.
Take a look at the effects poor irrigation can have on your sports field, and why you should be taking the health of your pitch seriously before summer arrives.
Irrigation for Football Pitches
The football season is close to an end, and pitches have taken a good beating across this wet season. Pitches are now likely to be used for training in preparation for next season, so it’s important they stay healthy throughout the training season and are in their best condition for summer.
Poor irrigation can have the following impacts on pitches, the football team and the groundsman:
- Grass takes longer to recover following a game – this can lead to dry and cracked pitches, or cause them to waterlog easily if it rains.
- A poor playing service means the ball will bobble along the floor, making for a poor game.
- If the pitch is poor quality, the referee can choose to call off the game causing teams to forfeit.
- Tough pitches that aren’t irrigated properly have a low level of impact absorbency, meaning players are more likely to get injured if they fall over or are tackled.
- If a pitch remains in bad condition and is not treated, re-seeding the pitch is an expensive and very time consuming process.
Irrigation for Rugby Pitches
Being a contact sport, it’s crucial for groundsman to ensure that the pitch is in its best condition to ensure the best playing surface. Poor irrigation of a rugby pitch has similar impacts to that of a football pitch; however, due to the nature of the sport, injuries to players being tackled onto a poorly irrigated pitch can be a lot more serious.
The Irrigation Solution: In an ideal world, a permanent underground pumping system would be the perfect irrigation solution; however, these systems are extremely expensive and often only used by professional clubs. A portable LRI system can do the job up to the same standard – for just a fraction of the cost. You can read our Taunton Town FC LRI success story to find out more.
Irrigation for Golf Courses and Bowling Greens
Bowls and golf are both summer time sports; therefore it is important that the green is in perfect condition in time for when the games begin. Irrigation can ensure an even spread of healthy grass and good quality surface for players that allows the balls to skim rather than stop.
The Irrigation Solution: Some golf courses do have pop up sprinklers installed, however, these are very expensive to install and maintain. A portable irrigation system allows groundsmen to choose the concentration of water to allow grass to grow evenly without water logging the green.
Choose the Right Irrigation with Mawdsleys Pumps
Whatever kind of sports pitch or playing field you are responsible for, we’d love to help you keep it in its best condition. To find out more about any of our irrigation systems, or to discuss creating a bespoke system to your requirements, give one of our expert team a call on 0117 954 8030.