Sherriff Amenity, one of the leading turf care and sports equipment suppliers in the UK, has supplied a range of products to Beversbrook Sports and Community Centre in Calne, Wiltshire. The facility is one of the leading sports facilities in the South West since the £1 million grant from the Football Foundation four years ago.
Last year, a further £50,000 courtesy of Sport England’s Olympic Legacy, £50,000 Viridor Credits and another grant from the Football Foundation enabled the construction of four additional natural sports pitches which now see an astonishing 500 league and cup matches and 552 training sessions held each season on the 54-acre site.
The facility is home to 41 football teams, 12 cricket teams and also a number of different sports hubs, so keeping such a large number of pitches in top condition is a testing job for head groundsman Adam Witchell, who joined the Town Council run Centre in June 2012. For regular maintenance of the football pitches at the Centre, Adam relies on the services of Sherriff Amenity for materials and equipment and the advice of its amenity specialist David Evans.
Pitch grass is cut to from 25mm in the summer months to 35mm in winter months to ensure a good playing sward where as many as four matches over a weekend are quite normal. Regular applications at 35gm per square metre of ProTurf fertiliser from Everris has proved a valuable plus factor in maintaining excellent density. The controlled release technology of this product leads to a consistent, regular growth over a 2-3 month period without growth peaks. The uncoated nitrogen portion of this fertiliser allows an immediate response to the turf, even in cooler conditions. The multi-nutrient compound fertiliser component contains four macronutrients all in one granule.
For closed season overseeding in May and June, applications of Johnson’s Prem Pitch seed and Rescue selective herbicide from Everris for the removal of invasive coarse grasses is resulting in the finest grass quality yet for the new playing season.
The Centre tries to see that all the pitches are aerated once a month. Divotting and unevenness caused by play are rectified by using the versatile SISIS Quadraplay one-pass maintenance system, which Adam explains does an excellent job keeping all the pitches looking tidy and always ready for play. Line marking for all of the pitches is carried out by two Bowcom GMX spray machines, which are now sold exclusively through Sherriff Amenity.
“We get over 30,000 people a year visiting and using our facilities here. It’s essential that all of the pitches look good and play well week in week out,” said Kevin Whitehorn, Beversbrook Sports and Community Facility Manager.
“A lot has been invested in the facilities here thanks to the Football Foundation and Sport England, which from October will also be used by Swindon Town FC first team and academy players. We must have a top class, reliable supplier for our pitch care needs and Sherriff Amenity is such a source of not just products but also advice.”
For further information, please contact Sherriff Amenity on 0115 939 0202 or email info@sherriff-amenity.com
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