The Institute of Groundsmanship slams the decision to sack the Wembley Head Groundsman following criticism of pitch by football's Ferguson, Wenger and Capello reports by Jez Abbott from HortWeek.com on 27 April 2009.
The Institute of Groundsmanship (IoG) has responded with dismay at the sacking of Wembley Head Groundsman Steve Welch following the disastrous state of the pitch.
IoG chief executive Geoff Webb said: "We were very disappointed to learn that Steve Welch was relieved of his post following a media furore over the state of the pitch.
"Having followed Steve's progress since taking on the role in 2005 I have always been impressed by his professionalism and dedication to what is indisputably one of the most difficult jobs in the industry"
The Football Association refused to comment but a press spokesman was reported to have said an official statement was due later this week. Repeated phone calls to the Wembley press office went unanswered. On 24th April the F.A Web site gave an update on the pitch at Wembley. "Wembley Stadium has this week conducted a thorough review of its playing surface, subsurface conditions and pitch maintenance programme. As a result of this review which followed Monday’s press statement, it has been decided to bring forward the replacement of the existing pitch and the layer underneath the pitch. The replacement pitch will be from a new turf nursery and will be of a different composition that is better suited to Wembley Stadium’s unique environment. The next event at Wembley Stadium is The FA Trophy between Stevenage Borough and York City on Saturday 9 May. Wembley Stadium is a multi purpose venue and needs to be able to offer both a quality playing surface and a quality calendar of events. The pitch has always been and will continue to be at the heart of the stadium and of the business". A strange comment as I thought Pop Concerts were.
Welch was named Named Groundsman of the Year in 2002 and was widely respected by industry peers, said Webb.
"Is this a case of trial by media and scape-goating or a necessary move by Wembley management? We look forward to hearing Steve's side of the story in the future."
The pitch has taken a pasting in recent months from some of the highest profile managers including England Manager Fabio Capello, Manchester United's Sir Alex Ferguson and Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger.
Last week Wembley said it would returf the pitch, also used for concerts and other sporting events like speedway. The hectic scheduling of rock concerts and other events restricted the type of surface it could use.
Every Turf Manager knows that you cannot play football on a newly turved football pitch until the roots have had the chance to establish in the soil to a suitable depth. Re turfing every time if there is a potential problem or problem is not solving it. Although a managed turf nursery will provide almost identical turf, the schedule of events on the pitch at Wembley do not provide establishment time. Blaming the turf grower for the demise of the pitch is just unfair. Getting turf from a different turf nursery or grower will just duplicate the problem.
It is about time the Board of Directors at Wembley recognised the fact that they must build in growing time for a newly turved pitch. With the FA Cup Final between Chelsea and Everton on Saturday 30th May 2009, there is hardly sufficient time for the new turf to establish. Expect turf lifting in the penalty spot again...
In the mean time, we are full of support of all Institute of Groundsmanship Members and wish Steve Welch every success gaining suitable employment within the Turf Care Industry.
We also note that The Sports Turf Research Institute The Sports Turf Research Institute has been brought in to consult on the Wembley Stadium following the decision by the Football Association to dig up its pitch. The new Wembley Stadium pitch will be ready for the FA Trophy final on 9 May. The turf has been re-laid five times since the stadium re-opened in 2007 after a £750m development.
If only those in charge listed to their Head Groundsman and respected his/her professionalism from the onsett. Is that not the reason why they employed them in the first place to manage the pitch? The problem is that like so many other sporting venues across the UK, it is the Accountants who seem to know best and they just cannot resist free tickets for a Pop concert. The IOG run some great courses on Football Pitch maintenance - perhaps those in charge of Wembley should see if they can book up on one - they might learn something to their advantage and then they might understand what their employed Head Groundsman is telling them.
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