GroundsFest Academy recently hosted another successful free educational event with its Synthetic Surface – Maintenance Best Practice day, delivered in collaboration with Replay Maintenance, Redexim UK, Labosport and Fleet Line Markers.

The CPD-accredited event was designed to help groundcare professionals enhance their understanding of synthetic sports surfaces, improve maintenance standards, and maximis surface longevity.

Held at the headquarters of Wiltshire FA, the event combined informative seminar sessions with practical demonstrations, ensuring attendees gained both technical knowledge and hands-on experience.

Nick Harris, Managing Director of Replay Maintenance, opened the morning seminar programme by discussing how synthetic surfaces are constructed and the importance of ongoing maintenance.

“Maintenance is really important on synthetic surfaces,” he said. “I think it’s often overlooked, but the reality is that to achieve longevity and performance, it’s essential they are maintained properly. It keeps them looking good, maximises the return on investment and ultimately keeps players coming back and using them.”

Kathryn Severn, Managing Director at Labosport, followed with an insightful session focusing on the key principles behind effective synthetic surface care.

“Maintenance is key,” she said. “Like anything, if you don’t look after it, it won’t last its expected lifespan. End users are often responsible for maintaining these surfaces, but they’re not always given the right information on how to do that correctly. Events like this help provide that knowledge and understanding.”

Following the morning seminars, attendees went outdoors for a series of practical workshops. Representatives from Redexim UK, Replay Maintenance, Fleet Line Markers and Labosport delivered live demonstrations on a range of equipment and maintenance techniques used to improve the performance and lifespan of synthetic surfaces.

Among the attendees was George Legg, Groundsman at Stanley Park, who explained how valuable the day had been. “Learning about things like the ball roll test is something we can now do in-house, especially
when you’re trying to look after the pitch for as long as possible,” he said. “Making sure everything is performing correctly and monitoring it properly is key to achieving that longevity.”

George also praised the inclusive nature of the event and the networking opportunities it provided. “I think it’s brilliant to meet everybody and network – it’s really beneficial for someone like me and everyone else here. As a young person coming into the industry, it’s massive to be able to speak to people who are further along in their careers, and especially with the day being free as well.”

Like previous GroundsFest Academy events, the day attracted attendees from across all areas of the industry, ranging from local sports clubs and local authorities through to elite- level venues. Many described the event as both insightful and highly relevant to their day-to- day responsibilities.

Ian Lucas, Head of Grounds at AFC Bournemouth, was among those to praise the event and expressed interest in attending future sessions.

“Hopefully there’ll be more of these and we’ll send other members of the team along as well,” he said. “It’s brilliant. It’s easy to get to and hopefully we can bring a few more people in the future.”

The day concluded with smaller group rotations for additional hands-on learning, before attendees received their CPD certificates of completion.

Bradley Tennant, Director of Education at GroundsFest Academy, highlighted the diversity of attendees and the wider importance of the event.

“We’ve had a fantastic mix of attendees today, from high-profile sports clubs through to local authorities and community sports clubs,” he said. “That’s really important because it allows us to deliver education right across the industry.

“We’ve also had clubs here that don’t yet have synthetic surfaces but are looking at installing them in the future. That’s brilliant because it gives them the opportunity to learn and prepare before they make that investment.”

With another strong turnout and overwhelmingly positive feedback, GroundsFest Academy’s combination of expert-led education and practical, hands-on learning continues to prove a winning formula for the industry.

The free sustainability assessment tool is now available at www.groundsfestacademy.com