It doesn’t matter if you’re maintaining one or ten pitches at a World Cup or for a non-league team. The challenges every turf professional faces are always the same – and that is meeting expectations.

Here we look at some common challenges and how they can be addressed using data.

1. What’s wrong with my pitch?

If your pitch test results aren’t meeting your expectations, the best thing to do is explore the data. A common issue is not testing regularly. Without regular testing and tracking, it is difficult to determine if any mistakes or other factors have caused a change and how to avoid it in the future.

How to prevent it?

Give yourself a complete picture by collecting data on all pitch maintenance operations, turf use and test results. From here, you can quickly spot issues and work to get the best results.

2. Turf safety is questioned because of player injury. Did the pitch cause the injury?

The bottom line is that well maintained and healthy turf is safe. Injuries can occur during a match or training due to the surface condition in various ways, some of which can come from poor preparation or maintenance. From the club’s perspective, this can generate potential losses and heavily impact team performance.

How to prevent it?

Injuries will happen, but being able to quickly refer to your data in one place and make decisions based on it helps. Additionally, you could gather feedback using our Player Perception survey to gauge any issues with surface hardness, moisture levels, etc.

3. The turf is not suitable for the game

If the turf is not suitable for the game, losses can be counted in tens of thousands of euros, not only spent on repairs or renovating the pitch but caused by cancelled matches or the need to rent other facilities.

How to prevent it?

Building historical data is the key to spotting positive and negative trends and knowing how your pitch may react in certain weather or high disease pressure situations.

Using GrasPro’s in-built weather forecast and your data, you can anticipate events and plan accordingly to beat the weather on a matchday or prevent disease from taking hold of the pitch.

4. My budget doesn’t meet pitch usage

A common issue for turf professionals is their budget not matching the pitch usage. This can range from not having the right machinery, enough staff or simply enough pitches to cope with the amount of playing time. Ultimately it can lead to a decline in quality and causes issues throughout the season.

How to prevent it?

Costs for maintaining sports pitches are growing every year, but you can closely manage your budget and ensure you are getting the most from it with your data to hand.

Demonstrating the scope of work performed by staff and how machines and other resources have been utilised in relation to pitch quality builds a strong case for the work your team is doing. It also makes justifying the need for additional machines, employees, lighting rigs or inputs easier because often the stats speak for themselves.

5. Sustainable maintenance doesn’t have to cost more

Now more than ever, the carbon footprint of football clubs and organisations matters. Ecological maintenance of sports fields is becoming a strong trend worldwide. As the most natural asset, pitches are a great place to start, and it doesn’t mean you have to sacrifice surface quality or increase your budget.

How to sustainably manage a pitch with a low budget?

Less is more when sustainably managing a pitch, but it is almost impossible to do without tracking data. Knowing what your pitch needs and how it reacts and performs throughout the year are vital when working sustainably because it means nothing is wasted.

Knowing exactly when to turn the water off and lighting rigs on makes a big cumulative difference along with precise fertilising, spraying and other maintenance. Doing these necessary things less can reduce spending and give you money to use elsewhere in the department.

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