“Competing successfully in this industry does take a lot of commitment and effort.  However using the best kit possible for you and your horse, in terms of both performance and safety, is also crucial,” explains Danielle.  “Whether it is a well fitting saddle, the perfect pair of riding boots, or the Manége surface you train on, the benefits of good quality equipment should never be under estimated.”

Danielle’s love of all things equestrian began very early and she started competing at the age of ten.  She has since made the successful transition to the senior level, competing regularly in events around the UK and Europe on nine horses owned by a number of different owners.  Most recently Danielle competed in the “Horse & Hound Foxhunter Championship” at the 2011 Horse of the Year Show, held at the NEC in Birmingham, competing against house-hold names such as John Whitaker.  She also competed at London’s Olympia on one of her more experienced horses, Orlof Wisbecq, in the Under23′s Team Murka Class where she finished in an excellent fourth place.

“It was my first time competing at Olympia, and it was a brilliant experience,” adds Danielle.

“In preparation for the qualifying events and the shows themselves, I was training every day to make sure both myself and my horses were on top form.  As a consequence our Manége was subjected to daily wear and tear, and as one of the most vital pieces of equipment I use, it was essential it remained in good condition,” continues Danielle.

Initially, Danielle’s Manége had a silica sand surface which became deep and dusty, and rubber was added to help stabilize it.

“The rubber helped to even out the surface, but it soon became apparent that it was only a temporary measure.  Mansfield Sand had been recommended to us so we decided to contact them for advice,” adds Danielle.

After speaking to Mansfield Sand, a leading supplier of surfaces for equestrian use, Danielle chose to add Fibresand to her Manége.  Fibresand is a unique polypropylene fibre reinforced silica sand that provides extra stability to a sand surface.

“Fibresand has given the Manége an even and consistent surface, which helps the horses remain more balanced on take-off and landing.  The excellent after service and advice provided by Mansfield Sand also means we continue to get the most out of the Manége and have a long term solution rather than a temporary fix,” concludes Danielle.

“Since leaving the Goldstone Ground in 1997, the club has not had a stadium it can call home,” explains Steve Winterburn, Head Groundsman at Brighton and Hove Albion. “We were obviously very grateful to Gillingham for their hospitality, and for the use of the Withdean Stadium but it has not been an ideal situation, especially as the Withdean was originally built for mainly athletics events.”

The club first applied for planning permission for the new stadium back in 1999, but because of opposition to the proposed location from local residents and district councils, it took another ten years before work was able to begin.

“The AMEX Community Stadium site spans two different District Council, Lewes and Brighton and Hove, so it was imperative both Councils were happy with the final design and location of the ground before any work could begin, which took a bit longer than we expected,” continues Steve.

However, even before the new stadium started to take shape, Steve began his research into the most important element of any stadium, the pitch.

“Overall, I did around three to four years of research into the various products, technologies and techniques on the market, to ensure we had the best possible pitch right from the start.  The weather here on the south coast can be very changeable and the environment for the new pitch was predicted to be extremely harsh, so we needed a surface that could withstand these severe conditions as well as the hectic schedule of the Championship,” says Steve.

“I travelled around the UK visiting clubs to observe how their pitches performed season-on-season in terms of sustainability, reliability, and most importantly playability.  My visit to Glasgow Rangers Football Club proved particularly interesting.  The weather conditions in Scotland can be extreme, so when Rangers came to install a new pitch, like us they required a surface that was suitable for the wellbeing of the players, yet resilient against the forces of nature.”

Glasgow Rangers FC ultimately chose a Fibrelastic® pitch for its Ibrox Stadium.  Developed by Mansfield Sand following a research programme at the Sports Turf Research Institute, Fibrelastic® is a totally natural turf which grows in a uniquely reinforced rootzone.  The aim of its development has been to improve the characteristics of typical fibre reinforced sand dominant rootzones.  This has been achieved by mixing silica sand, organic matter, rigid polypropylene fibres, and flexible elastane fibres to produce a completely homogeneous blend.

Work on the pitch itself began in January 2011 by Kestrel Contractors, specialists in sports field construction, land drainage and the renovation of natural and artificial sports turf.  Working to exacting standards and supported by pitch consultant, Jonathan Smith of Geo Turf, Kestrel rigorously tested every formation layer from the gravel up as requested by the client, prior to seeding, to ensure tight working tolerances were achieved.  Although the pitch was built on a chalk foundation, Kestrel was also required to install an extensive pipe drainage system to ensure excess water was able to filter through the surface and be drained away quickly and effectively.

Kestrel Contractors is a company Steve is familiar with, as it carried out the annual renovations at the Withdean Stadium on several occasions and reconstructed a training pitch at the Sussex Universities Campus, where the Club hires grass pitches as its current training facility.  Kestrel has also upgraded the drainage systems on a further three pitches this year.  Steve has worked with a number of contractors previously and Kestrels attention to detail underpinned his choice of contractor.  This was further complemented by Kestrel’s involvement in the upgrade of Southampton FC’s stadium pitch and the full construction of the Saints training ground.

“We have worked with Kestrel on previous projects, and have also used Mansfield Sand products for a number of years.  When choosing the type of pitch, we were confident Mansfield Sand would provide us with the materials for the specification required.  We are pleased with the quality of the Fibrelastic® pitch so far and I am certain the team love playing on it, as much as we, the grounds staff, enjoy looking after it” continues Steve.

To ensure the pitch does not become too dry it is fitted with a Rain Bird irrigation system.  The eight in-field sprinklers are able to water the entire pitch in ten minutes and can be remotely controlled allowing Steve to maintain a healthy pitch regardless of his location.  It also has under soil heating so play can continue even in the coldest of weather.  The sidelines, which will be used constantly by both referees assistants and players as they warm up, are made from artificial grass which will not wear or tear easily and will require only the minimum amount of upkeep.

To maintain the health of the pitch throughout the season, the club uses a completely electric Jacobson Eclipse triple mower, to help make looking after the pitch as effective and efficient as possible.  It also does all its own pesticide spraying, which is unusual as most clubs outsource this due to the restrictions and regulations surrounding the use of chemicals.  However, Steve sees keeping this job in house as a sound investment for the future.

“Although it takes a bit more work to keep up to date with legislations and to ensure everyone using the sprayer is licensed, it is definitely worth it for the time and money the club saves on contractors.

“Overall, the stadium project has been a great success and once again the Seagulls have a stadium they can call home.  We know the supporters, who have been very patient over the past few years, love the new stadium.  All that is left now is to get on with the season and make our mark on the Championship, with the quality of our facilities, especially our pitch!” concludes Steve.

After researching many options he decided to go with specialist turf installation company, InTurf.  The whole project was a huge logistical operation which saw Fibrelastic turf being custom grown in the UK by Mansfield Sand, specifically for The Parken Stadium, before being shipped to Copenhagen in 30 articulated lorry loads for InTurf to install at the stadium.

Fibrelastic was the perfect choice for the stadium as the innovative dual-fibre reinforced sand-dominant rootzone provides an extra degree of in-built surface resilience.  It also reduces the risk of long-term stress injuries, so protecting players as well.  InTurf had an extremely tight schedule but succeeded in replacing the pitch in just a few weeks.  Within ten days of installation there were three training matches and three full fixtures, including an international game against Norway, which Denmark won 2-0 – sometimes actions speak louder than words!

Chelsea Football Club opened its state-of-the-art training facility in Cobham in 2003.  Eight years later, and the £40 million, 152-acre facility is the largest and most advanced in Europe.  It remains the envy of the industry and continues its commitment to remaining the most modern and cutting edge training site in the football world.

Jason Griffin - Head Groundsman at Chelsea FC

Despite being only 30 minutes away from London by train, the facility is located on a green field site.  As such, during the initial pitch construction archaeologists had to survey the site before work could commence and Chelsea FC had to adhere to strict building regulations.  Despite its size and the changes made, the site has retained its green credentials with woodland and a river surrounding most of the ground.  Each player also bought a tree, which was then planted near the headquarters on its official opening.

 Pitch Perfect

The 152-acre site is home to 30 pitches and two separate state-of-the-art headquarters, one for the first team and the other for the academy.  The first  team copper clad headquarter building, which also has a grass roof to provide natural insulation, houses an indoor training area, a gym, trauma unit, dentist, optician, and swimming pool, some of which are below ground level.  There is also overnight accommodation for those players unable to make it home after travelling back from matches. The pitches are located around these headquarters and are divided in to four Phases.

“All training ground pitches are subject to more wear and tear than stadium pitches due to the amount of time players spend on them.  Because of this, it is imperative that they receive the same, if not more, attention as their stadium equivalents,” says Jason.  “Here at Chelsea, regardless of which Phase a pitch is in, or which players are using it, it is kept in the best condition possible.”

Phase One pitches are reserved solely for the first team and come complete with the Inditherm under soil heating system and automated irrigation. Phase Two pitches are also set aside for first team use but these have no under soil heating.  All of these pitches are exact replicas of the Fibresand reinforced pitch at Stamford Bridge.  Irrigation for the pitches is provided by an onsite lake which can hold up to 10,000 cubic metres of water.  Jason has also just introduced a number of fish into the lake to help reduce the levels of algae in the water, and it is proving to be a successful scheme

“When we first moved to the Cobham site we did not have enough time to seed the 60,000 m² of first team pitches so we had to turf them with washed turf instead,” explains Jason.  “This was not ideal, so once we were into the first close season we Koro’d off the turf and seeded the pitches which is always the best course of action.

“Due to the level of activity expected on the Phase One and Phase Two pitches, we required a surface that would be able to withstand sustained use and maintain its stability.  Because of this, we decided to use Fibresand as a basis for the first team pitches as we had done at StamfordBridge.”

Fibresand from Mansfield Sand Company, a developer and producer of sand-based products and pitch surfaces, is a unique polypropylene fibre reinforced silica sand that is incorporated into rootzones in order to provide extra stability to the surface.  When integrated into a rootzone the fibres act as a mass of indestructible synthetic grass roots, reinforcing and stabilising the growing medium and producing a tighter, more divot resistant surface.

“We have a long standing relationship with Mansfield Sand Company, having worked with them since the mid-1990s, and have used Fibresand and Mansil Sands on previous sites with great success.  Because of this we knew Fibresand would provide us with a long lasting surface, able to withstand the rigours of day-to-day training.

“We rotate the use of all our pitches to ensure each one gets regular use and respite, but the Fibresand pitches are proving to be durable, stable and easy to maintain,” adds Jason.

Covering an area of 60,000 sq metres, the Phase One and Phase Two pitches were completely renovated by White Horse Contractors this year.  These pitches were Koro’d, and over 1,000 tonnes of new Fibresand ameliorated and then over seeded with R14 Grass Seed – the result was brand new pitches. The work was completed in minimal time and to the complete satisfaction of the club.

Alongside the first team pitches there are Phase Three pitches, used by the reserves team whose matches are streamed live from the training facility to Chelsea FC’s own TV channel; Phase Four pitches which are set aside for the Academy; and the Project Pitch used by the Chelsea Ladies first team.  All of these pitches are natural grass.  In addition, there are five artificial five-a-side pitches, one of which has a removable domed cover making it ideal for use in all weathers.

Practice makes perfect

Chelsea Football Club’s Academy is also based at Cobham, which is unique to the Premiership with most clubs preferring to keep the two sites separate.  Each Academy group – the Girls, Boys and Disabled – have their own allocated training pitches and the Club is in the process of building the “Hub”, a purpose built facility for youngsters at the Academy.  The “Hub” will provide them with an environment in which to carry on their studies whilst continuing their football training.

Chelsea FC Academy pitches

“Developing talent for the future is important to the Club and the Academy is imperative in achieving this.  Having the Academy located at Cobham, alongside the first team training facilities, does make this a huge site – I can walk up to six or seven miles a day!  But it does make it a lot easier to manage and maintain.  It also means the students have access to the most up to date facilities,” explains Jason.

World firsts

To complement its other facilities, the training ground also has a running mound to help those players with calf injuries regain fitness, and a specific goal keeping area, as well as the world’s first “Footwall”.

“The Footwall really is at the cutting edge of football training technology,” explains Jason.  “Cameras are installed within the goals of a five-a-side synthetic pitch and linked to big screens.  These cameras record a player practicing a free kick which the player can then view on the big screens, helping to analyse his techniques.  There is also a speedometer that records how fast the kick is.

“This type of technology is crucial to the continued development of our players and for the facility as a whole,” says Jason.

From the ground up

Jason has been with Chelsea FC for over 23 years, becoming Head Groundsman in 2003, a longevity of service that is rarely seen in the industry.  Over this time he has seen 13 managers at Chelsea FC, seven of which have been in the last seven years.  There are currently ten people in Jason’s team at Cobham, including his son, and an additional two groundsmen based at StamfordBridge.

“A club is only as good as its people, and the low staff turnover at Chelsea is testament to the excellent working conditions and the pride we all take in working for such a club,” concludes Jason.  “However, we have only been able to create and maintain such a high standard training facility by working with the best products and suppliers in the industry.  From John Deere and Rigby Taylor, to Mansfield Sand Company, we know we are working with suppliers we can trust and who are giving us the best quality product and service.  This has helped us to build an enviable reputation, with our peers visiting the site for inspiration for their own training grounds – there is no bigger compliment.”

Training a competition horse at any level requires time, hard work and dedication.  However, without the correct equipment even the best horse will not reach its full potential.  A surefooted Manège is one element crucial to the successful development of both horse and rider, whilst also helping to reduce the risk of injuries and strains.

“Ensuring you have the most suitable Manège for your needs from the surface down is vital to the training of any horse and rider,  and especially so for competition horses,” explains Louise Barrington-Earp, Equestrian Technical Specialist at Mansfield Sand, a leading supplier of equestrian surfaces.

“However, the drainage base is just as important as the surface when it comes to creating a first-class manège.  This is why it is imperative to work closely with our customers from the outset to determine their requirements and provide them with the best surface possible.”

Sally-Ann Tucker is one such customer who, due to the nature of her business, Bagforce Ltd, and her competitive dressage riding experience understands the importance of a well-constructed, tailored arena more than most.

“Bagforce Ltd is a specialist supplier of aggregate and one of our key sectors is the equestrian industry,” says Sally, Joint-Director of Bagforce.  “Our aggregates are used to create free draining Manèges as well as being used on many cross-country courses.

“However, although the base construction is crucial the surface plays an equally important role in creating a top quality manège, which is why we recommend Mansfield Sand products to our customers,” continues Sally.

Sally also owns two horses, which regularly compete in Medium Level Dressage competitions with Sally and her daughter.

“I have been a personal customer of Mansfield Sand for a while using their Equine Rubber on my Manège at home.  I initially chose Mansfield Sand because of its reputation and locality, and since then it is also the quality of its products, as well as customer service, which has impressed me,” adds Sally.

“My daughter and I use our manège on a daily basis so it is subjected to a lot of wear and tear, but since using Mansfield Sand it has remained stable and requires only the minimum amount of maintenance. This is why I feel comfortable recommending the company to Bagforce equestrian clients.”

Aviva Stadium chooses Fibrelastic

Dublin’s Aviva Stadium officially opened in May 2010 and is Ireland’s only UEFA Elite Stadium. The state of the art venue, built on the site of the old Lansdowne Road stadium, is home to many high-tech improvements in stadium technology, including top class pitch floodlighting and advanced treatment facilities for players. Further evidence of this attention to players’ well-being was the pitch itself with the specification of the Fibrelastic rootzone system from Mansfield Sand Company.

There has been much attention recently on pitches that are less than ‘player-friendly’. The free draining surface characteristics required by groundsmen and stadium operators can sometimes result in a firmer pitch. This in turn can have a detrimental impact on the injuries sustained by players – especially on limbs and load bearing joints.

Ireland’s No 1 sportsground contactors, Clive Richardson Ltd, (CRL Ltd), were tasked with building the pitch for the stadium. Understanding the demands and requirements of the new stadium, Fibrelastic Rootzone was chosen by the FAI and the IRU for a ‘world class pitch’ in a ‘world class stadium’.

Not only has Fibrelastic been independently tested by the Sports Turf Research Institute, but clubs that already use the Fibrelastic system such as Newcastle, Glasgow Rangers, Fulham, Wolves, Plymouth, Bristol City & Llanelli Scarlets have had fantastic feedback from players, physiotherapists and groundsmen.

Player injury can be frustrating for a chairman, manager, player and fans, but the cost of an out of action player can also be financially damaging to a club. With this in mind Mansfield Sand Company developed the Fibrelastic rootzone system to ensure a more forgiving, resilient playing surface. Fibrelastic rootzone comprises silica sand, organic matter, rigid polypropylene fibres and flexible elastane fibres which produce an ‘elastication’ of the pitch. As a result the surface is less tiring and more ‘player friendly’ with injuries to knees, ankles and lower backs less likely to occur. It also makes the surface less prone to disturbance, giving ball players a better grip.

As a testimony to the player-friendly nature of the technology, the Aviva stadium’s first major game played on the Fibrelastic pitch was Ireland XI v Man United on August 4th, after which Michael Owen commented that it was “the best pitch he had ever played on”.

Fibrelastic is also great news for the groundsmen at the Aviva stadium, as the pitch is less prone to divots and scar damage, without compromising its excellent hard-wearing properties. Damage to the surface is minimal, and the stadium even hosted the Leinster v Munster rugby game, only five days after a large concert in the stadium that required the pitch to be covered for ten days, without needing to be re-turfed. Drainage is not compromised by these hard-wearing benefits, and in fact those who maintain to Fibrelastic pitches have noted that aeration is not needed as often.

The Thirsk handler beat reigning champion Paul Blockley to the 2004/5 award after ending the winter campaign on a high note with a string of winners including Penwell Hill and Melvino.

Barron, who has been synonymous with All-Weather racing on Fibresand since it first began at Southwell in 1989, received his award at the recent All-Weather Championship Dinner at Lingfield Park.

“It is a great honour to receive this award,” said Barron. “I have enjoyed many winners at Southwell over the years and am always happy to run my horses there. It is a very fair track and the surface is so reliable.”

His stable apprentice Philip Makin also enjoyed a haul of winners at the Nottinghamshire track, which re-opened in November following extensive refurbishment and drainage improvements.

Blockley, who was second top trainer at Southwell, retained his overall Trainers’ Championship, while Neil Callan – so often at his very best at Southwell – was crowned the Champion Jockey.

The new pitch at Fir Park

The new pitch at Fir Park was laid at the end of last season and was instantly ready for action in time for the first league match against Hibernian.

With around a half of the seasons home fixtures complete, the playing surface remains in a very good condition. Stadium Facilities Manager Ken Davies explains: “In previous years, the pitch refurbishment had been done by re-seeding but this time, we selected Custom Grown Fibreturf.”

“Faced with a shortened available growing period due to the undersoil heating project, Fibreturf provided the opportunity to install an instant and established playing surface before the start of the new season. The pitch at Fir Park is now top quality. We have worked closely with Fibresand UK over the last few months, who have been a superb source of advice throughout the process.”

The new pitch at Fir Park was laid at the end of last season and was instantly ready for action in time for the first league match against Hibernian.

With around a half of the seasons home fixtures complete, the playing surface remains in a very good condition. Stadium Facilities Manager Ken Davies explains: “In previous years, the pitch refurbishment had been done by re-seeding but this time, we selected Custom Grown Fibreturf.”

“Faced with a shortened available growing period due to the undersoil heating project, Fibreturf provided the opportunity to install an instant and established playing surface before the start of the new season. The pitch at Fir Park is now top quality. We have worked closely with Fibresand UK over the last few months, who have been a superb source of advice throughout the process.”