GMA the venue’ s concert period had finished but was then extended by around seven days. They had a test match just a few weeks later, televised live on Sky. The ground staff worked extremely hard to get the ground ready.”
For many venues, particularly those juggling sport and entertainment, surface choice plays a pivotal role.“ The true multi-event venues will have systems that allow for rapid transitions,” says Tom Rowley, Football Key Account Manager at the GMA and former groundsperson at Leicester City FC.
“ We’ ve seen more‘ lay and play’ hybrid carpet systems recently. These types of systems are a great option for stadia that require a quick turnaround between events and sporting fixtures as they can be managed to the nth degree for a finite amount of time, then taken out and replaced. Wembley, Tottenham Hotspur, Real Madrid, these kinds of systems are crucial for venues with packed summer schedules. Stade de France famously had a concert just 7 days before the Champions League final back in 2022.”
The average in-stadia pitch renovation window is six to eight weeks growth from seed.
By installing a hybrid carpet system, clubs can reduce this to three to four weeks, providing a bigger window of opportunity for close-season activity, including concerts, major events, play-on-pitch opportunities and pre-season friendlies.
Unlike other sports turf, a hybrid carpet is grown offsite on specially prepared turf nursery field plots designed to provide the best possible growing conditions, including improved air flow and natural sunlight. From establishment to harvesting, some clubs like Liverpool FC and Manchester City have had their ground teams tending to the pitch off-site.
The beauty of a hybrid carpet system is it can be laid relatively quickly, approximately 2-4 days, allowing clubs the largest possible window for commercial activity on the pitch. Within days of installation, the idea is roots will start to develop through the backing of the carpet and turf to form a reinforced natural playing surface. One of the positive things about a system like this is it gives grounds staff the ability to evaluate the playing surface each year and make any adjustments after the close-season period to ensure the best possible playing surface.
Tom also notes that working with external contractors for this type of surface is key and, again, often unnoticed.“ The ground staff work really closely with companies who are farming that surface. It has to be seamless, quite literally.”
Whilst the technology has evolved, the core challenges remain the same. Heavy rigging, unpredictable weather, tight turnarounds and lastminute changes test even the most experienced grounds teams. But as Julien points out, the work begins long before the first note is played.
“ From the head groundsperson’ s perspective, they would hope to be involved in most of the operational planning. A lot of these concerts are meticulously planned at least 12 months in advance, if not more. Yes, it’ s demanding. Yes, you have to make sacrifices, but I’ ve been very privileged to see some amazing acts up close and personal – you create memories that last a lifetime.”
Whether it’ s a chart-topper at Wembley or a cricket classic in Manchester, one thing’ s for sure: behind every flawless playing surface is a grounds team working tirelessly to make it happen. Centre stage, but often behind the scenes.
GroundskeepingJournal. co. uk | July / August 2025 7