STRI (Sports Turf Research Institute) Bulletin October 2014 | Page 6

WORLD CUP
invariably compete with the oversown
ryegrass, depending on shade and local
temperature.
Every stadium venue is managed by
contractors, who provided all the
necessary machinery and manpower
required for pitch management. The
level of expertise was variable, but a
large aspect of the legacy was to see the
groundsmen who had only been in the
job for a matter of months develop and
hone their new found skills so that by
the end of the Tournament they were
fully on board with the techniques and
effort required to produce a playing
surface to the required level. This is not
to say that there were not a few hiccups
along the way, but with a genuine
interest to do the best they could, it was
a pleasure working with the contractors
on their journey.
Not only was it a challenge to get
the local staff working to achieve the
standards required but coordinating
fourteen staff to deliver at the same
level was also a challenge and one which
the whole team rose to deliver. Long
days and short nights are a recipe for
short tempers and frayed nerves but
all parties acted professionally to make
sure that the pitches were delivered to
the best of their ability and any issues
were dealt with speedily and efficiently.
Manaus was especially challenging at
the start of the Tournament, given the
increasing levels of negative press before
the first game, which happened to be
England v Italy and probably one of the
most anticipated games during the early
rounds. With a forecast of twenty four
days rain per month, high performance
drainage was always going to dominate
the requirements for this pitch. This
was achieved, but the installed rootzone
was so free draining that during interim
periods of dry weather, moisture
content dropped significantly causing
instability when dry and rapid leaching
of nutrients and consequential loss
of colour and vigour. Once identified,
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Bulletin October 2014 Issue 267

full time irrig