England RFU Head Groundsman to insepct playing surfaces
By Kath
April 27 2009
England Rugby Football Union Head Groundsman Keith Kent is giving playing surfaces throughout the country the Twickenham treatment with a unique series of personal pitch inspections. This year's programme will see him visit 96 of the RFU's member clubs and meet dozens more at pitch maintenance workshops.
England RFU Head Groundsman to Inspect playing surfaces
HE RFU Head Groundsman Keith Kent is giving playing surfaces throughout the country the Twickenham treatment with a unique series of personal pitch inspections.
Keith Kent, right, with assistant Ian Ayling at Twickenham
This year's programme will see him visit 96 of the RFU's member clubs and meet dozens more at pitch maintenance workshops.
His latest round of visits starts today in Surrey and Sussex before he
heads to Hampshire, the East Midlands and the North East in May.
Kent joined the RFU in 2002 after 15 years with Manchester United and
is regarded as one of the country's leading authorities in maintaining
and improving playing surfaces.
His four Spring workshops take place at Horsham (April 28), Trojans (Southampton, May 7), Percy Park (May 11) and Bedford Athletic (May 13).
"Word soon gets round and the more clubs we visit, the more clubs we find coming forward who are keen to learn and start a long-term process of improvement, so for the first time this year we have a structured programme," said Kent.
"I'll walk the pitches, check the soil structure, the root structure, have a dig and see what the soil composition is and how it drains, ask about the maintenance, fertilising and spiking programmes, make notes and then prepare a report saying what I've found, giving a list of recommendations and a remedial programme. It's a very individual approach and it takes into account their needs and resources and how much can realistically be achieved.
"A lot of clubs have been where they are for decades, a hundred years or more in many cases, and started out just playing once a week. Now the explosion of interest in the game means they might train two or three times a week, play on a Saturday and then have hundreds of kids pitching up on the Sunday. That's a big change for them to cope with.
"The visits add up to some long days - we might start off at 8am, visit three or four clubs, then do a seminar and be talking to people until 11pm at night.
"But I've met some great characters and I never want to stop doing it. Everywhere we go the clubs are fantastic and the feeling of satisfaction you get from being able to help these people who dedicate their lives to their clubs is so fulfilling."
The programme is coordinated by the RFU's Funding and Facilities team, who assist the development of clubs throughout the country working with the RFU's Constituent Bodies (the counties) to agreed strategies.
April 28: Twickenham, Eastbourne, Horsham (Workshop at Horsham 7pm)
April 29: Streatham-Croydon, Chobham, Cranleigh, Guildford, Rosslyn Park
May 7: Ellingham & Ringwood, Eastleigh, Trojans (Workshop at Trojans 7pm)
May 8: Fareham Heathens, Portsmouth, Petersfield, Alton
May 10: Blyth, Novocastrians, Percy Park, Ponteland (Workshop at Percy Park 7pm)
May 11: Horden, Sunderland, Westoe, Consett
May 13: Bugbrooke, Northampton BBOB, Northampton MO RFC (Workshop at Bedford Athletic 7pm)
May 14: Dunstablians, Stockwood Park, Oundle