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When considering Sport Fields and how they are best constructed,
there are many ways to approach the topic and in many cases method
of construction are governed by budget. When considering the different
sports that come under the banner of Sports Fields many similarities
can concluded between the different sporting disciplines and their
requirements. For example, when comparing a cricket outfield to
a football pitch to a rugby pitch there are not that many differences
- each of these playing surfaces have simi;ar construction requirements
- they all must have be constructed using a free draining growing
medium that is conducive for growing quality turf, they must have
a system in place that can discharge the drainage water, they
must be adequately irrigated and they must have a grass installed
on them that is suitable for their selected use. It is only during
the final stages of maintenance that the playing surfaces requirements
start to vary i.e. a cricket field requires a low cutting height
when compared to Rugby and football pitches
Before construction can commence some decisions need to be made
in relation to the makeup of the playing surface. The one off
most important decision is in relation to the growing medium of
the field, in other words what will be used to grow the grass
in. generally speaking the growing medium should be a free draining
material, with good moisture and nutrient holding properties.
The best way to know if your preferred growing medium is suitable
for use is to have it sent away to a certified laboratory for
testing. The laboratory will carry out certain tests in relation
to air space within the soil growing medium, its drainage ability,
its compaction capacity, and its moisture holding capacity all
with the aim of predicting its ability to grow grass in a Sports
Field situation when placed under pressure. A secondary test that
the lab will carry out is the soil's current nutrient status,
including its organic content and its ability to hold nutrients.
Once the tests have been carried out the soil will be analyzed
to see if it falls into the ideal ranges for turf construction
and the laboratory will recommend if it is suitable for use.
| Drainage is another consideration for the field that must
be looked at during the planning stages. The movement of water
into the surface and down through the field's profile is crucial
not only to ensure that matches are not effected through ground
closure, but to ensure that the field does not remain wet
for prolonged periods effecting the health of the turf on
the field and its ability to take heavy usage. |
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As long as the growing medium itself is a free draining material,
it is only a matter of designing and installing a drainage system
that can discharge the water out from underneath the field's surface.
There are multiple options when it comes to drainage design and
should be designed to meet the requirements of each individual
site.
Like all other turf constructions, it is important that the sub-base
work is carried out in a way that it is cable of supporting the
installation of the drainage and growing medium and ensure that
there will be no movement of the sub-base in the future. Whatever
the depth of growing medium is chosen, the sub-base should be
excavated and leveled below the chosen depth. Depending on the
designer's preference the sub-base can either be flat or have
a sideways fall on it to direct water into the installed drainage
- studies have shown it does not matter a great deal if the base
is flat or has a fall, the drainage will work equally well either
way.
Undoubtedly one of the most important factors in maintaining
quality Sports Field is the correct management and scheduling
of irrigation. Based on this, serious thought should be given
to the planning and installation of an irrigation system in a
playing field. There are multiple irrigation designs available
for different types of Sportsfields, it is important that an irrigation
system is chosen that will give even distribution of water over
the whole area. The consultation of an experienced irrigation
designer is important to ensure that the best possible outcomes
are achieved. Other important aspects need to be considered including
water availability, water quality, pumping system and pipe work.
Once all other perimeters of the new Sports Field has been covered,
the laying of the growing medium needs to be planned for and carried
out. The two main factors that needs to be adhered to when laying
the growing medium is to ensure not prior work is disturbed and
ensure that the growing medium is laid in layers of no more than
150mm deep to ensure that it does not sink or move at a later
date. Usually, the growing medium will be placed using heavy earth
moving equipment , and roughly leveled out using a skid steer
loader (with tracks) or an excavator assisted by laborers. Once
placed each of these layers should be rolled using a 4x4 tractor
with wide tires (moving across the area slowly in all directions)
to consolidate the green and watered to firm the surface. During
the laying of the growing medium every effort should be made to
get the Field's levels as close to finished level as possible.
One of the most crucial tasks in completing a new playing surface
is the final leveling of the surface - a Sportsfield must comply
the designer's surface falls, which will normally indicated a
surface fall somewhere between 0.5% - 1% .
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There are many methods that have been used successfully
over the years to final level a surface, however, an easier,
more effective method to level a Sportsfield is to use of
a tractor mounted laser level - a laser level is a process
of smoothing the green's surface flat from its average elevation
using laser-equipped drag blade. so that the soil can be moved
either by cutting or filling to create the desired level.
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| Selecting a suitable grass for a Sportsfield should not
be taken lightly - a turf variety needs to be selected that
has a proven track record on Sportsfields, is cable of handling
the stresses of heavy usage regardless if the grass type is
of a warm or cool season nature it doesn't matter as long
as it is suitable to that environment, ensuring the selected
grass can handle the local conditions, and it has good recovery
abilities. It is easily possible to fail the construction
or reconstruction of a Sportsfield through choosing the wrong
grass species |
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