Gala Day - and the damage to the pitch

[Nigel Bamford]

Just had a look in the ground as I drove passed & nearly all that top soil/sandy stuff has been spread over the pitch by a tractor towing a machine that is punching holes about the diameter of a pen into the ground, not sure what that does & didn't want to stop matey-boy & ask.

Anyway, work has started on it

I think it's called hollow tining - they do it a lot on golf greens. It opens up the sub-structure into which the sandy soil is brushed. It improves drainage and promotes root growth making for a more resilient grass.

[spirit of 1990]

Just had a look in the ground as I drove passed & nearly all that top soil/sandy stuff has been spread over the pitch by a tractor towing a machine that is punching holes about the diameter of a pen into the ground, not sure what that does & didn't want to stop matey-boy & ask.

Anyway, work has started on it

I think it's called hollow tining - they do it a lot on golf greens. It opens up the sub-structure into which the sandy soil is brushed. It improves drainage and promotes root growth making for a more resilient grass.

That's what I said it was to the missus Nigel

Thanks for that, it does make sense even to a Plater!

[spirit of 1990]

Just been asked by Jamie Reid if I can put some images on the forum of the work on the pitch....I can't do that, basically because I'm thick but hopefully Ste will get some pictures off us tomorrow & he can stick them up for people to see.

[Ste Story]

Here ya go Ian.

[DaveC]

Wow, lots going on there then. Really think the last thing we need is a hoard of kids kicking the turf to pieces next weekend, gonna have to bite my lip and try not to tell every one I see to stop tap bloody dancing on the pitch.

[bigcod123]

wow I wonder when the last time the pitch has had a makeover? getting excited already!

[Hadrian]

Is this 'verti-draining', as previously mentioned on here?

[Uncle Peter]

Is this 'verti-draining', as previously mentioned on here?

Correct. The sand fills the holes and improves drainage, as well as improving the surface for the new grass seed.

[Steelworks End]

wow I wonder when the last time the pitch has had a makeover? getting excited already!

Probably the time someone decided to put a layer of soil on top of an old rubbish tip, scatter some grass seeds on it, and build a football ground around it. The summer of 1909, I believe!

[barrowfan]

wow I wonder when the last time the pitch has had a makeover? getting excited already!

Probably the time someone decided to put a layer of soil on top of an old rubbish tip, scatter some grass seeds on it, and build a football ground around it. The summer of 1909, I believe!

Well at least - hopefully - there won't be pieces of glass coming to the surface as there was in the first season!

[audigex]

Has anyone considered getting some green paint and just painting the pitch? Seemed to work well at Manaus.

[A.B.]

Has anyone considered getting some green paint and just painting the pitch? Seemed to work well at Manaus.

Not sure if you'd left by then, but there was someone doing the exact same thing to the grass slopes just before you go into the underpass at uni!

[4kidsMike]

I can't understand what the major problem is, i have 4 girls who WILL be dancing tomorrow and i personally think this "Our Club" thing has gone to most of your heads, imagine if or maybe some of you do have kid/s and the chance to watch them dance on the hallow (boarded) turf of Holker Street it is the highlight for me during a long long couple of months plus and you moaning about kids tap dancing GET A GRIP fellas and ladies, i will say that by the looks of those pictures Holker Street will have the surface that could be compared to any of the top Premier League Clubs i am no expert in ground work on turf but i hope that the new B.O.D do not stop TAP DANCING comps from Holker Street, I do not normally comment on here as it is as nearly bitchy as my place of work but not quite yet YET. All i'm saying is i'm a proud father of 4 girls and am looking forward to seeing them dance (ON BOARDS) @ Holker Street, and by the looks of things the club are in extremely good hands a few tweeks about the actual Gala Day could improve realtions within OUR community more.

[walney rock]

It would be better for the pitch if the dancers used hover boards instead of hollow boards as they would do even less damage lol

[spirit of 1990]

To be perfectly honest I don't think a gala day with a bunch of kids dancing on boards is going to damage the pitch much, if at all, it would've been a different matter if there'd been a bit of rain lately so we've been lucky there. Of course no one can tell whether we would have had a rainy start to the summer so that could be a problem in the future.

Don't think any of this will matter next season as I'm sure there'll be lots more work going on on the pitch which will probably knock the gala day on the head.

BTW the pitch is now nothing like them pictures from last week, nearly all the holes look like they've gone/filled up & there's not much sign of where eighty tons of sandy soil have gone.