This International Lawn Day (31 August), we’re swinging the spotlight over to the teams that manage one of the most important, and often unsung, elements of the events hosted across our venues: the turf!
From blockbuster sporting matches to major concerts and special events, Stadiums Queensland’s world class playing surfaces are essential to delivering a safe, high-quality experience. Across Stadiums Queensland, there are specialist team dedicated to ensuring each venue’s turf and grounds are world class. We caught up with some of Stadiums Queensland’s venue grounds managers recently to hear more about their teams’ roles, how they keep our venue’s playing surfaces and grounds in such great condition and some surprising facts about being a groundie!
How much work goes into ensuring your venue’s turf remains pitch perfect?
“A huge amount happens behind the scenes. At Suncorp Stadium we’re managing an incredibly busy event schedule across multiple sporting codes, concerts and major events, often with very short recovery periods. It’s a year-round process of sports turf management including the use of grow lights, fans, planning renovations and turf replacement, all while constantly monitoring how the surface is performing. The goal is pretty simple… provide a safe, consistent and high-performing surface every time the players run out.” – Matt Oliver, Suncorp Stadium Grounds Manager
“We host athletics and sporting teams year-round at QSAC, with everything from QAS football to high performance athletics training taking place within our grounds. The QSAC Ground team maintains the surface to the highest quality with the amount of use on the field. With more than two hectares of garden spaces and three hectares of turf, the team finds a way to keep the venue always looking its best.” – David Teale, QSAC Grounds Manager
“Preparing a sports surface for an important event takes a great deal of work from the Grounds team, including regular testing of hardness, moisture and grass health to ensure the highest standards are always met. Healthy turf is crucial to producing a first-class playing surface. A good playing surface should be flat and free from any undulations that could cause injury to the athlete. Some factors such as bad weather, event scheduling and overuse, can affect the outcome negatively.” – Bruce Fouracre, Queensland Country Bank Stadium Grounds Manager
What’s something people would be surprised to learn about what you do?
“We are a grounds team of two, plus a helpful little robot mower, so it certainly keeps us on our toes year-round! I think what something people may be surprised to learn is that when event schedules require very tight turnarounds, we’ve often had assistance from within our own venue and other Stadiums Queensland venue teams, putting their hand up and pitching in to help the grounds team out – a true OneSQ approach! Whether it’s the Administration and Events teams helping with a little bit of line marking, or the Facilities team joining in to pull down goal posts, there’s always someone willing to lend a hand when needed. The shortest event turn around we’ve ever had was six hours to turnaround an NRL field to a soccer field – it was all hands on deck! It always puts a smile on my face when I see other departments take as much pride as we do in presenting the field.” – Phil Burke, Cbus Super Stadium Grounds Manager
“We’re always watching the weather! It’s an important element to delivering the best pitch possible, so it's always at the top of our minds. Knowing what’s coming helps us to plan when to turn the sprinkles on or off.” – Kerry Betihavas, People First Stadiums Grounds Manager
“The Sleeman Sports Complex Grounds team looks after more than 24 hectares, including over 10,000 m² of turf, as well as trees, gardens, irrigation systems, natural bushland, and the BMX precinct. We also support the venue during major events, respond to changing weather conditions, manage contractors and equipment, and continually look for ways to improve the presentation, safety, and sustainability of the site.” – Simon Lee, Sleeman Sports Complex Grounds Manager
“We install every piece of athletics equipment, from high jump and pole vault mats, discus and hammer cages, steeples and hurdles, the list goes on and on! So, when you’re next at QSAC, just know that all of the equipment that is used by the hirer or public patrons has been installed by the QSAC Grounds team.” – David Teale, QSAC Grounds Manager