Turf Recovery Challenges Tackled
Professionals gather at Leigh Sports Village
GroundsFest Academy has held a CPD-accredited event at Leigh Sports Village exploring how lighting, nutrition and turf management techniques can improve natural grass performance.
The Optimising Turf Performance event examined the challenges facing grounds staff as fixture schedules increase, weather patterns change and recovery time between matches becomes more limited.
Sessions and practical demonstrations explored how shade and restricted natural light affect grass growth, alongside the roles of supplementary lighting, plant nutrition, irrigation and recovery programmes in maintaining playing surfaces.
Bradley Tennant of GroundsFest Academy said grounds staff were facing greater pressure to deliver playable pitches, making access to new technologies and industry expertise increasingly important.
The event also gave delegates the opportunity to see lighting technology in operation at Leigh Sports Village, where it is already installed, and exchange experiences with fellow grounds professionals.
Organisers say the Academy continues to run free educational events aimed at developing skills and sharing knowledge across the grounds management industry.
