2016-12-06 Services and Organisation Agenda

SERVICES & ORGANISATION COMMITTEE MEETING AGENDA   6 DECEMBER 2016




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SERVICES & ORGANISATION COMMITTEE MEETING AGENDA                                              6 DECEMBER 2016

              AUSTRALIAN SPORTS TURF CONSULTANTS                                  [www.ASTCs.com.au] s.com.au
              Blowouts
              Small worn areas can be lightly topdressed with sand or suitable soil to provide greater stability
              than what sand would. It is recommended that a | tone bulker bag be kept on site for use to
              lightly topdress or fill small voids each week. Do not buy bulk sand and store it on the field or
              along the fenceline.
              Surface undulations, particularly those greater than 30 mm, will cause playability issues for
              football (soccer) and especially cricket and become difficult to maintain. A Turf Doctor turf
              replacement tool can be used to replace worn turf or divots on the field of play from turf located
              outside the field of play. Such a method allows small amounts of turf replacement to occur
              before turf replacement is needed.

              Turfgrass Selection
              Turfgrass selection is important in obtaining the most out of the turfs performance in a sports
              situation. There is no silver bullet and no variety is suited to every environment. It is imperative
              that clubs do their homework prior to selecting which turfgrass may be suitable to meet their
              requirements.
              The decision should not be made entirely on cost. A turfgrass for use as a sports turf should
              ultimately have greater wear tolerance (and recovery), increased turf density, be low growing,
              fast spreading and produce few seed heads etc.
              Should turf replacement be required e.g. in high wear areas like the centre circle, goal mouths
              etc., it is normally recommended that the same variety of turf be sourced. However, if the in-
              situ turfgrass is not performing, it may be wise to seck an alternative.
              Do not use turfgrass that is unsuitable as a sports turf e.g. buffalograss.

              Aeration
              Acration serves two primary purposes, (i) to releave surface and soil compaction and (ii) to
              provide a suitable surface hardness that is safe to play on.
              With head impact injuries regarded as potentially the most life threatening, the Clegg Hammer
              is regarded as the most relevant tool to measure surface hardness within the sports turf industry.
              The Clegg Hammer provides Gravity maximum (Gmax) readings which indicate how hard a
              player would hit the ground. While Gmax readings above 150 Gmax indicate cause for
              concern, the absolute upper limit is 200 Gmax (wherein head injury risks are doubled) at
              which level fields should be closed to play as directed by management.
              It is recommended that aeration or decompaction work be undertaken at least annually to aid
              oxygen, water and nutrient availability to the rootzone and decompact the rootzone to provide
              a safe surface. The following shall be taken into consideration:
                  e   The soil type and is your field irrigated will determine the frequency and timing of
                      acrating.
                  e   All underground services, including irrigation system components, shall be clearly
                      marked.
                  e   Acration should be undertaken by a contractor using specialised aeration equipment
                      (e.g. Verti-Drain - |https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CBtexwwH8cA) with solid

              Reference #14R160614                                                      12 of 17| Page

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