Liberty Stadium
Swansea, the premier sports venue in South West Wales, is home to Swansea City
Football Club and the Ospreys regional rugby team.
Although being
sceptical, Head Groundsman Dan Kirton, made the switch to Johnsons Sports Seed
in 2015 and now admits
that it would take “something seriously special” to make them use anything
else.
Between Johnsons
Premier Pitch and J 4Turf mixtures, the team have achieved fantastic year-round
results year on year. “We had heard and
read so many good things about the range that for our renovations in 2015 we
gave it a go,” explains Dan.
As a multi-sport
venue, Dan, and his team of three, face a variety of challenges when it comes
to managing the pitch. “We have on average 30 football and 20 rugby games a
season, with sometimes just a single day turnaround between matches.
"Renovation can
also be hectic – the concert schedule will determine how long we have to get
the pitch match fit. To stand any chance of good results we need mixtures that
germinate quickly.”
Because of their
unique requirements, DLF’s Ian Barnett suggested using a combination of
Johnsons J Premier Pitch
during summer, and for the colder months, Johnsons J 4Turf.
“If we have a rugby
game on the Friday night, we’ll clean the pitch up and put J Premier Pitch down
and by the following week we’re getting germination – you can’t ask for better
than that.”
J Premier Pitch is
the UK’s No.1 sports turf renovation mixture, containing Europe’s highest rated
cultivars to deliver a sward with exceptional wear tolerance, density and rapid
recovery under heavy wear. J 4Turf tetraploid rye ensures rapid establishment
even under low soil temperatures making it ideal for autumn and winter
overseeding.
“This year we have a
concert on the July 7 giving us just three weeks for renovation before the
first game of the new season. If we have any chance of getting the seed through
in time we’ll definitely be continuing with our Johnsons Seed programme; it’s easily
the best seed we’ve ever used and, backed up with support and advice from Ian,
means we haven’t looked back since.”
